The News Matrix: Tuesday 16 September 2014

Government profits despite huge backlog

The state is overcharging for passports and has made huge profits despite a large backlog in processing applications over the summer, a damning report has found. The Home Affairs Select Committee said there had been a complete management failure at the top of the organisation and is calling for compensation for holidaymakers.

Auschwitz guard, 93, on 300 death charges

Oskar Groening, 93, has been charged in Hanover with 300,000 counts of accessory to murder over his time as an SS guard at Auschwitz. Groening said while he witnessed horrific atrocities at the death camp, he didn’t commit any crimes himself.

Ofsted’s 40 surprise inspections

There will be 40 “no notice” school inspections across England over the next two weeks, the schools regulator Ofsted has announced. The impromptu inspections will come in the wake of the recent “Trojan Horse” scandal in Birmingham.

Man admits attacking Galloway

A man has admitted to beating up the MP George Galloway but denied his attack was religiously motivated. The MP for Bradford West was attacked in Notting Hill last month. Neil Masterson, 39, of Kensington, west London, was remanded in custody to stand trial in November.

Energy crisis likely to fuel harsh winter

Millions of Ukrainians are bracing themselves for a harsh winter due to an energy crisis caused by Russia cutting off its gas supplies and a dramatic drop in coal production due to the conflict. The Ukrainian government has already said that it does not have enough fuel.

Whistleblowers backing Dotcom

Whistleblowers Edward Snowden and Julian Assange appeared by video link at a meeting in Auckland to boost the election campaign of internet tycoon Kim Dotcom.

Men arrested over £10m heroin stash

Three men have been arrested after police seized a stash of heroin worth almost £10m. The haul was discovered by detectives who were tracking a Mercedes in Finchley, north London, yesterday, Scotland Yard said. Officers arrested three men, aged 33, 36, and 48.

PM Abbott runs the country from a tent

Prime Minister Tony Abbott is spending a week living in a tent and running the country from a remote indigenous community in the Northern Territory. His visit to Arnhem Land fulfils an election pledge to spend a week each year in an indigenous area. It comes as he committed troops to fight Isis in Iraq.

Orders for iPhones top four million

Apple had more than four million advance orders of its new, larger iPhones in the first 24 hours, exceeding its initial supply, the company said yesterday. The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will be delivered to customers starting Friday and throughout September, but many won’t be delivered until October, Apple said.

Spider-Man and Batman fight it out

Police in New York arrested Spider- Man and Batman when they came to blows in Times Square after a third man began heckling them. The three arrests came amid calls to regulate the number of costumed characters who gather in the Square and pose for photographs in exchange for tips.

Knicker-nicker dog can’t give up habit

A dog with a penchant for gobbling up underwear had to have an emergency operation to remove one of his lacy snacks – only to eat another pair of pants days after he recovered.

Brian, a four-year-old Samoyed from Rotherham, Yorkshire, is particularly fond of silk and lace thongs, according to his owner Kaye Banks.

Imagine rock fans’ ire at Boyle album

Susan Boyle is preparing to feel the wrath of rock fans by tackling classics by the likes of Pink Floyd and John Lennon for her new album. She has stamped her mark on Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” as well as Lennon’s hit “Imagine” for her Hope. She admitted it was a risk, but hoped people would like her personal take.