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The News Matrix: Tuesday 31 July 2012

 

Monday 30 July 2012 22:44 BST
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Qatada seeks review of his detention

The radical preacher Abu Qatada will today seek a judicial review at the High Court to challenge his detention by Home Secretary Theresa May while awaiting deportation to Jordan. His lawyers are applying for a writ of habeas corpus to free him from custody. Two months ago it was ruled his detention was lawful. A judge said his freedom during the Olympics would be "exceptionally problematic".

Ex-detective wife killer found hanged

A former detective who stabbed his wife to death in front of their two children was found hanged in his cell yesterday. Peter Foster, 36, was serving 17 years for the murder of Det Cons Heather Cooper last October. It was the second suicide at Lewes Prison, East Sussex, in three days. MORE

Palestinian fury as Romney gaffes again

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney sparked more ill-feeling yesterday when he told Jewish donors their culture allowed them to be more successful than the Palestinians. Outraged Palestinian leaders suggested his comments were racist and out of touch. MORE

NOTW names must be handed over

The names of senior News of the World journalists who commissioned Glenn Mulcaire to hack phones must be handed to police, the High Court has ruled. Scotland Yard will have access to his witness statement in the case brought against him by Nicola Phillips. MORE

Anti-Putin punks go on trial for protest

Three women who protested against Vladimir Putin in a "punk prayer" in Russia's main cathedral have gone on trial. The women from the band "Pussy Riot" face up to seven years in prison for an unsanctioned performance in Moscow's Christ the Saviour Cathedral. MORE

'Joker' charged over Denver killings

James Holmes, 24, accused of opening fire at a Denver screening of the latest Batman film, killing 12 people, was charged yesterday with 24 counts of first-degree murder and 116 of attempted murder. MORE

Two boys hurt on fairground ride

A fairground ride in Leicester broke and injured two teenage boys. The Mega Bounce Frog Ride in Abbey Park trapped one boy and threw the other to the ground. One is in intensive care after surgery for chest injuries, broken ribs and a broken arm.

Cocaine production falls by a quarter

Production of pure cocaine in Colombia declined by 25 per cent in the past year, according a US government survey. Colombia now ranks third, behind Peru and Bolivia, in production of pure cocaine.

Nowt to eat but fush and chups

A New Zealand town with a population of just 7,000 will be the first community to celebrate Yorkshire Day today. Waiuku, which has a large number of expats from the county, will kick off the 1 August event thanks to a 11-hour time difference. Partygoers will feast on fish and chips and Yorkshire puddings.

Jackson turns The Hobbit into trilogy

Peter Jackson is adding a third film to what was planned to be the two-part series The Hobbit. The director of the Oscar-winning The Lord of the Rings movies said yesterday that after viewing a cut of the first film and part of the second, a lot of J.R.R. Tolkien's tale of Bilbo Baggins would remain untold if a third film wasn't made.

African finds suggest much earlier culture

Poisoned-tipped arrows and jewellery made of ostrich eggs found in South Africa show that modern culture may have emerged 30,000 years earlier in the area than previously thought, according to two articles published yesterday. The 44,000-year-old artifacts are characteristic of the San hunter-gatherers.

20-year-old writer up for big prize

A 20-year-old novelist from Gloucestershire has been longlisted for the £30,000 Dylan Thomas Prize. Ben Brooks's coming-of-age novel Grow Up was among the ten potential prizewinners announced yesterday. The award is given to an author of a novel, play, poetry or travel book who is aged under 30.

Madonna defends 45-minute set

The people who booed Madonna after she sang for just 45 minutes at a show in Paris on Thursday were "not my fans", the singer has insisted. "Playing the Olympia was a magical moment for me," said a statement on the star's website. But Twitter users begged to differ. One wrote "Shame on you" after paying €275 for a ticket.

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