The News Matrix: Tuesday 8 November 2011

Children's heart unit saved in legal ruling

A plan to concentrate children's heart surgery in fewer hospitals was temporarily derailed yesterday after the Royal Brompton Hospital in Chelsea, west London, won an action in the High Court to prevent the closure of its paediatric cardiac surgery unit. MORE

£440m spent on painkillers a year

The NHS spends more than £440m a year on painkillers – with the biggest bill in the North, according to a new analysis. Data for England showed health trusts spend an average of £8.80 per head of population on drugs to treat pain, with some GPs even prescribing Lemsip and Anadin.

Fans chip in to pay Ai Weiwei's fine

Thousands of people have given more than £517,000 to help Ai Weiwei pay a huge tax fine. Donations from fans have appeared in the artist's garden, some wrapped in paper aeroplanes or around fruit. MORE

Politicians locked in talks over new PM

Greece's politicians spent another day locked in talks to try and agree a new power-sharing government. The framework of an agreement is already in place, but the parties still need to agree on who will be the country's Prime Minister for the next 15 weeks. MORE

Violence ahead of presidential run-off

At least one person was killed in the Liberian capital Monrovia yesterday, less than 24 hours before a presidential run-off election. The violence came after one of the candidates, Winston Tubman, pulled out of today's vote, alleging fraud. He had warned of unrest. MORE

Gay men now able to give blood

Gay men are now allowed to give blood after Government restrictions were lifted. A lifetime ban on blood donation by men who had had sex with another man was put in place in the UK in the 1980s. But following a review by the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs, men who have not had homosexual sex within a year were able to donate from yesterday.

No 'smoking gun' in UN nuclear report

A report on Iran's nuclear weapons capability due to be passed to the UN Security Council will warn that Tehran is continuing to work towards building an atomic weapon, but will not provide those advocating a military strike on Iran with a so-called "smoking gun". MORE

All seven M5 crash dead are named

All seven of those killed in the M5 pile up have now been named. The lorry drivers Terry Brice, 55, a father-of-five from Bedminster, Bristol, and Kye Thomas, 38, a father-of-four from Cornwall, were killed in the 37-vehicle collision. Malcolm Beacham, a 46-year-old event co-ordinator from Bridgwater, Somerset was also named as a victim. MORE

Girl, 16, stabbed in neck at party

A teenage girl is in a serious condition in hospital after being stabbed in the neck at a party. The 16-year-old, named locally as Sayshana Mason, was taken to Ipswich Hospital on Saturday night. An 18-year-old man has been arrested.

Bamboo for Scottish pandas costs £70k

Pandas at Edinburgh Zoo will be fed on bamboo flown in from the Netherlands at a cost of £70,000 a year. Animal rights groups have criticised the decision to base the breeding programme in England, claiming conservation efforts should be focused on the panda's native China. MORE

No sackings over £55bn blunder

The German government has no plans to sack the bankers or accountants who made a €55bn bookkeeping blunder that exposed it to ridicule across Europe, the Finance Minister has said. Wolfgang Schaeuble said it was "an extremely annoying mistake".

Police arrest 12 men after Butlins brawl

Twelve men have been arrested after a fight at a Butlins holiday park. Trouble flared after a group of revellers were thrown out of a nightclub at the park in Bognor Regis. Six people, including four members of staff, were taken to hospital after the incident on Saturday night.

Stone age horses 'drawn from life'

An iconic pair of white horses with black spots drawn on the walls of the Pech Merle cave in southern France about 25,000 years ago were an accurate depiction of reality, a scientific study suggests.

Scientists develop TB breathalyser

A breathalyser for detecting tuberculosis infection on the breath of people with no other symptoms could be available in prototype form by 2013. Indian scientists have been given $950,000 to build an "electronic nose" aimed at detecting patients in the early stages of the disease.

Frankenstein actors compete for award

Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller – who took it in turns to play Frankenstein and his monster in Danny Boyle's play – are competing for an award for best actor. The pair have both been nominated for the London Evening Standard Theatre Awards, taking place on 20 November.

Cleaner mistakes sculpture for mess

A German museum is counting the cost after a cleaning woman mistook a €800,000 sculpture for an unsightly mess, damaging it beyond repair. The Martin Kippenberger installation entitled When It Starts Dripping From the Ceiling was on display at the Ostwall Museum in Dortmund.

T bangs the drums for The Stone Roses

The reunited Stone Roses will headline T in the Park next year. The band announced last month that they were to re-form and sold 220,000 tickets for three outdoor dates in Manchester in little over an hour. They have also announced slots at Benicassim festival and the Fuji Rock Festival.