The News Matrix: Wednesday 22 June 2011

Clarke forced into U-turn on jail policy

Moves to cut the jail population were in jeopardy last night following an overhaul of sentencing policy. David Cameron overruled Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke’s plans to offer sentence discounts to offenders who plead guilty early.

Ban Ki-moon secures another term at helm

The UN General Assembly in New York has approved unanimously a second five-year term for director general Ban Ki-moon, to start in January 2012. The former South Korean foreign minister, who took over from Kofi Annan in 2007, ran unopposed.

News Group pays Gray £20,000 damages

Broadcaster Andy Gray has accepted damages of £20,000 from Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers after its admission his mobile phone was hacked by the News of the World. The publisher agreed to pay the Talk-Sport presenter’s legal costs.

Jamelia accuses police of racism

The pop star Jamelia has accused the police of racism, saying she is regularly pulled over while driving because she is black. The singersongwriter, 30, says she is stopped “at least once a month”.

8 out of 10 mums prefer breast milk

Breastfeeding is becoming more popular in Britain, with a third more new mothers breastfeeding now than 20 years ago. The numbers have risen from six out of 10 in 1990 to eight out of 10 in 2010, according to the NHS Information Centre.

Obama to withdraw 30,000 US troops

President Obama will unveil his plans today for a withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, with the likely goal of bringing as many as 30,000 American soldiers home by the end of next year, despite concerns for the longterm future of Afghanistan. MORE

Police flood into Belfast after riots

Extra police have been drafted into east Belfast in the wake of what were described as the worst riots in the city for some years, with both loyalists and republicans firing shots during hours of disturbances. The disorder on Monday night saw scores of masked loyalists on the rampage and a police vehicle being hit by bullets. MORE

Nato chiefs plan Gaddafi strategy

Military chiefs from Nato nations involved in Libya held talks yesterday in London to thrash out a strategy to hasten Muammar Gaddafi’s exit from power. David Cameron said Britain would see the operation through to the end.

American Indians win £2.1bn payout

A federal judge has approved a $3.4bn (£2.1bn) payout to American Indians in a case that represents the largest settlement approved against the US government. The suit claims that US officials stole or squandered billions in royalties intended for American Indians. MORE

Ticket applicants to find out their events

Successful applicants for the London 2012 Olympics tickets will be able to find out today which events they will be attending. Money was taken from accounts between 10 May and 10 June, but people were not told which events they had received tickets for.

Sales manager ‘spanked colleague’

A sales manager chased a female colleague around the office, put her across his knee and spanked her as well as encouraging other women to grab his genitals, an employment tribunal heard. Pete Smith and some of his colleagues are accused of bullying and harassing Angelina Ashby, 41.

Arnie misses Mozart and juicy schnitzels

Arnold Schwarzenegger has been rediscovering the pleasures of his home country on a trip to Austria for an environmental conference. But instead of addressing green issues in his speech, he waxed lyrical about missing “the music of Mozart” and “a juicy wiener schnitzel”.

Celia the seal in nuclear incident

An Atlantic grey seal found itself in a tricky spot when it became trapped in a Somerset nuclear power station’s water intake chamber. Workers at EDF Energy’s Hinkley Point B site spotted the seal, which they named Celia. She was unable to swim out by herself and had to be rescued.

World’s oldest woman dies, aged 114

A Brazilian woman named the world’s oldest person just a month ago has died in the south-eastern city of Carangola a few weeks before her 115th birthday. Maria Gomes Valentim is survived by four grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren and five great-great grandchildren. MORE

BBC to tell the story of ‘Life of Brian’

A BBC comedy-drama exploring the controversy surrounding the release of Monty Python’s 1979 film Life of Brian has been commissioned. At the time, church leaders protested about the film, claiming it mocked Christ. It was subsequently banned in several countries.