The News Matrix: Wednesday 25 February 2015

Economic proposals given green light

Greece appeared to pull back from the brink of leaving the eurozone yesterday after its European creditors decided their economic proposals were good enough for their bailout deal to be extended. The reforms will now have to be approved by a group of European finance ministers.

New law makes anyone a terrorist

A new law has been introduced, broadening the state’s definition of terrorism to include anyone who threatens public order “by any means”, and gives authorities powers to draw up lists of alleged terrorists with little judicial recourse. Under the new law, prosecutors can freeze assets and bar travel without a trial.

British troops to help in Ukraine

British military personnel will be sent to Ukraine within weeks to train soldiers fighting Russian separatists, David Cameron said. Up to 75 troops will be deployed to provide medical, logistics, intelligence and infantry skills, the Prime Minister told the Commons Liaison Committee.

Green leader sorry for performance

Green Party leader Natalie Bennett apologised for her poor performance yesterday during a radio interview in which she struggled to answer basic questions about key policies. In the interview on LBC Radio, she failed to explain how the party would pay for its ambitious house building programme.

Major Amazon deforester seized

Brazil has detained a man thought to be the Amazon’s single biggest deforester. Ezequiel Antonio Castanha, held on Saturday in Para, operated a network that seized federal lands, clear-cut them and sold them. The network is blamed for 20 per cent of the deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon in recent years.

Fugitive stands trial after 20 years on run

A man who fled the US before he could be charged with killing his wife’s girlfriend in a crowded restaurant more than 20 years ago is standing trial in Philadelphia. Prosecutors say Santiago Pedroso started a new family in the Philippines after killing 41-year-old Delores Alvarez in 1992.

Ticket touts to face fines of up to £5,000

The Government has announced plans to crack down on ticket touting. Fines of up to £5,000 will be issued to people who resell tickets for concerts and sports events. Sellers will have to disclose how much the ticket cost, the seat number and any restrictions imposed by the venue.

MEPs attack Bill for ‘three-parent babies’

Britain is breaching European law by allowing the creation of “three-parent babies”, members of the European Parliament have warned.A group of 50 MEPs have asked David Cameron to withdraw the legislation, which they said “violated human dignity”. MPs have voted to legalise the procedure.

Sectarianism ‘a problem’ in Scotland

Almost nine out of 10 people in Scotland believe sectarianism is a problem for the country, research suggests. The Scottish Social Attitudes survey found that 88 per cent of people thought sectarianism was an issue. More than two-thirds of respondents believed it was only a problem in specific areas.

Pilot keeps stranded passengers hungry

Passengers on a plane diverted to Manchester were kept on board for more than six hours without food or water, as the pilot did not want to exceed his maximum work hours. The Air France flight from New York to Paris landed at 11.30am on Saturday, but the 460 passengers were not allowed off until 6pm.

Orton mentors next wave of women

Beth Orton has spoken out about the lack of opportunities for women in the music industry. In an interview with i, the Brit Award winning singer said a lot of women were not getting the recognition they deserve in the industry and were being “marginalised”.

Top architect knocks down his colleagues

A leading architect branded people working in his industry “arrogant” and “egotistical”, claiming they enjoyed all the acclaim at the expense of Britain’s engineers. Ken Shuttleworth, the man credited with transforming the London skyline, said architects had been acting as “kings of the castle for far too long”.

Dachshund saves stuck St Bernard

Razor the dachshund is being called a hero after he saved Jazzy, a St Bernard, who was stuck in 2ft of mud. Jazzy escaped his enclosure last week in Belen, New Mexico. Razor tried to alert their owner, and eventually was able to get the attention of a neighbour, and then led him across a field to where Jazzy was stuck.