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The Saturday Matrix: Saturday 23 July 2011

Saturday 23 July 2011 00:00 BST
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Islamists deny access to aid agencies

Islamist fighters accused the UN of exaggerating the level of emergency from hunger in Somalia, describing it as “politically motivated” and refused to allow some aid agencies in. MORE

Time Lord reveals why he left plum role

Christopher Eccleston quit Doctor Who after falling out with senior figures on the show, it has been claimed. The former Time Lord allegedly told an acting class that he “didn’t agree with the way things were being run”.

Security forces kill five in mass protests

Firing bullets and tear gas, Syrian security forces killed at least five people yesterday as hundreds of thousands defied a massive security crackdown and flooded the streets of Damascus and other cities.

Six more deaths as US swelters

Americans wilted under yet another day of searing sun yesterday as temperatures hit 38C (100F) in New York’s Central Park.At least six more heat-related deaths were reported on Thursday. MORE

Severe penalties of anti-terrorism laws

The Saudi authorities have drafted new legislation that makes political dissent a criminal offence, enabling the Government to jail anyone who questioned the integrity of the King or Crown Prince for 10 years. MORE

Country bans baby names like Lucifer

New Zealand has cracked down on bizarre baby names, turning down three sets of parents who tried to call their new-borns Lucifer. The move comes after bad press caused by a boy named Number 16 Bus Shelter.

Heroic man tells of saving baby in river

Hero David Atkinson, 46, has described how he rescued a four-month-old girl from the River Ouse in York after her pram rolled in. He jumped in after hearing her mother’s cries for help.

Number of inmates reaches record high

The prison population in England and Wales reached a record number of 85,578, – just under 2,500 short of the operational capacity of 88,073, Ministry of Justice figures showed.

Fifth victim named in hospital killings

Vera Pearson, 84, was yesterday named as the fifth person whose death at Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport is being investigated by Greater Manchester police. MORE

Sour grapes as spill costs £675,000

In a wine connoisseur’s nightmare, a container of Australian Shiraz – worth £125 a bottle – was smashed when a forklift dropped a total of 462 cases worth £675,000. MORE

Government will hold on to coins

The US Government is to keep 10 rare gold coins worth $75m after seizing them from the descendants of a Philadelphia jeweller. It says they were stolen from the US Mint.

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