The News Matrix: Monday 18 July 2011

Hospital poisoning victims are named

Two more poisoning victims at Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport have been named. Patients George Keep, 84 and Arnold Lancaster, 71, died after being poisoned with insulin alongside Tracey Arden, 44. Another 11 survived the poisoning. MORE

Kohl attacks Merkel for ‘ruining’ Europe

German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s woes plunged to new depths, amid disclosures that her former mentor Helmut Kohl had accused her of “ruining” the Europe he had helped to create and of pursuing “dangerous” single-currency policies. MORE

Cleared mother is abused by mob

Casey Anthony, the mother cleared of killing her daughter, two, in a trial that gripped the nation, has been barracked by crowds after she was released from prison. MORE

Cancer diagnoses increase by a third

The number of people developing cancer in middle age has risen by almost a third within a generation. Cancer Research UK, which published the figures, said the numbers reflected that people are being diagnosed at an earlier stage.

British teen stabbed to death at seaside

A 15-year-old British teenager was stabbed to death yesterday in the seaside town of Lloret de Mar, on the Costa Brava. Reports from the country suggest he was not a holidaymaker, but a resident of the town. He died in hospital after being stabbed at 4am.

Top soldier warns of settlements ‘terror’

A senior Israeli army commander has caused outrage among Jewish settlers in the West Bank, by warning that unchecked “Jewish terror” threatened to cause a new Palestinian uprising. Major General Avi Mizrahi singled out the West Bank settlement of Yitzhar, which he said ought to be closed down. MORE

Passengers unhurt after plane failure

Passengers and crew on a flight from Manchester to Shannon in Ireland escaped after the plane’s nose wheel failed on landing. The plane, operated by Aer Arann for Aer Lingus, veered on to the grass. But all 21 passengers and four crew members were unhurt

Public anger over Green candidate

Racism accusations have tainted French politics after the Green presidential candidate Eva Joly, originally from Norway, said military parades should be dropped from Bastille Day. MORE

Woman dies after diving in North Sea

A woman diver died after surfacing unconscious in the North Sea. Humber Coastguard were contacted by the boat from which the woman was diving in Seahouses, Northumberland, yesterday. She was airlifted to hospital but declared dead.

Hosni Mubarak ‘in coma after a stroke’

Lawyers for Hosni Mubarak said last night the former Egyptian President was in a coma after a stroke. State television denied the reports, which came as Prime Minister Essam Sharaf began a cabinet reshuffle. MORE

Male contestants bid to be the queen bee

It was a strange duel. Two beekeepers in China’s Hunan province went head to head in a “bee attracting” contest over the weekend. The winner, dressed in just a pair of shorts and goggles to protect his eyes, managed to cover himself in 26kg of swarming insects.

Women rip off their clothes for Putin

Support for Vladimir Putin knows no bounds it seems. Young women have come up with a novel way of demonstrating their adulation for the Russian Prime Minister: by ripping their clothes off. A group calling itself the Putin Army have released a video calling on woman to strip for Putin, offering the incentive of an iPad for the best example. MORE

Mortarboard and gown 60 years late

An 85-year-old veteran will collect his degree from Cardiff University today, more than six decades after war prevented him from graduating. Harold Jones, completed his course in mechanical engineering but couldn’t attend his graduation as he was finishing military training. MORE

‘Hanoi Jane’ is ditched by QVC

More than 35 years since the end of the Vietnam War, Jane Fonda’s reputation as a peace campaigner continues to haunt her. “Hanoi Jane” slammed shopping channel QVC for cancelling her appearance, claiming it had bowed to “insane pressure”.

British millionaires reveal exodus plans

Better living standards abroad, an uncertain economic climate and better weather mean that more than half of Britain’s millionaires have left or are planning to leave the country. Skandia, the investment firm, asked more than 500 UK millionaires and only 44 said they were certain to stay.