The News Matrix: Wednesday 15 June 2011

Britain ‘can maintain level of operations’

General Sir David Richards has said Britain can maintain its level of military operations in Libya. He spoke out after Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope, the head of the Navy, warned that the Government might have to make “challenging decisions”. MORE

‘Most sickening’ paedophile is jailed

A primary school teacher was described as a “paedophile of the most sickening order” yesterday as he was jailed indefinitely for filming himself abusing young girls. Nigel Leat, 51, taught in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset.

Osborne to confirm curbs on banks

Chancellor George Osborne will tonight endorse proposals to force the big banks to ring-fence their high street and investment arms in his annual Mansion House speech. MORE

Protest over influx of Syrian refugees

As sectarian divisions appear among Syrian refugees, fears are growing that Turkey’s delicate demographic balance may be upset, as Turks took to the streets to protest at the predominantly Sunni refugees being allowed into the country. MORE

Up to 1,200 can challenge inclusion

Up to 1,200 sex offenders will be able to challenge their lifelong inclusion on the sex offender register under moves announced by Home Secretary, Theresa May. It follows a Supreme Court ruling that indefinite registration could breach their human rights.

Gaddafi’s son gets Olympic tickets

Colonel Gaddafi’s eldest son has been allocated hundreds of tickets to the 2012 London Olympics, after he applied successfully through the random allocation process, the Daily Telegraph has reported. Mohammad al-Gaddafi is head of the Libyan Olympic Committee and the country’s attendance is being coordinated by the Gaddafi family.

UK to keep giving to booming India

Britain should continue to channel £280m of its annual overseas aid budget to India, despite the Asian country’s fast-growing economy, the all-party International Development Select Committee agreed in a report published last night. MORE

Obama speaks out on Weiner scandal

President Barack Obama said in his first public comments on the Anthony Weiner internet sex scandal: “If it was me, I would resign.” MORE

C4 boss not sorry about disabled joke

The head of Channel 4, David Abraham, has defended his decision to approve a joke about Katie Price’s disabled son, while facing MPs at a Commons select committee yesterday. Abraham said the joke “did cause a reaction which we had not intended” but declined to apologise.

Republican hopefuls take aim at Obama

Republican presidential candidates came out swinging in the first televised debate in New Hampshire. The seven took aim at President Obama over the economy and healthcare. Mitt Romney and Tea Party co-founder Michele Bachmann were judged to have triumphed. MORE

Owner claims ring she lost 14 years ago

A woman in New Mexico has been reunited with an £18,000 diamond engagement ring she lost while making dinner in 1997. Santa Fe police last week advertised that the ring would be sold if no one claimed it. The owner came forward with a receipt and a picture of her wearing the ring to prove it was hers.

Thousands hurt falling out of bed

More than 20,000 people a year are admitted to hospital after falling out of bed. Another 12,000 are admitted after falling from a chair and 6,400 after falling from or on to ladders. The figures for England were released by the NHS Information Centre and cover March 2010 to February 2011.

Comic Strip back in Downing St spoof

Tony Blair is wanted for murder and forced to flee Downing Street, in a comedy film marking the return of the Comic Strip team. Rik Mayall, Jennifer Saunders, Robbie Coltrane and other members of the original troupe, who first appeared on Channel 4’s 1982 launch night, will star.

Twin peaks sale off, due to public outcry

Austria’s government has shelved a plan to sell off two alpine peaks after a public outcry. The mountains, in the Tyrol province, were on offer for €121,000 (£106,000) for the pair. The “Rosskopf” is 2,600m (over 8,500ft) high and the “Grosse Kinigat” nearly 2,700m (8,800ft).

Bono reconsiders ‘Spider-Man’ role

Bono has admitted he would never have embarked upon writing the troubled Spider-Man musical had he known the difficulties the $70m (£24.4m) Broadway production would encounter. The U2 star said: “If we thought it would take this long, there is not a chance on earth we’d have done it.”

Two charged over Facebook death plot

A woman who posted on Facebook an offer of $1,000 to kill the father of her child has been arrested, along with the man who agreed to carry out the killing. London Eley, 19, is charged with solicitation to commit murder while Timothy Bynum, 18, is charged with attempted murder.

Basshunter cleared of sex assualts

A celebrity DJ has been cleared of sexually assaulting two young women at a nightclub. Jonas Altberg, 26, who is from Sweden and is known as Basshunter, was found not guilty at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court in Scotland yesterday.

Lima mayor vetoes 72ft Jesus statue

The mayor of Lima is trying to block Peruvian President Alan Garcia’s plans to erect a 72ft statue of Jesus overlooking the Pacific, announced last week. Susana Villarán criticised the statue’s lack of originality, saying it copies Rio de Janeiro’s famous statue.

Royal Ballet names next director

After intense speculation over who would take up one of the most coveted jobs in dance, the Royal Ballet has named Kevin O’Hare as its next director.