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The News Matrix: Saturday 12 May 2012

 

Friday 11 May 2012 23:47 BST
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Lawrence corruption probe by IPCC

The police watchdog will assess whether the Macpherson public inquiry was kept in the dark over allegations of corruption in the Stephen Lawrence murder investigation. Scotland Yard said it alerted the Independent Police Complaints Commission after its internal review. MORE

Parties still resisting coalition government

Greece's politicians failed again to form a coalition last night, with President Karolos Papoulias due to call party leaders together today for one final attempt at making a government. Some observers believe, however, that a deal may still be possible. MORE

Eye-gouge attacker is jailed for life

A woman who was blinded when her former boyfriend gouged her eyes, spoke about how her life was "changed forever" by the vicious attack, after he was jailed for life. Tina Nash said she was getting on with her life and urged other victims of domestic violence to seek help. MORE

Tanker drivers vote to accept peace deal

The threat of a fresh fuel crisis has been averted after tanker drivers voted narrowly to accept a peace deal. The deal was backed by 51 per cent of Unite's members, though four of the seven companies represented voted against. The union wants rapid implementation of the agreement. MORE

Military college taught war on Islam

An instructor at a US military college has been advocating "total war" with Islam. The course ran counter to the repeated assertions by American officials that their campaign against terrorism should not in any circumstances be interpreted as an assault on a religion. MORE

Tube engineers get £850 Games bonus

London Underground's engineering workers will each receive a payment of £850 for working during the Olympic Games. The Unite regional secretary Peter Kavanagh said: "London Underground did the right thing by recognising the extra work our members will be expected to do."

De Klerk's apartheid remark causes anger

Comments from South Africa's last white president, FW de Klerk, in a CNN television interview defending separate racial states during apartheid, set off a storm of criticism yesterday from people still living with the legacy of decades of racial oppression. MORE

Games sculpture unveiled by mayor

The red tower outside London's Olympic Park – known as the Orbit – was unveiled yesterday by Mayor Boris Johnson, its financial backer Lakshmi Mittal and creator Anish Kapoor. The artist said: "It is unsettling and I think that is part of this thing of beauty." MORE

Fancy a pint that's 170 years old?

Researchers say they may be able to recreate 170-year-old beer after finding living bacteria in beer from a shipwreck near the Aland islands, off Finland. The ship, believed to have sunk in the 1840s, also included the world's oldest drinkable champagne, which has since been auctioned.

It's cramped, but the neighbours are quiet

Karl Albrecht, a German man who died last month at the age of 88, wrote his own obituary in the style of a moving notice, to be published in a local newspaper. The notice invited friends to a "lively" celebration at his new lodgings, six feet underground at a cemetery in Hamburg.

Hendrix estate blocks biopic

A planned biopic about Jimi Hendrix has hit a stumbling block after the late guitarist's estate refused to allow his original recordings to be used. Experience Hendrix, the family-owned company with the music rights, said any project would need their "full participation".

A bundle of mischief makes his debut

A European brown bear cub has made its public debut at Blair Drummond Safari Park in Stirlingshire, when it ventured out of the hibernation den with its mother for the first time since his birth on December 14. The male bear was named Loki by keepers, after the god of mischief in Norse mythology.

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