The News Matrix: Friday 22 July 2011

SAS capture British couple

The Ministry of Defence yesterday confirmed that a British man and woman had been detained in Afghanistan. The two Britons, believed to be of Pakistani origin, are being questioned after their capture by the SAS in the west of the country. MORE

Woman knocked over by daughter dies

A woman who was knocked down by her learner-driver daughter who was trying to reverse into a space has died. Susan Duke, 41, suffered head injuries when she was struck by the Ford Ka being driven by her 17-year-old daughter, Lauren. She died on Wednesday, two days after the accident. MORE

Life for killer of English teacher

The long journey of the family of Lindsay Ann Hawker ended yesterday with the conviction of her killer for rape and murder. A panel of judges sentenced Tatsuya Ichihashi to life imprisonment. MORE

One in eight police jobs will go – report

Spending cuts will see one in eight police jobs lost and result in rising crime levels, a report has found. It calculates that 34,000 jobs will go, of which 16,200 will be officers. Police officer numbers in England and Wales have already fallen this year by 4,625, to 139,110. MORE

Jailed MP received £151,000 in expenses

Eric Illsley, who was jailed in January for expenses fraud, claimed more than any other MP but one in parliamentary allowances last year. The former Labour MP for Barnsley Central received £151,245 in 2010/11. He was released from prison in May.

NHS trust withholds cancer information

A gagging order is being used by an NHS trust to prevent patients from discovering that they were operated on by an “untrained” cancer surgeon, MPJohn Hemming has told the Commons. The MP has called for a parliamentary inquiry into the affair, after revealing that at least 100 patients were operated on by the gynaecologist at a Swansea hospital over three years. MORE

MP calls for arrest of gays and lesbians

A government minister has called on Ghana’s intelligence services to track down and arrest gays and lesbians. The statement by Paul Evans Aidoo, the minister for the Western Region of Ghana, is the latest expression of officially condoned homophobia in Africa to hit the headlines. MORE

Unhealthy eating by teenage girls

Fewer than one in 10 teenage girls eat the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables a day and half do not get enough iron, according to a Department of Health Survey. Teenage boys fare slightly better. Children aged one to three eat the most. MORE

Prince Andrew quits as UK trade envoy

The Duke of York has stepped down from his role as the UK’s special trade emissary, though he will continue to support the nation’s interests aboard during official overseas trips as a member of the Royal Family. MORE

Grave of Hitler’s deputy removed

Officials have carried out a cloak-and-dagger operation to remove the grave of Adolf Hitler’s former deputy, Rudolf Hess, from a cemetery in northern Bavaria because the site had become a rallying point for neo-Nazis. Workers exhumed the coffin. MORE

Ducking and diving as dog goes for shark

A video clip of a dog attacking a shark has gone viral, racking up 27 million hits. The footage shows two dogs swimming in the ocean near the West Australian town of Broome. One suddenly ducks under the water and attacks a shark, later emerging from the ocean shaking its fur. There was no word on the fate of the shark.

Police appeal for infant’s rescuer

An unidentified man rescued a four-month-old girl from York’s River Ouse after her pram rolled into the water yesterday. The girl’s 31-year-old mother had stopped to fasten the coat of her other child when the infant fell in near Lendal Bridge. Police are appealing for the “Good Samaritan” to come forward.

Domestic energy consumption rises

Between 1970 and 2009 the UK saw a rise of 18 per cent in domestic energy consumption, according to the Office for National Statistics. The figure increased from 37m tonnes of oil to 44m – with more than half used for heating. However, renewable resources accounted for 5.6 per cent of all electricity consumption.

City jails innocent people – for a price

Keen to test their new facilities, officials in Jefferson City, Missouri, charged volunteers $30 (£18) a night to stay in their county jail – and 170 people checked in. The paying guests included a lawyer and a couple celebrating their first anniversary. The jail opens – free – for genuine criminals this week.

Kate’s dress on display at palace

Kate Middleton’s wedding gown will go on display in the Buckingham Palace ballroom tomorrow. The intricate Sarah Burton dress, which was shrouded in secrecy until the day of the Royal wedding, will be on show during the palace’s annual summer opening.

Taxidermist ‘kept animals in freezer’

A taxidermist who hid the bodies of a black bear, an orang-utan and other rare and exotic species in his freezer will appear in court on Tuesday. Simon Wilson, 49, is accused of keeping a dead endangered tiger, mandrill, leopard skin and peregrine falcon.

Optimism reduces risk of a stroke

A study of more than 6,000 adults has shown that an optimistic outlook could reduce the risk of a stroke. Subjects rated their optimism on a 16-point scale, and it was found that each point increase corresponded to up to a 9 per cent reduction in risk.