The News Matrix: Friday 9 August 2013

Male and female autism is different

Men and boys with autism have different brain structures from women and girls with the condition, according to one of the first detailed studies of the anatomical differences between the brains of patients. The report claims that autism in males and females is different and cannot therefore be automatically treated as the same condition.

Virkernes plans to sue over terror arrest

Norwegian heavy metal musician and far-right extremist Kristian Vikernes is planning to sue the French authorities after he was arrested, then released, last month on suspicion of planning a “mass terrorist act”. He has called for funding help from supporters on his website.

‘Irish Sun’ dumps Page 3 topless shots

Only one reader complained after The Sun’s Irish edition dropped topless Page 3 models. Topless models were dropped due to “cultural differences” between Ireland and Britain, but new editor David Dinsmore is now under pressure to drop the feature in the UK. MORE

Two arrested in cyber-bullying case

Police have arrested two people in the cyber-bullying case of a teenage girl who died after a photo of her allegedly being sexually assaulted in 2011 was shared online. The death of Rehtaeh Parsons, who was taken off life support after a suicide attempt in April, led to a public outcry.

Environmental rules must be met, says PM

Britain would be “making a big mistake” if it did not seriously consider fracking as a way to reduce gas prices in the UK, the Prime Minister has said. However, David Cameron warned that “very clear” environmental procedures would have to be met by fracking companies.

Bloom insists his comments not racist

Godfrey Bloom, left, UKIP MEP who caused outrage by saying that Britain should stop sending aid to “Bongo Bongo land”, has said his comments were not racist. “Bongo is a white antelope,” he said.

PM criticises Murdoch’s ‘influence’

Media mogul Rupert Murdoch has been criticised by the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who says the tycoon’s newspapers are trying to influence the forthcoming general election. Mr Murdoch’s Daily Telegraph ran a story yesterday depicting Mr Rudd as Colonel Klink, the bumbling Nazi TV character. MORE

Bercow maps out future of ministers

Ministers of the future will have no control over what is debated in Parliament, the Speaker of the House of Commons believes. In a speech to Parliamentarians in New Zealand, John Bercow said that soon it will seem “astonishingly arrogant” for a Government to dictate what is debated and when. MORE

36 million adults using internet daily

The number of adults using the internet daily has more than doubled in the past seven years, new figures show. Some 36 million adults – or 73 per cent – are now daily internet users, up from 35 per cent in 2006. The figures revealed that 61 per cent connect while “on the go”, using a mobile phone, laptop or tablet.

Un oeuf is un oeuf, say poultry farmers

French poultry farmers have vowed to smash 100,000 eggs a day for the rest of the week in protest at a fall in egg prices. The farmers broke 100,000 eggs outside a Britanny tax office, having already smashed 100,000 the previous day in front of a supermarket in neighbouring Côtes-d’Armor.

Band of ninjas in bid to claim throne

Ten people dressed in ninja-style garb have been detained after they arrived at Malaysia’s royal palace in a bizarre attempt to claim the throne. The unarmed group carried a document calling for the formation of a three-million strong army to “set the stage for the return of Al Mahdi … the prophesied Muslim leader.”

Call to 999 over stolen parking space

A police force warned people to think carefully before dialling 999. Greater Manchester Police said recent calls included a woman who rang to report maggots in her bin, a man who called for “pregnancy pills” and another man who complained that somebody had stolen his car parking space.

Tiger cubs already earning stripes

Two Sumatran tiger cubs have been born at the national zoo in Washington, DC, and were yesterday crawling over their mother “as if her body is a jungle gym,” the zoo said on its website yesterday. Sumatran tigers are critically endangered in the wild, where fewer than 500 remain.