The News Matrix: Monday 27 August 2012

Lion tries to get into casino for breakfast

A mountain lion has been caught after trying to slip into a casino in Reno, Nevada for breakfast. Guests at Harrah's saw the 100lb cat fail to negotiate the revolving doors.

Search on for brides for ultra-rich men

A company is currently trawling the country to find suitable women for 32 rich men, each worth at least £10m. So far, 2,700 have signed up for the interviews. MORE

Women urged to go on sex strike

The female wing of a civil rights group is urging women to stage a week-long sex strike to demand the resignation of the country's president. Women are being asked to withhold sex from their husbands or partners as of today. MORE

Our use of words shows moral decline

Modern society – or at least its language – may be in moral decline. Researchers used the Google Books archive to analyse the frequency of words "related to moral excellence" between 1901 and 2000 and found their use had decreased.

Yemenis arrested over 'terror plot'

Saudi Arabia says it has uncovered "terrorist" cells plotting attacks against police and civilians in the capital, Riyadh. Six Yemenis had been arrested and explosives seized.

Blogger fights extradition

Alexander Barankov, a Belarusian blogger who claims to possess incendiary information about government corruption and has been granted asylum by Ecuador, may be extradited back to his home country and face the death penalty. MORE

Pussy Riot members flee the country

Two members of the punk band Pussy Riot who were being sought by police have fled the country, the band has said. Five women from the feminist group protested inside Moscow's main cathedral in February against President Vladimir Putin. MORE

Republican Party's show must go on

Republicans scrambled yesterday to insist that their party convention in Tampa would still be the success they need to give White House challenger Mitt Romney a big lift in the polls, approaching hurricane aside. MORE

Channel 4 dampens viewer expectations

The chief executive of Channel 4 has warned viewers not to expect the Paralympics coverage to match the BBC's "Martini" output during the Olympics. Channel 4, which outbid the BBC for the Paralympics, blamed a lack of support from foreign broadcasters. MORE

'Dracula in charge of the blood bank'

A former public health adviser has said the government's plan to tackle Britain's growing obesity epidemic is like "putting Dracula in charge of the blood bank". He accused Health Secretary Andrew Lansley of ignoring scientific evidence on the issue. MORE

Cardinal reinforces gay marriage stand

Roman Catholic congregations across Scotland were urged to pray for the country's political leaders yesterday by the church's leader in Scotland, Cardinal Keith O'Brien, over plans to legalise gay marriage. The Cardinal said marriage must remain "the union solely of a man and woman". MORE

Bashing the two Eds together

Labour has split into two "Ed" camps, senior figures claim, as Ed Miliband and shadow Chancellor Ed Balls clash over policy. Mr Miliband is said to be frustrated by Mr Balls' soft line on banks, while Balls' fans are frustrated at Miliband's poor media performance. MORE

Minister opposes more time for Greece

Germany's economy minister has rejected calls for Greece to get more time to implement economic reforms, saying yesterday that Athens needed to respect the bailout deal reached with its creditors. Philipp Roesler's comments come after the Greek Prime Minister, Antonis Samaras, told German Chancellor Angela Merkel his country needed "time to breathe". MORE