The News Matrix: Saturday 24 January 2015

Take it or leave it, Cameron told

An empty chair will be left for David Cameron if he fails to agree to new proposals put forward for televised debates by Britain’s broadcasters. The BBC, ITV, Sky and Channel 4 have said they intend to screen three debates in the run up to the general election in May.

More anti-Muslim incidents in schools

The sole UK charity monitoring anti-Muslim hate crime has reported a “significant” increase in bullying in schools in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo massacre. Teachers’ unions and anti-racism groups told i they had recorded an increase in Islamophobic incidents.

Angry reaction to Jurassic wind farm

Plans to build a giant offshore wind farm near England’s picturesque Jurassic Coast have been met with a backlash from MPs, locals and naturalists. The £3bn project would see 194 turbines installed nine miles off the coast of Dorset and east Devon.

Grayling is ‘off his trolley’, says ex-MP

Chris Grayling is incompetent and should be sacked as Justice Secretary, a former Tory MP has claimed. The barrister Jerry Hayes denounced the minister as “off his trolley” as Mr Grayling’s controversial reforms to judicial review are set to become law.

Fighting starts again despite peace treaty

Pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine have rejected a signed peace deal and announced a new offensive against Ukrainian troops. The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, has blamed “criminal orders” by Ukrainian leaders for a surge in fighting in the east.

Prayers at mosque for Isis hostages

Prayers have been offered at Tokyo’s largest mosque for two Japanese hostages threatened with beheading by Islamic militants who had demanded a $200m (£133m) ransom for their release. Militants affiliated with Isis have said the “countdown has begun”.

Body found in Wear may be student

Police looking for a missing student have found a body in the river Wear in Durham. Euan Coulthard, 19, disappeared during a night out last week. In the past 15 months, Sope Peters, 20, and Luke Pearce, 19, also students at Durham University, have drowned after nights out.

Officers keep jobs after deer killing

Two police firearms officers who battered an injured deer to death with a crowbar will keep their jobs, despite being found guilty of gross misconduct. Andrew Pittilla and Brian Clewlow, of Durham Constabulary, were given final written warnings.

Woman, 19, planned to travel to join Isis

A 19-year-old Islamic convert who admitted that she planned to travel overseas to join Isis was due to be sentenced yesterday. Shannon Maureen Conley has been held since she was arrested last April at Denver Airport as she prepared to board a plane bound for Germany.

Former Ukip MEP denies fraud charge

Former Ukip MEP Ashley Mote has pleaded not guilty at the Old Bailey to misconduct in a public office by fraudulently claiming £300,000 in parliamentary allowances. Mr Mote, 79, of Hampshire, was kicked out of Ukip days after being elected in 2004. His trial was set for 20 April.

Kidnapped French aid worker released

A French aid worker kidnapped in Central African Republic and her co-worker have been released. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said that Claudia Priest, 67, had been released and thanked Central African Republic authorities and especially the archbishop of the country’s capital for their help.

Nasa’s Pluto mission to take first photos

Nasa’s New Horizons spacecraft has travelled 3 billion miles and is nearing the end of its nine- year journey to Pluto. Tomorrow, it begins photographing the icy world once deemed a planet. The first pictures will be mere bright dots – it still has more than 100 million miles to go.

Air strike kills 40 near Damascus

A Syrian air strike killed more than 40 people in a rebel-held area near Damascus yesterday, monitoring groups and the opposition have claimed. The reported attack in Hamoria, a district in the Eastern Ghouta area that has been besieged by security forces recently.

Pay club staff living wage, says Miliband

Premier League football clubs should pay their staff the living wage, Ed Miliband said yesterday as he contrasted their earnings with players on £100,000 a week. If he becomes Prime Minister, the Labour leader would put pressure on the clubs to pay more than £6.50 an hour.

Proof it’s never too late to learn

A Kenyan woman who attends classes with six of her great-great-grandchildren is believed to be the oldest primary school pupil in the world. Gogo, who is 90, is also a midwife and helped deliver some of her classmates, who are aged between 10 and 14.

Brewers remove Gandhi beer label

A US brewery says it will no longer use a likeness of Gandhi on one of its beers following complaints that it was offensive. New England Brewing Co’s India pale ale is called Gandhi-Bot. It has a label with a cartoon image depicting a robot version of the late Indian leader.

App plans to take the fear out of flying

A new app for people who are nervous about flying should calm their nerves by giving them statistics on how unlikely it is their aircraft will crash. Fear of flying is very common: as many as one in five British people has anxiety about flying. The app is aptly named Am I Going Down?

Putting pen to paper not as rare as thought

Just over half of Britons still send at least one postcard a year. A study of Britain’s writing habits by Thomas Cook also found that romance is far from dead. More people write a weekly love letter than send a text or email to a loved one – with a small number penning one daily.

Soldier’s Waterloo medal is found

A medal awarded to a British soldier who lost both arms during the Battle of Waterloo has been discovered nearly 200 years later. Inniskilling Regiment Private Peter McMullen, from Co Down, was saved when his heavily pregnant wife, Elizabeth, dragged him from danger.