The News Matrix: Thursday 11 August 2011

Second Castlebeck care home to close

A second Bristol care home owned by Castlebeck, the company at the centre of abuse allegations, is to close. Rose Villa care home joins Winterbourne View, the home featured in a BBC Panorama programme, which exposed abuse of adults with learning disabilities.

US kills Taliban who shot down helicopter

International forces killed the Taliban insurgents responsible for shooting down a US helicopter and killing 38 US and Afghan forces. The US military said an F-16 airstrike on Monday killed a Taliban leader and the person who fired a rocket-propelled grenade at the helicopter.

North and South in exchange of fire

North and South Korea have faced off again near their disputed maritime border, the first exchange of fire since November when the shelling of a South Korean island brought the enemies close to war. Officials in Seoul said the North began the shelling and the South responded. MORE

MS study identifies new disease factors

A study into multiple sclerosis has identified 29 new genetic factors that are implicated in the development of the disease. University of Cambridge research shows the root causes of the illness can almost certainly be traced to faulty functioning of the body’s immune system, scientists say. MORE

Gangland matriarch jailed for 26 years

The reign of the notorious Melbourne gangland matriarch Judy Moran is over. The 66-year-old grandmother was jailed for 26 years yesterday for orchestrating the murder of her brother-in-law. MORE

Gove to cut funding for trainee teachers

The Education Secretary Michael Gove is planning to remove government funding for trainee teachers who have less than a 2:2 degree pass. Thousands of trainee teachers in subjects suffering shortages could be barred from the classroom under the plans. Ministers hope to attract high-flying graduates to teaching, with bursaries of £20,000. MORE

Pirate researched US captives online

An alleged pirate negotiator used his phone to surf online for information about an American family that had been hijacked on their yacht and calculate what ransom to demand. All four of the hostages were killed by pirates when the US Navy attempted to negotiate their rescue. MORE

Men imprisoned for burgling footballer

Two men have been jailed for 45 months after burgling Theo Walcott’s home. Kevin Wood, 32, and Ryan Lee, 23, stole a car and £15,000-worth of jewellery. The burglars targeted the Hertfordshire property while the Arsenal and England star was playing against Barcelona in February.

Teenagers hack into killer Breivik’s email

Norwegian teenage computer hackers have managed to gain access to the email accounts of the mass murderer, Anders Breivik, and have handed the files to police. The group claims to have hacked into two of Breivik’s email accounts, following last month’s attacks, which left 77 people dead. MORE

Nine-fold increase in wait for NHS tests

The number of NHS patients waiting more than three months for key tests has increased nine-fold in the past year. In June, 1,763 people had been waiting for at least 13 weeks to undergo one of 15 diagnostic tests – including MRI and heart scans – according to new government figures. This compares to 190 in June 2010.

Dawn Primarolo

Contrary to our report yesterday, Dawn Primarolo, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons, was able to secure a flight from South Africa so will be attending today’s emergency debate. We are happy to make the position clear.

Lights out for stretch of M1 in Bedfordshire

Lights are to be switched off on a 15-mile stretch of the M1 between junction 10 south of Luton and junction 13 at Milton Keynes. Approaches and interchanges will remain lit. Fourteen sections of motorway have lost their lights since 2009, with no impact on safety.

Activists try to take the cow by the horns

Activists are seeking to lure Yvonne, a cow that fled a German farmyard, with a bull, after all other attempts at trapping it failed. She had been living off the land until she was labelled a “security risk” after running in front of a police car and hunters have been given permission to hunt her down.

Bank robbers held after car chase

A heavily-armed stripper and her two brothers, who fled after robbing a bank, were finally arrested by the FBI last night after another high-speed pursuit ended with a crash. Lee-Grace Dougherty, a 29-year-old exotic dancer was arrested along with her two brothers, Ryan and Dylan.

Monkees cancel reunion concerts

The Monkees have cancelled their 45th anniversary tour. After a decade apart the band, above, had planned a series of comeback gigs. A spokesman later attributed the cancellation to a scheduling dispute. MORE

‘Murder mum’ is US’ most hated person

Casey Anthony, the Florida woman found not guilty recently of murdering her two-year-old daughter, is the most hated person in America, according to a new poll. Ms Anthony, 25, who is in hiding was more disliked than ex-American football star OJ Simpson and socialite Paris Hilton.

Sheep dogs make a return to the screen

Channel 4 is to screen next month’s World Sheep Dog Trials from Cumbria. The broadcast, on More 4, will feature former football commentator Barry Davies. It comes 12 years after the BBC axed One Man And His Dog, after 23 years. Eight million watched the show during the 1980s.

Prehistoric bird was as big as an ostrich

A prehistoric bird as big as an ostrich has been identified from a jaw bone which lay undiscovered in a museum for years. Scientists at the University of Portsmouth said the bird would have been between two and three metres tall and lived around 85 million years ago in Kazakhstan.

Newmarket has say on change of county

The Suffolk town of Newmarket could become the Cambridgeshire town of Newmarket. A petition has begun to find out if towns folk want the switch. Twenty per cent of Newmarket is already in Cambridgeshire. Councillors from the two district authorities are staking their claims for the town.