The News Matrix: Tuesday 17 January 2012

Report questions drug maker's claims

The manufacturer of Tamiflu, the drug stockpiled by the NHS to treat swine flu, withheld data about its side-effects, a report claims. The Cochrane Collaboration's study questions claims by Roche that Tamiflu reduces the number of patients who need to go to hospital after infection. MORE

Hacking may have led to Ulrika 'scoop'

The editors of the Daily Mirror and the Sunday Mirror told the Leveson Inquiry it was "possible" phone hacking had taken place at both titles. Rich- ard Wallace, of the Daily Mirror, said the practice may have led to a "scoop" about an affair between Sven Göran Eriksson and Ulrika Jonsson. MORE

Senior court accuses PM of contempt

The country's Supreme Court has begun contempt proceedings against Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani. It ordered Mr Gilani to appear this week to explain why his government failed to follow directives to re-open corruption investigations against President Asif Ali Zardari. MORE

Wikipedia leads online 'black-out'

The founder of Wikipedia, Jimmy Wales, is calling for search engines and social media sites to go offline for 24 hours in protest against an anti-privacy bill being proposed by the US Senate. The collaborative encyclopaedia is protesting the Stop Online Piracy Act (Sopa). MORE

Huntsman quits and backs Romney

Jon Huntsman, a former governor of Utah, withdrew from the Republican presidential race yesterday and offered his endorsement to Mitt Romney, boosting him before Saturday's primary in South Carolina. MORE

Chancellor suggests paying more to IMF

Britain could help struggling eurozone economies by increasing its payments to the International Monetary Fund by billions of pounds, the Chancellor George Osborne has said. The move, which is seen as an attempt to rebuild bridges with Europe after David Cameron's veto last month, may provoke a rebellion by Eurosceptic Conservative MPs, it is warned. MORE

Putin: Don't say you want a revolution

Vladimir Putin warned against revolutionary fervour, insisting that history showed uprisings ended up "destroying, not creating". In a newspaper article, Mr Putin said that when he came to power in 2000 a Russia as prosperous as it is now would have been "unbelievable". MORE

Third arrest in couple's murder

A third man, 37, has been arrested on suspicion of murdering the parents of a police officer. Avtar Kolar, 62, and his wife Carole, 58, were found in Handsworth Wood, Birmingham, last Wednesday. One suspect, aged 24 has been freed on bail. A second man, 41, was released without charge.

Legislator joins fight against Assad

A member of Syria's parliament has left the country to join the opposition against President Bashar al-Assad, saying the Syrian people are suffering human-rights violations. Imad Ghalioun, who represents the city of Homs, said many other legislators also support the uprising. MORE

Edible microchip to monitor pill regime

An edible microchip that records the details of a patient's pill regime will be available in Britain by the end of year. The digestible sensors can transmit medical information from a patient's body to the mobile phone of a relative or carer. MORE

Unions call off strikes after fuel costs cut

Nigerian trade unions called off strikes yesterday, ending a confrontation over fuel prices after President Goodluck Jonathan said he would cut them by a third. He was already under fire for failing to address an Islamist insurgency.

That's no horse fly, that's Beyoncé

A newly-identified horse fly was so "bootylicious" with its golden-haired behind that there was only one worthy name: Beyoncé. The Australian researcher Bryan Lessard also named the new specie Scaptia (Plinthina) Beyonceae because it was first captured in 1981, the year Beyoncé was born.

Gazza gets apology for groping story

Paul Gascoigne was issued a public apology yesterday over a newspaper claim that he had groped a female shop assistant. News Group Newspaper apologised for any distress caused by an article in The Sun claiming the ex-England footballer put his hand on a shop assistant's breast.

Only women trusted to monitor Goa polls

The government has decided to send a women-only team to monitor legislative elections in March in Goa because they fear the men would take advantage of island's famed nightlife, The Times of India has reported. In previous polls, male officers partied while on duty. MORE

Laura Marling leads folk revival

Folk music is enjoying a sales boom, with Laura Marling leading a revival of the narrative song. The genre accounted for 1.6 per cent of album sales in 2011, a 20 per cent rise on the previous year.

Build on Brit film success, says report

Every school child should have the chance to study film as Britain looks to usher in the next generation of budding film-makers. Culture Minister Ed Vaizey last year commissioned a panel to draw up proposals to "increase audience choice and grow the demand for British films in the UK". MORE

My bins are being raided, says Haggis

Paul Haggis, the Oscar-winning director who resigned from the Church of Scientology in 2009, claims private detectives are examining his bins in an effort to find information which might discredit him. Haggis cast the organisation in an unfavourable light in a magazine article last year. MORE

Bank repossesses OJ Simpson's house

The US bank JPMorgan Chase is repossessing OJ Simpson's home in Florida. The former American football star is serving a nine to 33-year jail term for kidnapping, armed robbery and other offences over an armed confrontation with sports memorabilia dealers in 2007.

Poet scores big for writing about drugs

A celebrated poet who has documented his battle with alcoholism and drugs has won the highest accolade in British poetry. The Poetry Book Society last night awarded the Scottish poet John Burnside the £15,000 T S Eliot Prize for his collection Black Cat Bone. MORE