The Saturday Matrix: Saturday 16 July 2011

BBC workers walk out over job cuts

Stars stayed home and regular programmes were interrupted as union members at the BBC went on strike yesterday. The workers walked out over redundancies. MORE

Rebels recognised as legitimate leaders

Rebel leaders won recognition from the United States and other world powers yesterday as the legitimate government of Libya, in a boost to their faltering campaign to remove Muammar Gaddafi. MORE

EC may cause VAT to go up in 2014

Britain’s VAT rate could rise by 1 per cent to 21 per cent under new European Commission proposals to increase its powers of revenueraising. The EC plans to make the change from 2014.

Queen hails the Bletchley heroes

The Queen said it was “impossible to overstate” her sense of gratitude to Second World War codebreakers in a speech at Bletchley Park, Milton Keynes, where encrypted enemy communications were decoded.

Man arrested on terror suspicions

A 22-year-old man arrested in Birmingham under the Terrorism Act has been released after police questioning. He was believed to have gathered information to be used by a terrorist.

Art works found in alleged thief’s home

Police found 11 allegedly stolen works of art in the home of a former sommelier suspected of stealing a Picasso etching from a San Francisco art gallery 10 days ago. MORE

Banksy Bristol mural painted over

A Banksy mural accidentally painted over in the artist’s Bristol home town could cost thousands of pounds to restore, a conservation expert has said.

Police arrest 17 after Belfast rioting

A total of 17 people have been arrested for public order offences after nationalist riots in the Ardoyne area of Belfast on Monday and Tuesday, which left 26 people injured.

‘Act of courtesy’ led to death of Segway boss

Jimi Heselden, the man behind the success of the Segway scooter, died while reversing one as “an act of courtesy” to let a dog walker past, a coroner said yesterday. MORE

Why it can pay off to specialise

Students at specialist colleges such as the Royal College of Music or the School of Pharmacy can expect more secure job prospects than their peers, new data has shown.

Ticket hunter sets some sort of record

In an Olympian achievement, Patrick Winterbottom has secured tickets for all but one sporting day of the 2012 Games. He scoured European ticket sites, spending £4,000.