The News Matrix: Friday 23 January 2015

Hacking ‘may have been worse at Mirror’

Phone hacking may have been more widespread at the three national Mirror Group Newspapers titles than it was at those of its competitor, News UK, according to details at the High Court yesterday. Ahead of the civil law hacking trial against MGN, which is set to begin in four weeks, the court heard that 41 journalists are alleged to have accessed private voicemails.

Andrew denies underage sex claim

The Duke of York has spoken out to “reiterate and reaffirm” statements rebutting allegations he had sex with an underage teenager. Lawyers have filed a letter in a Florida court addressed to the duke at Buckingham Palace, asking him to take part in an interview.

Ceasefire over as 13 die in shelling of bus

The shelling of a trolleybus stop in eastern Ukraine yesterday was the latest deterioration in the situation in the country, with a Nato official warning that it has surpassed levels seen before the ceasefire last year. Thirteen people were killed and 20 wounded in the attack.

Three times as many coeliac diagnoses

Three times as many children are diagnosed with coeliac disease than 20 years ago. Nottingham University found diagnoses were 75 per cent higher between 2008-2012 than 1993-1997. Children from poor families were half as likely to be diagnosed as those from the wealthiest.

O2 sale ‘to create UK’s biggest mobile group’

A £10bn deal to create the UK’s largest mobile group with the sale of O2 to Hutchison Whampoa, who own Three, is expected to be announced this morning. Telefónica has been in talks to sell O2 since 2014. The details were being hammered out last night, the Financial Times said.

Mubarak’s sons to be freed on bail

The two sons of ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak were ordered to be released on bail yesterday. The release of the two sons, widely reviled as symbols of corruption during Mubarak’s nearly three-decade rule, could inflame public sentiment.

Osaka docked after being towed to port

The stranded car carrier Hoegh Osaka has docked after being towed back to port 19 days after it was grounded. Four tugs took just over three hours to tow the 51,000-tonne ship back into Southampton Port.

Hopeful suspended for drive ban leaflet

A Ukip parliamentary hopeful has been suspended as a candidate over a leaflet calling for welfare claimants to be banned from driving to free up space on the roads. Lynton Yates sent out a campaign flyer suggesting people on benefits “could really catch a bus”.

Woman hires copter to search for lost dog

A distressed pet owner has hired a helicopter to help in the search for her lost dog. Janice Bannister shelled out £750 for the search in Anglesey, Wales, after Sylvia, her Japanese shiba inu, went missing on 17 January. Hundreds of Facebook users have joined a campaign to help track down the dog.

Lavatorial law allows men to stand up

A German court has said men should not be prosecuted for the consequences of peeing while standing up, after a landlord tried to retain some of the deposit because of the damage to his toilet floor. The judge said the practice was still socially acceptable, despite some domestic opposition.

Fireballs ‘did not destroy dinosaurs’

It is unlikely that fireballs from a giant asteroid impact led to the extinction of the dinosaurs, a new experiment has found. Scientists concluded that the theory of the creatures’ demise 65 million years ago is improbable with the impact not creating enough heat to ignite vegetation on a global scale.

Meth haul found in crashed drone

Police in a Mexican border city have said a drone overloaded with methamphetamine crashed into a supermarket car park. Six packets of the drug, weighing more than six pounds, were taped to the remote-controlled aircraft. They said it was not the first time they had seen drones used for smuggling drugs.

Harvest mouse cropping up again

A rare rodent has enjoyed a resurgence after more sightings were made than in the previous 100 years. The harvest mouse is seldom seen in the North East, but a recent survey by the Durham Wildlife Trust found nine new records. This was more than were seen in the whole of the 20th century, and the first in Teesdale for 40 years.