The News Matrix: Thursday 29 May 2014

Grammar schools ‘increase inequality’

Grammar schools play a part in social inequality and lead to a widening of the income gap between rich and poor, a new study has claimed. Research has found that, in areas with a grammar school system, top earners are likely to be paid £16.41 an hour more than those on the lowest incomes, or the equivalent of around £30,000 a year based on a 35-hour week. MORE

New President wants Moscow sanctions

Petro Poroshenko, the newly elected President of Ukraine – who has inherited a civil war against separatists backed by Russia and an economy rapidly descending into recession – has called for stronger international sanctions against Moscow and military aid. MORE

Obama to continue with drone strikes

President Barack Obama warned that the US would continue to “take direct action” by ordering drone strikes and operations to capture suspected terrorists “when necessary to protect ourselves” in a speech outlining America’s foreign policy framework. MORE

Police clear camps of asylum-seekers

A miserable new chapter was written yesterday in the never-ending story of the migrants of Calais. Two large camps of asylum-seekers, allegedly suffering from an outbreak of scabies, were cleared by police yesterday from the centre of the town. MORE

Comic Relief returns to ethical basics

Comic Relief will no longer invest in tobacco, firearms or alcohol companies, after reviewing its policies, it has said. The charity came under fire after BBC’s Panorama revealed that it had invested in firms which appeared to contradict the core values of Comic Relief.

Landlord advertises for Pakistani family

A landlord was ordered by police to remove a sign seeking only Pakistani families to rent his terraced house. The handwritten notice that appeared in a property in Railway Street in Nelson, Lancashire, was condemned by community leaders and the town’s MP. MORE

Merkel ‘world’s most powerful woman’

Angela Merkel has been named the world’s most powerful woman. The German Chancellor has topped the Forbes list of the most powerful women in the world for the fourth year running. MORE

‘Honour killing’ victim is buried

A pregnant woman beaten to death by her family for marrying against their wishes was buried before dawn yesterday as police investigated the so-called “honour killing” in Lahore. Her father confessed to having killed his daughter because she had married a man of her choice. MORE

Cynical distrust can cause dementia

Older people who have a cynical distrust of others are about three times more likely to develop dementia than those who are more trusting, a study has found. An individual’s psychological makeup could play a role in determining their predisposition to senile dementia. MORE

10 killed in grenade attack on church

About 10 people were killed yesterday when grenades were hurled into a courtyard of the Our Lady of Fatima church in Bangui, which is in a mainly Muslim area in the capital of Central African Republic, Reuters reported.

Over 25% of world’s population is obese

Well over a quarter of the world’s population is now overweight or obese, with some 2.1 billion people falling into this category, a new study has revealed. The figures were released by the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013. MORE