The News Matrix: Wednesday 29 April 2015

Alleged victims ask for review

Lawyers for some of Lord Janner’s alleged victims wrote to the Director of Public Prosecutions, Alison Saunders, to request a review of the decision not to prosecute the former MP over claims of child sex abuse. The Crown Prosecution Service decided the 86-year-old would not stand trial because he has dementia.

Cargo ship seized in Strait of Hormuz

Iranian Revolutionary forces boarded the Marshall Islands-flagged cargo ship MV Maersk Tigris in the Strait of Hormuz yesterday after patrol boats fired warning shots and ordered it deeper into Iranian waters, US officials said. US planes and a destroyer were monitoring the situation.

Baltimore mayor under fire over riots

Baltimore’s mayor came under criticism yesterday for a slow police response to urban violence in which shops were looted and buildings burned down. Maryland Governor Larry Hogan said Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake held off requesting the National Guard until three hours after violence first erupted.

ROH may go silent as workers mull strike

Staff at the Royal Opera House will take a vote on whether to take strike action after pay rows were left unresolved. The technician’s union Bectu asked for a 4 per cent pay increase over 12 months but the increase was only offered over 18 months backdated to last month rather than last September.

Label calories in alcohol, says doctor

Alcoholic drinks should come with labels setting out their calorific content, according to the chairwoman of the Royal Society for Public Health. “It is impossible to ignore our failure to deal with obesity,” said Dr Fiona Sim. EU regulations on labelling do not apply to most alcoholic drinks.

Obama pledges support for Japan

President Barack Obama accused China yesterday of “flexing its muscles” to advance its maritime claims against Asian neighbours, assuring Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who is in Washington, of the US commitment to defend Japanese territory. Mr Abe will today address the US Congress.

Drug traffickers are put to death

Eight drug-trafficking convicts from several countries were executed by a firing squad shortly after midnight, but a Filipina who was on death row with them was spared at the last minute. Jakarta had rejected last-ditch pleas from around the world for clemency to be granted.

Fire rips through Chernobyl woods

Fire engulfed a large sector of woods in the exclusion zone around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant yesterday. The fire was the worst in the area for more than two decades, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said. He said the blaze was under control and that no change in radiation levels had been registered.

Weak bolts may have caused yacht tragedy

Structural weakening of the vessel could have been to blame for the yacht disaster last year in which four British sailors were lost in the Atlantic. A Marine Accident Investigation Branch report into the capsizing of Cheeki Rafiki said one or more keel bolts may have deteriorated.

High-wire act launches new Eye

High-wire performer Nik Wallenda is set to stroll untethered atop the new 400ft Orlando Eye today, inaugurating the new wheel as it spins at 1mph. Mr Wallenda, 36, has recently traversed cables spanning the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls and two Chicago skyscrapers. The Orlando Eye is nearly identical to the London Eye.

Fines for owners caught by poo DNA

Owners in Barking and Dagenham will be fined for failing to clean up their pet’s waste, after the council brings in DNA tests of dog poo from April 2016. The dog’s profile will then be added to a registry. Councillor Darren Rodwell said: “Dog mess not only spoils our streets – it’s also a health hazard.”

Miss Piggy wins award for ‘grit’

A prestigious award from the Brooklyn Museum honours women who have made outstanding contributions in their fields. This year’s honouree is Miss Piggy. The Muppet will claim the prize from the Sackler Center First Awards, who said that Miss Piggy embodied “spirit, determination and grit”.

Hollywood’s ‘master of light’ dies, aged 59

Andrew Lesnie, the Oscar-winning cinematographer of the Lord of the Rings films, has died aged 59. The Australian also worked on Rise of the Planet of the Apes, I am Legend and The Water Diviner starring Russell Crowe, who tweeted: “The master of the light, genius Andrew Lesnie has passed on.”