The News Matrix: Saturday 24 August 2013

Helicopter crashes with 18 on board

A helicopter carrying 18 people crashed into the sea near Shetland last night. Initial reports said it went down west of Sumburgh Airport. A ferry travelling to Aberdeen was diverted to the scene and several lifeboats were called out. There was no early indication of casualties.

ITV’s Fincham quiet over BBC’s £500,000

Peter Fincham, ITV’s director of television, has declined to say whether he will return the £500,000 pay-off he received from the BBC, and insisted ITV’s Jimmy Savile exposé last year “was not a programme about the BBC” . ITV was named Channel of the Year in Edinburgh last night.

Life sentence for massacre soldier

A military jury yesterday sentenced a US soldier who massacred 16 Afghan civilians last year to life in prison, without a chance of parole. Staff Sergeant Robert Bales pleaded guilty in June, in a deal to avoid the death penalty. Bales apologised for the attack in Kandahar province.

Lack of cameras in courts ‘shameful’

The lack of cameras in our courts is “shameful”, according to an ITN executive. John Battle said our reliance on sketches was “ridiculous”, adding: “It’s not a dangerous or radical step that’s being taken; we’re very much behind what other countries are doing.”

Bo Xilai calls his wife ‘crazy’

The trial of Bo Xilai entered its second day, with prosecutors showing video testimony from his wife, Gu Kailai, which implicated him in a corruption scandal, saying her husband had accepted gifts from a businessman in return for favours. Mr Bo retorted his wife was “crazy” .

Star Wars filming legend Gilbert dies

Gilbert Taylor, the British cinematographer who helped bring the Star Wars universe to life on the big screen, has died aged 99. He died on Friday with his family at his bedside on the Isle of Wight. In addition to the original Star Wars trilogy, he worked on Alfred Hitchcok’s Frenzy.

Peace talks stall for guerilla army

Colombia’s largest guerrilla army temporarily walked away from peace talks with the government yesterday over President Juan Manuel Santos’ refusal to agree to modify the constitution. The move comes after Santos indicated that they were nearing a peace deal.

Rogge ‘comforted’ by Russian pledge

Jacques Rogge, the head of the International Olympic Committee, is “comforted” that Russia has agreed to respect the Olympic Charter’s ban on any kind of discrimination following its adoption of a law against gay “propaganda” that has sparked an international backlash.

Opposition Shiites stage protest rally

Thousands took to the streets in Bahrain to demonstrate against the government. The Shiite opposition party Wefaq called for yesterday’s protest and had official approval, so it wasn’t broken up like others recently called by demonstrators in the Sunni-ruled country.

Cardinal ‘blocked’ sex abuse inquiry

Cardinal Keith O’Brien halted an inquiry into clerical sex abuse before resigning over his own inappropriate conduct. The Bishops’ Conference of Scotland in 2011 called for a report into the claims, but the “national audit” was scrapped as it didn’t have his support. MORE

Morsi supporters take to streets

Supporters of the ousted President Mohamed Morsi took to the streets of Cairo yesterday, in a test of whether they can keep up the pressure on the government despite the arrest of much of their leadership. Marchers kept to smaller streets to avoid security forces.