The News Matrix: Thursday 27 March 2014

Detained officers freed by Russians

Six Ukrainian officers detained by Russian troops have been released and were being evacuated last night, but five remain in custody. Among those released was Colonel Yuli Mamchur, who earned wide acclaim for defying pro-Russian forces who besieged the Belbek airbase. MORE

‘Cut employers NI to boost incomes’

The Government should cut employers’ national insurance contributions rather than fund further increases in personal income tax allowance if it wants to boost growth and pay, a think-tank report has argued. The Policy Exchange argues that, while changes to low-paid workers’ taxes can support their incomes, they “do not address the fundamental cause of the recent downturn in pay”.

£250k pricetag for laptop legal battle

A man has won a 16-year legal battle over a laptop he bought from PC World, but spoke of his hollow victory yesterday after he was left almost £250,000 out of pocket. Richard Durkin was placed on a credit blacklist following a dispute over payments for the computer. MORE

Searchers may have found MH370 debris

New satellite images have revealed more than 100 objects in the southern Indian Ocean that could be debris from Malaysian jetliner Flight MH370. Search planes yesterday also reported seeing potential wreckage as the search continues for the missing plane. MORE

Tony Benn pays final visit to Parliament

Tony Benn’s coffin arrived in Westminster last night as he paid his final visit to Parliament. The former Labour cabinet minister’s body lay in rest in Parliament’s Chapel of St Mary Undercroft as his family gathered for a private ceremony to mark his death.

Murdoch sets up son as heir apparent

Rupert Murdoch has promoted his eldest son, Lachlan, to co-chairman of both his media companies - television and film company 21st Century Fox and newspaper group News Corporation. MORE

Landslide toll set to rise as hunt goes on

The death toll from a massive landslide in Washington state stood at 24 last night, but the town of Oso in Washington State was braced for a higher body count as search teams combed through debris looking for scores of people, possibly more than 150, still missing days after the disaster struck on Saturday. MORE

Coogan: new body is ‘a busted flush’

The new press regulatory board being established by the industry is a “busted flush”, Steve Coogan has claimed. The actor said the Independent Press Standards Organisation did not comply with the Leveson report’s recommendations and was effectively the old Press Complaints Commission “all over again”