The News Matrix: Thursday 16 April 2015

Trio found guilty of ‘honey trap’ killing

A care assistant has been found guilty of arranging a “honey trap” that resulted in a gambler being kicked to death. Leonie Granger, 25, met Mehmet Hassan, 56, in a London casino. Kyrron Jackson, 28, and Nicholas Chandler, 29, were convicted of murder.

Man, 21, held in hunt for missing nurse

A 21-year-old man has been detained over the disappearance of a nurse in Glasgow. Karen Buckley, 24, from Cork, was last seen leaving a nightclub with a man in the early hours of Sunday. Police Scotland said officers are following a “definite line of inquiry”. Police have been seen at a nearby golf course.

Remote control of airliners discussed

The head of Germany’s air traffic control agency says the crash of a Germanwings jet in France last month, in which 150 people died, raises the question of whether technology should be put in place to allow authorities on the ground to take control of a plane and remotely land it.

First drugs to treat tinnitus out soon

The first drugs to treat hearing conditions such as tinnitus could be available in the next five years, according to a new report. The charity Action on Hearing Loss said it expects the first new products to be approved and on the market by 2020. Around one in six people in the UK live with some kind of hearing loss.

2,200 troops start military exercise

Some 2,200 Romanian, British, US and Moldovan troops will take part in military exercises in Romania, close to the Ukrainian border, beginning today. “Wind Spring 15” will continue until 30 April at two locations: the Mihail Kogalniceanu airbase near the Black Sea port of Constanta and the Smardan shooting range.

Yemen conflict ‘may engulf region in war’

The Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has said that fighting in Yemen could engulf the region in war, and suggested after talks in Washington that US leaders “want to stop this conflict as soon as possible.” Mr Abadi added that convincing Saudi Arabia to halt its offensive in Yemen could be difficult.

Majority support music video ratings

More than three-quarters of the British public believe sexually explicit music videos should be given age ratings, a new survey has found. Over 80 per cent of Britons want age certificates on pop videos to prevent young people being exposed to sexually explicit content, the poll by Ipsos/Mori found.

Second arrest over preacher’s shooting

A second man has been arrested and a mosque is being searched after a Syrian-born preacher was found shot dead in his car in north-west London. Abdul Hadi Arwani, 48, was found dead on 7 April in Wembley. He was believed to be a critic of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad. A 61-year-old man had been arrested.

Hackers ‘could use wi-fi to crash planes’

Hackers on flights could bring down the plane they are on by using the on-board wi-fi, a US watchdog has warned. The US Government Accountability Office points out that as airlines attempt to modernise planes with internet technology, attackers have a new vulnerability to exploit.

First Lady gets her own TV show

The normally low-profile First Lady is about to launch her own weekly television programme. President Nicolas Maduro has announced that he has asked his wife Cilia Flores, a former National Assembly president, to start a show on state television to present a feminist perspective on the country’s socialist revolution.

Beckett play to be staged in the dark

A play performed entirely in the dark will be one of the highlights of an annual arts festival dedicated to the Irish writer Samuel Beckett. Theatre director Max Stafford-Clark said his version of Beckett’s work All That Fall, to be staged at the Happy Days Beckett Festival in Enniskillen, would be shrouded in darkness.

Mamma mia – how could you resist?

Former ABBA member Bjorn Ulvaeus hopes to transfer the party atmosphere of the musical Mamma Mia! to a Greek taverna in Stockholm. The idea is to have musicians and actors interacting with waiters and the diners, who will be invited to sing and dance.

Eurovision vote verifiers on strike

Iceland’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest could be in doubt because of strike action. Notaries at Reykjavik’s District Commissioner’s office have traditionally overseen the voting process of Iceland’s Eurovision jury but they’re on strike. Officials are reportedly looking for an alternative.