The News Matrix: Thursday 8 May 2014

Man released in McConville inquiry

A 56-year-old man re-arrested in connection with the murder of Jean McConville has been released pending a police report being sent to prosecutors. The Northern Ireland Public Prosecution Service will decide if there are sufficient grounds to charge the suspect. Her children vowed to continue fighting for justice as they marked what would have been her 80th birthday.

Blair’s ‘New Labour’ label dropped

A group of modernisers inside the Labour Party has decided to drop its “New Labour” label. The pressure group Progress is to be relaunched as the party’s mainstream grassroots body in a symbolic break with its past as the cheerleader for the Blair vision.

Rebel fighters exit besieged Homs

Exhausted and worn out from a year-long siege, hundreds of Syrian rebels left their last remaining bastions in Homs yesterday under a ceasefire deal. The exit of some 1,200 fighters and civilians will mark the end of the rebellion in the battered city.

Stuart Hall says girls consented to sex

Stuart Hall has admitted in court to having sex with two teenage girls but denies raping them. The former presenter, who is serving a 30-month sentence after pleading guilty to 14 charges of indecent assault last year, claims his alleged victims had been willing partners.

Woman, 93, shot dead by police

A 93-year-old woman has been shot dead by a police officer at her home in Texas. Pearlie Golden was hit at least twice on Tuesday after allegedly refusing to put down a firearm. Lawanda Cooke, a local resident, told CNN: “Even if she did have a gun, she is in her 90s.”

Ferry death toll has risen to 304

There were fewer survivors of the South Korea ferry disaster than previously thought. Coastguard chief Kim Suk-kyoon said only 172 people survived the sinking on 16 April – not 174 as previously announced. The number of people feared dead has risen to 304.

Abu Hamza ‘was in touch with MI5’

Abu Hamza, the former Finsbury Park imam facing trial in New York, was in contact with British security forces during the period he is alleged to have conspired to promote acts of terror, say defence lawyers.

Shale development ‘must be top priority’

Developing a successful and effectively regulated fracking industry must be an urgent priority, according to the Economic Affairs Committee. It urged the Prime Minister to lead a “sustained and concerted effort” to get shale development moving.