The News Matrix: Wednesday 25 July 2012

Boris and Clegg admit to aiding tax dodgers

Boris Johnson and Nick Clegg were among the politicians who admitted yesterday to paying tradesmen in cash after a Treasury minister condemned the practice as "morally wrong". Mr Johnson confessed he often produced a bundle of notes to settle his bills. MORE

Life term for killer of Hudson's family

Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson's former brother-in-law has been jailed for life for murdering her mother, brother and nephew, seven. US prosecutors said William Balfour, who was married to Hudson's sister, shot them in a jealous rage because his ex-wife was dating another man.

Colorado citizens take up arms

Gun sales have surged in Colorado since the rampage that killed 12 people at a showing of The Dark Knight Rises. The figures suggest that many locals have responded not with a campaign to ban semi-automatic weapons, but with a determination to arm themselves. MORE

Woman, 23, trapped by beach landslide

Rescuers were searching last night for a woman trapped beneath 400 tonnes of rock after a landslide at a beach. Despite the size of the rockfall, 999 crews said the woman, 23, could still be alive after the accident near Freshwater Beach Holiday Park in Burton Bradstock, Dorset. MORE

Ronnie Barker's son on child porn charge

The comedian Ronnie Barker's son faces a child pornography trial after giving himself up to police yesterday following eight years on the run. Adam Barker, 44, is accused of five counts of making indecent images.

Rebels resorting to home-made bombs

As the Syrian uprising grows increasingly violent, rebels are resorting to homemade bombs in their fight against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. But it's not just IEDs: in the border region near Turkey, rebels fighters have in recent months acquired more Kalashnikovs, as well as rocket propelled grenade launchers and even some mortars. MORE

Bail-out fears continue to grow

Spain continued to raise concern with speculation that the country, which was forced to ask its European partners for €100bn to prop up its banks, could need a full-scale national bailout. Luis de Guindos, the Economy Minister, flew to Berlin to see Wolfgang Schauble, his German counterpart. MORE

Archbishop: 'Not so bad for Christians'

Outgoing Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams has criticised some Christians for exaggerating the extent to which religion is marginalised in society. He argued that it is in many ways afforded more respect and access to public discourse now than it was a decade ago.

Keep fighting Aids, Sir Elton tells the US

Activists including Sir Elton John and Annie Lennox urged the US Congress to keep dollars flowing into the global effort to fight HIV and Aids. "You are the country that everyone looks to," Sir Elton told guests at a private breakfast on Capitol Hill. "Do not take your foot off the accelerator. Finish this job." MORE

Katie's fashion line benefits from split

Katie Holmes's fashion line has seen increased sales in the wake of her divorce from Tom Cruise. A representative of department store Barneys said the actress's Holmes & Yang range has been doing "particularly well". Holmes will show her latest collection at New York Fashion Week for the first time in September.

Middle-aged women are our happy breed

The most satisfied person in England is a middle-aged woman who owns her home and lives in Bath or Rutland, according to the first attempt to measure national wellbeing. The Office for National Statistics poll of 150,000 people also found that working people were more satisfied than those without jobs. MORE

iPhone 5 rings the changes for autumn

The fifth-generation Apple iPhone is expected to be launched in mid-September, it was reported yesterday. A new "nano-Sim" card, much smaller than the micro-Sim card used in Apple's current smartphones, will be used in the handset. It could also offer 4G mobile broadband capability.

Astronaut pioneer Sally Ride dies at 61

Friends, feminists and former colleagues are mourning the death of Sally Ride, the first American woman to fly in space, who died on Monday at the age of 61, after what was described as a 17-month battle with pancreatic cancer. A pioneer in death as well as life, Dr Ride used her obituary to posthumously "come out" as a lesbian. MORE