The News Matrix: Wednesday 5 October 2011

Cameron to issue warning on economy

In his closing speech to the Tory Party conference in Manchester, David Cameron will warn today that turning round the economy will take longer than he had envisioned on becoming Prime Minister, but that the country should not be “paralysed by gloom and fear”. MORE

Russia ‘like medieval state’ – Abramovich

Roman Abramovich operated in a post-communist Russia that had “no rule of law”, his barrister has said. Boris Berezovsky is suing him for £3bn in a dispute over oil firm shares. Jonathan Sumption QC said it was hard to assess the behaviour of people living in “such a world”. MORE

Britons hospitalised after helicopter crash

Three British tourists were taken to hospital yesterday after a helicopter crash in New York City which left a woman dead. Two of those pulled from the East Rover were in a critical condition last night.

Violence erupts in democracy protests

Pro-democracy protests have erupted in eastern Saudi Arabia over the past three days, with police opening fire with live rounds and many people injured, opposition activists say. Officials confirmed there had been fighting in al-Qatif, a Shia city in the oil-rich Eastern Province.

Prisoner ‘sorry he did not kill Huntley’

The prisoner who slashed the Soham murderer Ian Huntley across the neck with a makeshift knife has admitted attempted murder as well as the killing of paedophile and child murderer Colin Hatch. Damien Fowkes, 36, told prison officers he wished he had killed Huntley. MORE

Authorities evacuate kidnap island

An island off Kenya was being evacuated last night after the approach of five suspicious vessels, according to Sky News. Manda, part of the Lamu Archipelago, is the same island from which Marie Dedieu, a 66-year-old disabled French national, was kidnapped last week. British tourist, Judith Tebbutt, was seized to the north of Lamu on 11 September and taken to Somalia.

Backer of i could face hooliganism charges

Russian investigators have opened a criminal file on the businessman Alexander Lebedev after he punched real estate magnate Sergei Polonsky during a chat show last month. Prosecutors in Moscow said Mr Lebedev, the financial backer of The Independent and i, could face charges of hooliganism.

Nobel Prize given for space expansion find

Three scientists who discovered that the universe’s expansion is accelerating have been awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics. Brian Schmidt, Saul Perlmutter and Adam Riess studied Type 1a supernovae, finding that distant objects seem to move faster. They will split the £940,000 prize. MORE

Washed-up whale had been shot

A pilot whale washed up dead on a beach in New Jersey was found to have a bullet wound near its blow hole. It had partially healed and the 10ft animal may have been shot as long as a month ago but the bullet lodged in its jaw and prevented it from eating. The bullet has been sent to a ballistics lab for testing.

Leader’s grandson blots his Facebook

The grandson of the North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is unlikely to be popular with his family after his Facebook profile was discovered by South Korean media. Kim Han-sol indicated that his favourite film was Love Actually and he is said to have written in a wall post that he preferred democracy to communism.

Sunburn contest ‘irresponsible’

A competition that offered a holiday for two to readers who sent in photos of themselves with sunburn has been branded “irresponsible” by the Advertising Standards Authority. Dealchecker.co.uk sent a promotional email headlined “earn with your burn”, with entries to be sent to likealobster@dealchecker.co.uk.

Awards for Fiennes and Cronenberg

Actor Ralph Fiennes and film director David Cronenberg will receive British Film Institute Fellowships later this month. Fiennes who starred in the Harry Potter films, will hold a special screening of his directorial debut Coriolanus at the London Film Festival. Cronenberg is the first Canadian to receive the honour.