The News Matrix: Monday 24 September 2012

Rescuers rush to 'save' inflatable doll

Turkish rescue workers retrieved an inflatable sex doll from the Black Sea after police were notified by panicked residents who mistook it for a woman's body.

Burton premieres red carpet live

Tim Burton fans will get to see the European premiere of the director's new animated 3D film Frankenweenie beamed live into 200 cinemas around the UK.

Airline allowed fake pilot on flight deck

Italian police have arrested a jobless man who is suspected of having used fake IDs, a cap and uniform to convince staff on an Air Dolomiti flight he was a pilot, in a case likened to the Leonardo DiCaprio film Catch Me If You Can. MORE

Pet owners warned about rising obesity

Pet owners who feed their animals leftovers are jeopardising their health, a leading animal charity has warned. Battersea Dogs and Cats home says foods such as biscuits, sausages and cheese are triggering obesity problems in animals.

Avalanche kills at least nine climbers

An avalanche swept away climbers and their camps on the world's eighth highest mountain in Nepal yesterday, killing at least nine people. Most of the dead climbers were French and others were from Italy, Germany and Spain. Officials said four people were still missing. Five injured climbers were rescued by helicopters and flown to the capital, Kathmandu. MORE

Epileptic care 'is a postcode lottery'

Epileptic children face a "profoundly concerning" variability in the quality of care they receive, depending on where they live, a report shows. Epilepsy is the most-common serious neurological condition, affecting one in 200 children – or about 60,000 young people in the UK.

Bounty offered for death of filmmaker

Authorities yesterday distanced themselves from comments by a minister who offered a $100,000 bounty for anyone who killed the maker of the anti-Islamic film that has triggered outrage in the Muslim world. A spokesman said the call was "not government policy". MORE

Defy gun violence, urges Bishop

Residents in the Manchester suburb where two police officers were murdered last week in a gun and grenade attack were told by The Rt Rev Mark Davies, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Shrewsbury, to stand together to defy the forces of violence.  MORE

Clamping law 'does not go far enough'

Drivers face a "recipe for confusion" when new parking measures are introduced, the British Parking Association claims. It fears next month's changes to rules on clamping and towing away on private land do not go far enough or protect motorists from rogue clampers.

Romney takes the fight to key states

Republican presidential challenger Mitt Romney has opened an intense campaign focus in three battleground states with a rally in Colorado, insisting his gaffe-prone campaign is "doing a good job". MORE

Japan anniversary ceremony put on ice

China has postponed a ceremony marking the 40th anniversary of the resumption of diplomatic ties with Japan as a result of a territorial row between the two countries. A dispute over islands in the East China Sea erupted into a full-scale clash this month. MORE

Afghan death soldier was father of three

A soldier who died at Camp Bastion in Helmand on Friday was named as Sergeant Jonathan Kups, of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. The Ministry of Defence said Sgt Kups, 38, a father of three from Nuneaton, was not killed in action.

Families face even more pain by 2020

The living standards of low- and middle-income families will be worse in 2020 than they were in 2008, even if economic growth returns. Findings by two leading think-tanks suggest that incomes could decline by up to 15 per cent in real terms.