The News Matrix: Monday 6 May 2013

Plane crashes at Madrid airshow

A plane crashed into a hangar and exploded, seriously injuring its pilot, at an air show held in an airfield south-west of Madrid. A spokesman for Spain’s airport authority says some 3,000 people were at Cuatro Vientos airfield watching a showcase of aerial acrobatics.

One prison van fugitive arrested

One of two men sprung from a prison van in Salford last week has been arrested. Stevie McMullen, 31, from Salford, escaped with Ryan MacDonald, 19, while on his way to court to face trial. A car rammed the side of the van and men with axes aided their escape on motorbikes.

‘Dear Ms Wislon, I want to be a ritter’

Jacqueline Wilson, the author of popular children’s books including the Tracy Beaker series, has criticised the language skills of British schoolchildren. Wilson said the letters she receives from overseas fans have better spelling and grammar than those from the UK. MORE

Ruling coalition extends 56-year rule

The ruling National Front coalition won a simple majority of 112 seats in the 222-seat national parliament in yesterday’s election, the country’s Election Commission said. The opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim had earlier claimed victory in the election. MORE

Brady reaching past the glass ceiling

Apprentice panellist and businesswoman Karren Brady, left, has spoken about how she broke the glass ceiling in the football industry. “I took it as my personal responsibility to juggle,” she said. MORE

Ferguson faces new homophobia claims

Historian Niall Ferguson is facing fresh claims of homophobia as it emerged he has made previous smears against the sexuality of economist John Maynard Keynes. The British-born Harvard professor implied last Friday that Keynes did not care about the future of society because he was gay and childless. MORE

Government bans Gaddafi-era elite

Libya’s parliament passed a law yesterday banning officials who held senior positions under the ousted dictator Muammar Gaddafi from holding high-level government posts, a move that could disqualify much of the political elite. Militias have besieged government offices for months to pressure parliament to adopt the law.

Hunt on for 50 snakes stolen from pet shop

A search is underway for 50 snakes – some nearly 5ft long - stolen from a pet shop in Sherwood in Nottingham on Friday. Police and RSPCA officers have asked exotic pet dealers and owners to help track down the royal pythons, which aren’t considered dangerous. The reptiles, native to Africa, can sell for up to £200.