The News Matrix: Thursday 10 March 2011

Bullets sold to Yemen after talks

The Government licensed the sale of £160,000 worth of bullets and body armour to the Yemeni government after Prince Andrew met the country’s Prime Minister for talks. It was the Duke of York’s third meeting with leaders of the Arab republic. MORE

Ministers in battle to fend off UN charges

Kenya has begun a last-ditch effort at the United Nations to block the prosecution of six senior ministers accused of crimes against humanity that date back to 2007. MORE

Laws is lined up for key Government job

Ex-Liberal Democrat Cabinet minister David Laws is set for a newly created Government frontbench role. Nick Clegg and David Cameron have held talks on appointing him to the Cabinet Office, with the hope of easing Mr Clegg’s workload. MORE

Australia and NZ tour for Prince

Prince William is to visit New Zealand and Australia to tour areas devastated by recent natural disasters.

Flu expert urges mass vaccinations

Governments must vaccinate children and young adults against a strain of influenza that killed several million people in the 1960s, a leading expert haswarned. MORE

How what we’re like decides what we like

Our personalities determine the kind of culture we like, according to a survey of 3,000 volunteers carried out by Cambridge University scientists. People’s cultural preferences can be divided into five clear genres, the research concluded.

Matriarch guilty of Moran’s murder

The matriarch of Australian criminal Des ‘Tuppence’ Moran faces life in jail after being convicted of arranging his murder. Judy Moran had ‘Tuppy’ killed after a row over money. MORE

Squatters ‘reclaim’ Gaddafi son’s home

The £10m London home of Saif Gaddafi, son of the Libyan dictator, was occupied by protesters who said they were reclaiming the property “in the name of the Libyan people”.

Silvio splurges £30m on luxury lifestyle

Bank details leaked from an Italian investigation into Silvio Berlusconi’s relationship with a teenage belly dancer have revealed the premier’s lavish lifestyle. He spent €34m last year, with expenditure ranging from €900,000 on maintenance of a home in Antigua to €562,000 on gifts to 14 young women. MORE

New Taoiseach takes office

A new Irish Prime Minister took office yesterday. Taoiseach Enda Kenny used his acceptance speech to suggest the fiscal crisis was “the darkest hour before the dawn”. MORE

Princes bows to pressure

Princes, Britain’s biggest tinned tuna brand, has agreed to end its links with a destructive form of fishing the species.

Putin charity event criticised

A charity event in Russia where Vladimir Putin sang has come under fire after hospitals expecting to receive the proceeds did not receive a penny. MORE

Sachsgate was ‘toxic’, admits BBC chairman

The Andrew Sachs phone-message scandal revealed “unforgivably cavalier” attitudes at the BBC, the outgoing chairman of the BBC Trust said last night. Sir Michael Lyons described the affair as a “uniquely toxic combination of profanity, misogyny, bullying and black farce”.

Fountain covered by condom by artists

A group of artists in the Polish town of Konin have paid tribute to former resident Julius Fromm, the inventor of the modern condom, by putting a giant replica over the town square’s fountain. Fromm patented the latex prophylactic in 1916.

Three men arrested over swan killings

Three men have been arrested over the slaughter of dozens of swans in Somerset. Eight dead birds, which had been shot in the head with airgun pellets, were found in a field outside the village of Blackford. Police said the men had been released on bail pending further inquiries.

Drag heist jewels recovered in raid

Millions of pounds worth of jewels that were stolen in one of the most daring heists in French history have been recovered after police raided a suburban house. The theft from Harry Winston jewellers in Paris in 2008 was unusual for being conducted by men in drag. MORE

Collins ended career to look after children

Phil Collins has said he decided to knock his music career on the head for the sake of his children. The former Genesis singer said he wanted to correct the perception that he was quitting because he was a “tormented weirdo”, adding that he merely wanted to be a “full-time father”.

Alligator found guarding drugs

Californian narcotics investigators were taken aback when they found a £1.5m marijuana growing operation with an unusual guard: a four-foot alligator named Wally. The reptile was released to an animal sanctuary. His owner was charged with marijuana cultivation and possession.

Spider-man curse strikes again

The curse that appears to have blighted Broadway’s long-awaited Spider-man musical struck again yesterday, as reports emerged that the show’s opening has been delayed by another three months.

Pope will appear in televised Q&A

Pope Benedict XVI is to take part in a televised Q&A session as part of an effort to connect with a more youthful audience. He will answer a series of questions to be posed by the faithful on Good Friday.

14 million delayed on Tube in 2010

More than 14 million London Underground passengers faced delays of more than 15 minutes in the past year, but only 330,000 of the 11 million people entitled to refunds applied for compensation.