The News Matrix: Friday 26 April 2013

TV show prizewinner guilty of benefit fraud

A mother who won £95,000 on the TV show Deal Or No Deal has pleaded guilty to benefit fraud. Claimants must inform the Department for Work and Pensions if their bank balance exceeds £16,000. But Caroline Banana, 40, of Stoke, who appeared on the show hosted in 2011, did not disclose her winnings.

Suspects planned to bomb Times Square

The Boston Marathon bombing suspects intended to blow up their remaining explosives in New York's Times Square, officials said yesterday. New York Police said Dzhokhar Tsarnaev told interrogators that he and his brother had decided on Thursday last week to go to New York to detonate their explosives. The plan fell apart after they were intercepted by police. MORE

Crime falls but watch out for pickpockets

The estimated level of crime in England and Wales fell by 5 per cent to 8.9 million crimes against adults in the year to December 2012, while the number of police-recorded crimes fell 8 per cent to 3.7 million. But pick-pocketing is on the rise as thieves target smartphones. MORE

Stowaway's death judged accidental

A coroner has delivered a verdict of accidental death in the case of a stowaway who fell from an aircraft's undercarriage. The man's body landed in a street in south-west London last September. Months later, he was identified as Jose Matada, 26, of Mozambique. He was identified through a SIM card in his pocket. MORE

Bomb near election office kills five

Five people were killed in Karachi yesterday when a bomb exploded outside an office of the Muttahida Quami Movement, a liberal, secular party that is one of Pakistan's main political groups. The blast comes a little more than two weeks before Pakistanis go to the polls in the country's nationwide elections.

Forty people killed in fighting in north

More than 40 people were reported killed in fighting in a city in northern Iraq and gunmen took over a town elsewhere, raising concerns unrest in Sunni areas is spreading. Iraq's Prime Minister appealed for calm following three days of violence that have left more than 150 dead.

Nude male statues too risqué for women

Greece has withdrawn two ancient statues of nude males from an Olympic exhibition in Doha after Qatari authorities insisted on veiling them. Exhibition organisers wanted to avoid offending women. Greek Deputy Culture Minister Costas Tzavaras said the works should be displayed nude.

Who's laughing at David Shrigley now?

The Turner Prize enraged Britain with Damien Hirst's pickled shark and Tracey Emin's unmade bed, but this year's most controversial entry is a comical line drawing artist, David Shrigley. MORE

New peacekeeping force is approved

The Security Council unanimously approved a UN peacekeeping force for Mali yesterday to help restore democracy and stabilise the northern half of the country, which was controlled by Islamist jihadists until a French-led military operation ousted them three months ago.

Genderless school changing room

A gender-neutral changing room is being opened at a Stockholm school for transsexual pupils and those who don't want to define themselves as male or female. Patrik Biverstedt, head of the Soedra Latins upper secondary, says a student campaign led to officials agreeing to the cubicle, where one person at a time can get changed.

Police denied inquest postponement

A new Hillsborough inquest will begin early next year. Coroner Mr Justice Goldring rejected attempts by the Police Federation to delay the hearings by up to six years. The families of the victims gasped and shouted "outrageous!" as thepostponement was requested. MORE

Rats' summertime blues revealed

Rats suffer their own version of seasonal gloom – brought on by brighter days, scientists have learned. Just like humans laid low by the winter blues, the rodents are susceptible to a form of seasonal affective disorder – scientists found that they experience more anxiety and stress as the days grow longer.

Monkey see, monkey do

Research shows some animals seem to change their eating behaviour just to follow the crowd. One study discovered that South African monkeys will switch foods purely because of peer pressure. A second study shows how humpback whales copied a new way of rounding up a fish meal when they saw it worked for one of them.