The News Matrix: Saturday 23 March 2013

Moscow gives new leader VIP welcome

The new leader, Xi Jinping, received a lavish reception in Moscow, including a greeting by guards on horseback, on his first official trip abroad as head of state. His trip to Russia is a symbolic statement of intent for the neighbouring powers, which want to curb American influence. MORE

Nursery proposals 'make no sense'

Government proposals which could allow nursery staff to care for more children make "no sense at all", a key childcare adviser has warned. Professor Cathy Nutbrown said that increasing the children per adult ratio would lead to "worse" childcare. MORE

Chicago to close 10% of primary schools

Chicago is to close more than 10 per cent of its primary schools in a bid to tackle the $1bn hole in its education budget. The move has caused shockwaves in the US however, and will mainly affect schools in poor areas attended by black and Hispanic pupils. MORE

Glasgow man found dead at ski resort

A Glasgow man has been found dead in an icy stream in the French Alps after a night out drinking. Louis Robertson, 26, arrived at the La Plagne resort for a skiing holiday on Sunday. A police spokesman said: "It appears to have been an unfortunate accident." MORE

Ex-PM to be charged with murder

Ukraine's former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko will be charged with murder as soon as she is well enough, the country's top prosecutor told i. The opposition leader, currently in jail for having "abused her office", is accused of ordering the murder of a businessman. MORE

Miliband warns of 'lost decade' ahead

The Labour leader believes the country's economic situation could become comparable to the gradual collapse endured by Japan in the 1990s. Mr Miliband will claim that David Cameron and George Osborne are "shrugging their shoulders" and have "run out of ideas".

Italian marines return to face trial

Two Italian marines returned to India to face trial for the killing of a pair of Indian fishermen, ending a diplomatic rift that had soured ties between the two countries. Italy had earlier said it would not send the marines back as promised, insisting India had no standing to try the men.

Young couture as kids hit the catwalk

The first ever Global Kids Fashion Week has arrived in London, reflecting the increasingly lucrative children's clothing market in the UK, valued at £6.5bn. The line-up of labels included Little Marc Jacobs, Junior Gaultier and Paul Smith Junior. MORE

Police arrest fake pilot in cockpit

A 61-year-old Frenchman was arrested at Philadelphia International Airport and charged with impersonating a pilot after airline officials found him in the cockpit of an aircraft scheduled for take-off. Police said Philippe Jernnard was wearing a white shirt with an Air France logo.

Phil the groundhog has a really bad day

Punxsutawney Phil, the American groundhog who each year predicts the weather, is facing a "criminal indictment" for falsely predicting an early spring. Tradition has it that winter will end if the rodent sees his shadow after emerging from his Pennsylvania lair on 2 February.

Nightclub cleavage offer draws fire

A nightclub has provoked an angry backlash after offering women free entry if they expose their cleavage. The Casino Rooms Nightclub in Rochester, Kent, insisted its promotion was light-hearted and fun, but the local MP, Tracey Crouch, said it was "disgusting and degrading".

Orphaned lion cubs come out to play

A pair of lion cubs who lost their father and were disowned by their mother have become the pride of Bristol Zoo. Rare Asiatic lion cubs Kamran and Ketan were allowed out in their new enclosure for the first time yesterday. They were hand-reared by staff after birth last year.