The News Matrix: Thursday 17 May 2012

Romney Marsh set to become nuke dump

A wetland area renowned for its wildlife has been suggested as a site for a future nuclear waste dump. Shepway Council in Kent has written to 10,000 residents to seek their views on plans to build a Nuclear Research and Disposal Facility beneath Romney Marsh. MORE

Boy guilty of killing man in conkers row

A boy of 15, who stabbed a man to death in a row over conkers, was convicted of murder at the Old Bailey. The youth knifed Steven Grisales, 21, in Edmonton, north London, after the architecture student reproached a gang for throwing conkers still in their spiky shells. MORE

Ailing Clinton Cards to close 350 shops

Clinton Cards has announced the closure of 350 of its 784 stores, resulting in the loss of 2,800 staff. The jobs will be lost in a wave of store closures, beginning next week. The retailer entered administration last week after its biggest supplier, American Greetings, called in a £35m debt.

Jack Straw: My train 'gossip' with Brooks

Ex-Foreign Secretary Jack Straw "made arrangements" to meet Rebekah Brooks on their train commute from Oxford to London, he told the Leveson Inquiry. The former minister said he sat next to Brooks, then editor of The Sun, on Monday mornings for two years. MORE

Petrol started blaze that killed children

The house fire in Derby which killed six children from the same family was started deliberately, police said yesterday. A "substantial" amount of petrol was poured through the letter box before being set ablaze.

Teachers may get paid less in the North

The Education Secretary's plans to scrap national pay rates for teaching could see teachers in Wales and the north and south-west of England earning less than those in the South-east. Michael Gove's proposals could result in schools nationwide being given the right to negotiate their own salary scales, and teachers being paid "market" rates. MORE

Ratko Mladic ontrial for war crimes

Twenty years after leading Bosnia's Serb Army in the 1992-95 war, Ratko Mladic sat in the dock of the international war crimes tribunal in The Hague yesterday charged with committing crimes against humanity. Mladic is accused of "ethnically cleansing much of Bosnia". MORE

Breivik's 'battle cry' as he opened fire

Anders Behring Breivik screamed a "battle cry" and appeared both angry and joyous as he shot his victims, survivors told a court yesterday. Leren Stensrud, 17, who was shot in the leg and shoulder, said she pretended to be dead while Breivik carried out his killing spree. MORE

Chicago prepares for Nato summit trouble

Chicago is bracing itself for violence this weekend, when the leaders of Nato will arrive for a summit on the shores of Lake Michigan. As many as 10,000 protesters are expected to descend on Chicago for the event, and the city police department is now readying itself for trouble. MORE

'Salman Rushdie of rap' goes to ground

An Iranian rapper has been forced into hiding after hard-line clerics offered a $100,000 reward for his murder, incensed by his song lyrics. More than 100 people joined an online campaign to "execute" Shahin Najafi, who lives in Germany. MORE

Steve Jobs' life story set for the big screen

Steve Jobs' life will be brought to the big screen by Oscar-winning screenwriter Aaron Sorkin in a movie based on Walter Isaacson's best-selling biography of the enigmatic co-founder of Apple, maker of iPods and iPads.

'Gaydar' is used, but extremely speedily

Most people use their so-called "gaydar" to ascertain a person's sexuality in just 50 milliseconds, research has shown. However, it works best on women. Only 57 per cent of answers were right when images of men appeared before participants on a computer screen.

Seven killed in clash near checkpoint

At least seven people were killed in clashes between armed nomads and residents of a Libyan town on the border with Algeria yesterday, officials said. The fighting broke out over control of a checkpoint on the edge of Ghadames, on a desert route often used for smuggling.

'National Service' for 120,000 teenagers

Almost one in six teenagers will take part in the £156m National Citizen's Service programme, ministers say. Each of the 120,000 places for 16-year-olds on the scheme this summer and next costs £1,300. Participants will take part in outdoor courses and live independently.

Arnold bemoans lack of women auteurs

An Oscar-winning British director has spoken out against the lack of women film-makers. Andrea Arnold, who made Red Road and Fish Tank, and is a juror at the Cannes Festival, said it was a "great pity and disappointment". No female director is competing for this year's Palme d'Or prize. MORE

One in three adults grow their own food

Almost a third of British adults grow their own food, and most are planting vegetables, a survey has found. One in six adults began growing their own food in the last four years, says the City of London study. It comes as chef Raymond Blanc launches a scheme to promote green spaces.

Kate Moss left out of 'Walk of Fame'

She may have been on the cover of British Vogue 32 times, but Kate Moss is clearly not famous enough to merit a steel silhouette on a new cycling path in her hometown, Croydon – unlike Ronnie Corbett and Dave (Green Cross Code) Prowse.

OJ Simpson appeals for prison release

OJ Simpson has launched an appeal against his conviction for armed robbery and kidnapping, alleging he was so badly represented in his trial that he deserves another. The former American football star's new lawyer has filed a 94-page document at a county court in Las Vegas.

Facebook hacker is jailed for a year

A 21-year-old man has been jailed for a year after hacking into a Facebook account. Gareth Crosskey, from Lancing, West Sussex, targeted the account of an American citizen. The breach was traced by the FBI and Crosskey was arrested by the Metropolitan police in July last year.

Bishop stripped of duties in porn case

A Roman Catholic bishop who was convicted of importing child pornography into Canada has been stripped of his clerical duties. Raymond Lahey was sentenced earlier this year to 15 months in jail after he was caught at Ottawa airport with hundreds of pornographic photos of young boys.

Liberian warlord calls for leniency

Convicted war criminal and former Liberian President Charles Taylor said during his sentencing hearing yesterday he sympathises with victims of the civil war in Sierra Leone,. However, he stopped short of admitting any wrongdoing, apologising, or expressing remorse. MORE