The News Matrix: Tuesday 12 April 2011

Rebels: no peace deal while Gaddafi stays

Rebels rejected an African Union brokered peace deal that had raised the possibility of a ceasefire in Libya. Officials in Benghazi said that any deal must include the departure of Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi, who had accepted the plan. MORE

Submariner in court on murder charge

A Royal Navy submariner appeared in court yesterday accused of murdering an officer and trying to kill three other senior colleagues. Able Seaman Ryan Donovan, 22, spoke only to confirm his name, age and address as he stood in the dock at Southampton Magistrates’ Court.

Nurses considering industrial action

Nurses yesterday raised the prospect of industrial action for the first time ever over health reforms. The Royal College of Nursing discussed the possibility yesterday – a day before Health Secretary Andrew Lansley is due to meet them. MORE

11 killed after blast in underground station

At least 11 people were killed by an explosion at an underground station in the Belarusian capital of Minsk yesterday. The bomb also injured dozens of others. MORE

Woman killed after fire starts in train loo

A woman was killed after a fire broke out in the lavatory of a commuter train yesterday. The train, operated by London Midland, left Northampton for London at 4.25pm but the alarm was raised near Leighton Buzzard station in Bedfordshire. The woman is believed to have set herself on fire.

Republican Romney to run for president

Mitt Romney finally got the Republican challenge for American presidency under way last night when he declared that he was setting up a presidential exploratory committee – the first step towards formally announcing a tilt at the White House.

Women arrested on first day of burka ban

Several women were arrested in France yesterday for wearing a full-face veil, on the day the so-called “burka ban” came into force. But police stressed that they had not been detained for wearing a veil, but for demonstrating illegally. MORE

Price criticises C4 boss’s judgement

Katie Price said the boss of Channel 4 showed “a lack of judgement that cannot be acceptable” after he defended the organisation over jokes made by Frankie Boyle regarding her disabled son, Harvey. She wrote to David Abraham in reply to his defence of the channel’s stance on disability portrayal.

Nuclear exclusion zone extended

The exclusion zone around the stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant was extended yesterday, as another powerful aftershock rocked Japan’s northeast coast. The new ruling will include those living outside the 20km zone. MORE

Steve Jobs chooses a biographer

Apple boss Steve Jobs has agreed to lift the lid on his private life after choosing an official biographer. Walter Isaacson, a former senior executive at CNN and Time magazine, will write the book, publishers Simon&Schuster announced yesterday.

Leave your hair out for the birds to nest

Hair, knitting wool and cat fur should be put out in gardens rather than in the bin, the RSPB said yesterday. The conservation charity says the scraps of rubbish are among the things which could be used by birds alongside traditional nesting materials such as twigs to make their nests.

Eton pupil, 16, skis to the North Pole

A teenage explorer has successfully skied to the North Pole after his attempt last year was stopped by bad weather. Parker Liautaud, 16, took just four days to complete the challenge. The Eton pupil also undertook climate change research for the European Space Agency and the University of Alberta.

Another legal loss for Winklevoss twins

Mark Zuckerberg has won the latest round of his legal battle with Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, the twins who claimed that Facebook was their idea. A US appeals court ruled yesterday they must accept a settlement worth $65m (£40m).

Mears nearly forced indoors by nasty tick

A tick nearly ended the career of survival guru, Ray Mears, and has prompted him to draw public and medical attention to Lyme Disease. The disease is a bacterial illness transmitted by ticks which campaigners say is becoming more prevalent. MORE

JK Rowling buys £1m garden plot

JK Rowling is planning to demolish a five-bedroom house next door to her home in Edinburgh. The author has offered to give a part of the £1m plot over to communal space to be used with her neighbours. MORE

Zoo’s great escaper is honoured as Mia

The venomous Egyptian cobra that slithered its way to fame by escaping its enclosure at New York’s Bronx Zoo has been named Mia – for “missing in action”. It was chosen from 33,000 suggestions in an online competition.