Sister on the ward: Pippa Middleton joins Wills at Kate's bedside before mother Carole comes to tuck her in for third night in hospital

Pippa and Carole at the hospital

Pippa Middleton (centre and right), 29, visited Kate for just over an hour at the King Edward VII Hospital in central London today, after Prince William had left for the night. The Duke of Cambridge returned to his 30-year-old wife's hospital bedside as it emerged that prank callers tricked a nurse into revealing information about her condition. Australian radio DJs impersonating the Queen and Prince of Wales were given an update about Kate after tricking a nurse. This evening Kate's mother Carole was pictured arriving at the hospital on her first visit to her daughter since she was admitted on Monday suffering from severe morning sickness.

It's A Knockout TV presenter Stuart Hall, 82, CHARGED with indecent assault of girls aged 8 to 17 in cases dating back to the 70s and 80s

hall

Detectives arrested the presenter earlier today at his £1.5m mansion in Wilmslow, Cheshire, below right. The 82-year-old, who still reports on football for Radio Five Live, is pictured above collecting his OBE from Buckingham Palace in March this year and interviewing Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, in 1982 after an episode of It's A Royal Knockout.

Major rescue operation as cargo ship sinks in North Sea

A cargo ship is sinking in the North Sea after colliding with a container ship about 25-30 miles from Rotterdam port (pictured), Europe's biggest port

The cargo ship collided with a container ship according to the Dutch coastguard. It is unclear if the crew were still on board and where the ships were.

Billionaire's daughter and husband 'with nothing but debts' spend more than £1million on divorce battle

Billionaire's daughter Nora Musallam

Nora Ali Musallam, 42, a scion of a wealthy family with 'close links' to the Saudi royal, brought all the wealth into her marriage to husband Salim Alyami.

Serbian ambassador to NATO jumps to his death seconds after laughing and joking with diplomat colleagues

Branislav Milinkovic

Branislav Milinkovic, 52, strolled up to a barrier in a multistory garage at Brussels Airport and flung himself to the ground below. He is believed to have been unhappy about living apart from his wife and 17-year-old son.

Mother facing life sentence for murdering her son and set him on fire for failing to learn the Koran

Murderer: Sara Ege, pictured for the first time, beat her son Yaseen to death with a stick before burning down the house

Sara Ege, 32, used a stick to beat her seven-year-old son Yaseen 'like a dog' if he couldn't recite passages from the Islamic holy book, Cardiff Crown Court heard.

Osborne bashes benefits: Increases capped at just ONE PER CENT for three years after full toll of 'worst economic shock since WW2' is revealed

autumn statement

The Chancellor broke the link between inflation and the ballooning welfare bill, announcing that out-of-work benefits will rise by just one per cent for the next three years. Under previous rules each April benefits were increased by the inflation rate in the previous September, which this year was 2.2 per cent. But Mr Osborne announced that Jobseekers Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance and Income Support will be cut in real terms, saving £3.7billion by 2016-17.

Unions' fury as Osborne scraps national pay deal so that schools can pay better teachers more

Collision course: Mr Osborne faces a backlash from unions, who have branded the proposals 'unfair' (file picture)

The Chancellor provoked a backlash after saying that headteachers should be able to pay teachers more if they perform better in the job than colleagues.

'The deficit is not rising... Er... IS rising': Ed's Balls-Up brings the House down

Shadow chancellor Ed Balls got in a muddle during his response to the Autumn Statement

The shadow chancellor was jeered in the Commons after declaring that the deficit was coming down before changing his mind and saying it was going up - which George Osborne disputes.

Chancellor announces £77million fighting fund to crack down on companies that pay little or no tax

Starbucks

George Osborne acted following growing fury over multinational companies such as Google, Amazon and Starbucks (pictured) who paid nothing or very little despite huge sales.

Osborne dismays green lobby as he offers lucrative incentives for trillion-pound 'fracking' industry to come to Britain

Anger: A demonstrator wears a George Osborne mask as part of protests against fracking but the Chancellor is offering huge incentives for companies to use the technique in Britain

To the fury of environmentalists, the Chancellor wants to encourage more companies to use the technique - despite fears it could cause earthquakes and contaminate water.

George Osborne launches raid on pensions for the wealthy in bid to woo middle class 'strivers'

Doing the maths: George Osborne on his visit to HM Revenue & Customs ahead of his mini-budget today

The tax-free allowance for pensions will be cut from £1.5million to £1.25million over a lifetime and from £50,000 to £40,000 annually - raising an extra £1billion.

Victory for drivers: 3p-a-litre fuel duty rise planned for January is cancelled altogether

Tory MPs had threatened to rebel against the government if George Osborne pressed ahead with January's 3p rise in fuel duty

Tory MPs had threatened to rebel against the government if George Osborne had gone ahead with his New Year tax hike on petrol and diesel.

High Speed Rail linking Birmingham to Manchester and Leeds at centre of multi-billion pound building bonanza

The government pledged billions of pounds for rail and road schemes across the country which it claimed will kickstart local economies

High Speed rail line to be extended beyond Birmingham, with major upgrades for the M25, the A1 to Newcastle and the A30 in Cornwall and the London Underground reaching Battersea Power Station.

Humiliation for Lib Dems as Chancellor dismisses their 'intrusive' plans for a mansion tax

Alexander

The Chancellor told MPs he would not be introducing what he called a 'homes tax' – as Vince Cable and Danny Alexander (pictured) sat alongside him on the Commons benches.

Isa limit increased by 2.1% to £11,520 in Autumn Statement – but calls to allow full allowance in a cash Isa ignored

Cash Isa limit

Half this amount - £5,760 - can be placed into a tax-free cash Isa by savers. The full Isa limit can only be invested in a stocks and shares Isa.

'Things were so much easier when I earned £100 a week': Anger at footballer Jamie O'Hara's tweet bemoaning stress of £35K A WEEK salary

Tough life: Jamie and Danielle O'Hara married in a lavish ceremony in May and she often posts tweets and pictures of their glam life together

The Wolverhampton Wanderers player - who is thought to be paid about £35,000 a week - enraged Twitter users after posting about how much easier his life was at 17. Jamie O'Hara, 26, who married former Miss England Danielle Lloyd (right) in a lavish ceremony in May tweeted: 'Things were so much easier when I earned 100pound a week on wts #stress'.

Mother runs away with seven-year-old son to PREVENT him having life-saving radiotherapy to treat his cancer

Sally Roberts and Neon

Sally Roberts and son Neon Luca Roberts (pictured) were last seen in Tiverton, Devon, on Sunday. A High Court judge relaxed reporting restrictions to reveal the sick little boy's identity. Neon is currently at the centre of a court battle over whether he should have radiotherapy treatment for his tumour.

Jazz legend Dave Brubeck, 91, dies of heart failure while on his way to a cardiology appointment

Jazz composer and pianist Dave Brubeck, pictured in 2009, has passed away

The musician, whose tracks include Take Five, was with his son Darius when he passed away in
Connecticut, his manager Russell Gloyd said.

Victim of hit-and-run horror knocked down by two cars outside Buckingham Palace was 'diligent' 22-year-old university student

University student Stacey Cooke, 22, (pictured) was knocked down and killed outside Buckingham Palace last Friday

Stacey Cooke, from Shoreham, near Sevenoaks, Kent, was struck by a pair of Mercedes E-Class cars at The Mall in central London, last Friday. The second vehicle failed to stop.

'Visiting time's at nine, Ma'am': Palace fury as Australian radio pranksters pretending to be the Queen dupe nurse at Kate's hospital into giving out intimate medical details

2day

Radio presenters Mel Greig (centre) and Michael Christian (right) of 2Day FM pretended to be the Queen and Prince Charles as they rang the King Edward VII Hospital in London, where the pregnant Duchess of Cambridge is being treated. Despite their accents, a nurse gave away various details, including that staff were about to 'get her freshened up', she was 'quite stable' and had been 'sleeping on and off'. The joke by the Australian radio station prompted an angry response by royalists.

Families' anguish after crematorium admits it secretly buried babies' ashes in cardboard boxes for 45 years

Grieving mother: Dorothy Maitland, pictured at Mortonhall Cemetery, where her baby Kaelen's ashes are buried

The process at Mortonhall Crematorium in Edinburgh was uncovered by charity Sands Lothian. Grieving parents, such as Dorothy Maitland, pictured, were told there were no ashes left to scatter.

Rupert Murdoch's mother Elisabeth 'dies peacefully in her sleep' surrounded by her family at the age of 103

Dame Elisabeth Murdoch who died today is pictured at her home at Cruden Farm in Langwarrin, Victoria ahead of her 100th birthday celebrations

Elisabeth Murdoch, the matriarch of the Murdoch family has died at the age of 103, at her Cruden Farm home in Victoria Australia.

£500 fine for man who threw 21st birthday party attended by 1,000 people - including pop star Alesha Dixon - after he advertised it on Facebook

party

Ollie Boorman was ordered by a court to pay £500 compensation after the party, dubbed Project XXX, at his parents' house in Tewin, Hertfordshire. X Factor judge Alesha Dixon (pictured right with a fellow party-goer) turned up briefly at the party which was advertised on Facebook and Twitter. Police were called just three hours after the bash started as neighbours complained of thefts, smashed cars and fighting.

Tesco signals embarrassing retreat from the US after losing its £1billion gamble to take on Wal-mart

Tesco Shares Graph.jpg

The supermarket giant, which recently reported its first drop in profits in 20 years, is launching a review of its US operation Fresh & Easy that could see some or all of the chain closed or sold off.

Germans take over British snack firm KP Nuts for £500m

Salty sale: KP Nuts is one of the brands under KP Snacks which has been sold to a German firm in a deal thought to be worth more than £500 million

The sale of KP Snacks to German company Intersnack includes some of Britain's best loved nibbles such as KP Nuts, McCoy's, Hula Hoops and Nik Naks.

More traffic chaos on its way as forecasters predict up to six inches of snow and freezing conditions overnight

snow preview

The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings as experts predict an inch of snow at low levels across the South-East, East, North and Scotland. It comes after forecasters admitted they were taken by surprise when unexpected heavy snow blanketed the South of England overnight.They only predicted that snow would settle in the North, with four inches on high ground and just two inches remaining lower down by this morning. Instead, a band of snow wreaked havoc as it moved down across the south of England, with the unprepared home counties awaking to wintry scenes and travel chaos. Heavy snow caused severe travel problems with five airports closed, roads covered in a deadly mix of snow and ice (left, Colchester in Essex) and delays and cancellations across all rail networks (right, a delayed train at Stoke Mandeville station near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire).

How to turn Blue Monday into Happy Monday: The secret group of givers handing out cash to complete strangers

Hundreds of the blue envelopes have been found across the city and the south east accompanied by handwritten notes of cheer.

Hundreds of blue envelopes have been found across London and the south east accompanied by handwritten notes of cheer.

Car thief is handed £2,000 in compensation after being bitten by police dog while he was being arrested

file picture of police dog

Nottinghamshire Police force was sued by a car thief after he was bitten by a police dog while breaking into a vehicle in the Meadows area of Nottingham.

WATCH: The incredible dogs that have been taught how to DRIVE

Monty, an 18 month old Giant Schnauzer cross in one of the specially built training cars built to get the dogs used to the controls of the specially modified mini.

The three dogs are being trained to drive a specially modified Mini as a stunt for the New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The attempt will be broadcast live on the internet.

'He wasn't one of us': Michael Palin dismisses claim of '7th Python' in court battle over royalties to Spamalot musical

Reunited: Michael Palin, Eric Idle and Terry Jones pictured today ahead of the High Court case in a dispute over the hit musical Spamalot

TV presenter Michael Palin has dismissed a suggestion that a film producer was a seventh member of the Monty Python team in the midst of a legal battle over royalties to the Holy Grail movie.

'I've let my wife and children down': Star jockey Frankie Dettori apologises to his family after receiving a six month ban for failing drugs test

Three-times champion jockey Frankie Dettori faces a world ban after he failed a drugs test in France. He is pictured here with his wife Catherine

The 41-year-old former champion jockey (pictured with his wife Catherine) tested positive for a banned substance at Longchamp on September 16. It has been reported that the substance was cocaine.

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OAP, 83, subjected Army sergeant major and his young family to 'vicious harassment campaign after football landed in her garden'

ethel watkins

Ethel Watkins (right), 83, breached her restraining order just one day after it was put in place for verbally abusing her neighbours in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire (centre). She allegedly banged on the walls and set off her own burglar alarm to deprive the children of sleep. Watkins also made rude gestures (top left) as she passed their house in the quiet street.

West Ham win fight for £429m Olympic Stadium after three-year battle for arena

At last? West Ham could find out on Wednesday whether they can move to Stratford

West Ham have been named as the preferred bidder for the east London Olympic Stadium to end a three-year saga over its future.

Grandfather burned grandson, 5, with cigarette as part of a bizarre 'family game'

The 57 year old from Bradford, who pleaded guilty to child cruelty, was drinking heavily at the time

The schoolboy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, suffered burns to his arm and leg when the 57-year-old grandparent 'playfully prodded' him with the lit cigarette.

Vulnerable man with special needs was bullied, tortured and humiliated by bigoted couple 'for sadistic pleasure'

Horrific: This picture shows the injuries sustained by David Busby, a vulnerable man with learning disabilities, after he was bullied, tortured and humiliated by a bigoted couple

David Busby, 29, was targeted and belittled by Ross Walsh, 30, and his 36-year old wife Christina for sadistic pleasure.

Two men suspected of killing friend and resorting to cannabalism after getting lost for three months on fishing trip to Siberia

Survivor: Alexander Abdullaev is one of two men suspected of resorting to cannabalism in order to survive

The pair were plucked to safety by a rescue helicopter having survived temperatures lower than minus 30C three months after embarking on their fishing trip.

It's grim down South: Exhibition of images show the dark humour to be found in even the grittiest corners of London

exhibition

Hilarious snaps captured by Londoners show unfortunate signs, funny shop names and other mundane sights that often go unnoticed. The S*** London blog started out as a Facebook group but the best pictures are now going on display at a new exhibition. Members of the public are being encouraged to submit their own entries for an awards ceremony at the end of the year.

The birth of a star: Astronomers find 'holy grail' that could explain how our solar system formed

How a star is born: A young star pulls material from surroundings into rotating disk (right); generating a huge flow of jets of material (left).

US astronomers say the discovery of a 'baby' is the missing link in understanding how giant gas clouds collapse to form fully fledged stars.

The incredible images that reveal the full extent of the moon's battered past

The variations in the lunar gravity field as measured by NASA's Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) during its primary mapping mission from March to May 2012

Nasa scientists say the lunar surface was 'far more broken up and shattered' than they expected after completing groundbreaking scans to make a gravitational map.

The 'pacemaker' implanted in the brain to prevent Alzheimer's patients losing their memory

A diseased brain- showing the effects of dementia. The new device appears to keep brain neurons active and help prevent cognitive decline

The device, which uses deep brain stimulation, has already been used people with Parkinson's disease as possible means reversing cognitive decline, say Maryland scientists.

What thinking about nothing looks like: Artist hooks his brain up to a robot carving machine... then tries to empty his mind

Strange: The shape of the space carved out from inside the stone

Sculptor Gustav Metzger hooked himself up to an electroencephalograph scanner connected to a robot carving machine, then tried desperately to not to think.

'Sacked', the Tweeting policeman after Chief Constable loses sense of humour over PC's jokey messages

PC Andy Hall

PC Andy Hall, 38, left, had been assigned to pen his own messages on the social networking site, dubbed Tweets from the Beat, to encourage more locals to report crime. But Senior officers eventually stepped in after a lighthearted tweet was inadvertently posted just hours after a fatal police pursuit in Radcliffe. Users described PC Hall as a 'legend'.

Shocking moment an African python swallows an entire WILDEBEEST caught on camera for the first time

A hungry python stretches its jaws to an astonishing size to eat a wildebeest calf head first

These rare photos capture an African python consuming a wildebeest calf whole - the first known-instance of the reptile swallowing such large prey. The snaps, taken in the South African bush, left photographer and game reserve manager Rudi Hulshof 'speechless'

Predatory rapist who murdered woman, 22, and evaded justice for 30 YEARS is jailed for life

Life sentence: Paul Taylor murdered Peterborough woman Sally McGrath over 30 years ago

Paul Taylor, now 60, will serve a minimum term of 18 years for the murder of 22-year-old Sally McGrath in Cambridgeshire in July 1979.

Home Secretary given permission to appeal against the decision allowing radical preacher Abu Qatada to stay in the UK

Terror suspect Abu Qatada

Theresa May has been given the go-ahead by the Court of Appeal with a date for a hearing in London yet to be set.

Pub landlady sues brewery for £1m after she 'hanged herself' while putting Christmas decorations away

Mira Bateman is suing brewery Brakspear's

A brewery is being sued by pub landlady Mira Bateman, who accidentally 'hanged herself' while climbing a ladder at The Plowden Arms, in Shiplake Cross, on New Year's Day in 2007.

Don't tell the boss you've got one! The chair that sounds an alarm to remind office workers to take a screen break

The pad contains a microcontroller that records a timestamp each time an employee sits down or stands up

Office workers who stay moulded to their chairs all day could be persuaded to stretch their legs more often thanks to an 'alarming' invention from the University of Queensland.

Tragedy as woman with debilitating sexual arousal disorder that made her orgasm up to 50 times in a row commits suicide

 GRETCHEN MOLANNEN

Gretchen Molannen, of Tampa Bay, Florida and pictured on her Facebook page wearing a gas mask, committed suicide after battling a debilitating condition where her genitals were constantly aroused. The 39-year-old woman had suffered from the disorder for 16 years, and had twice tried to go on disability because PGAD made it impossible for her to hold down a job. But she was twice denied.

Sefton rider injured in IRA bombing killed his two young children over violent breakdown of his marriage, inquest hears

Michael Pedersen, 51, was discovered next to a car

Michael Pedersen, 51, told his doctor he could have been suffering from post-traumatic stress less than a month before he killed his two children and committed suicide.

Amazon targets three-year-olds with subscription service for children's games, videos and books on Kindle

Kid-friendly: Amazon is launching a subscription service for children's games, videos and books aimed at getting more kids to use its Kindle Fire tablet devices

Children will be able to watch, play and read any of the content available to them as many times as they want.
The service, aimed at kids aged 3 to 8, will cost $4.99 per month for one child.

Businessman in £34m VAT fraud ordered to pay back just £1m after blowing the rest on lavish champagne lifestyle

Thomas Scragg, 56, was jailed for 17 years after being convicted of leading one of the biggest scams in British fraud history

Thomas Scragg, 56, was jailed for 17 years after being convicted of leading one of the biggest scams in British fraud history.

Christian student union bans women from speaking at its events unless they are MARRIED

The Union said that women would be allowed to teach if they were accompanied by their husband

Despite outrage at the move, leaders of the Bristol University union claim it is actually a concession - because women were previous banned from attending altogether.

High honours indeed: World's top ten skyscrapers of the year... and Frank Gehry's stunning New York block tops the lot

towers

Eight Spruce Street, in Manhattan, a stunning 76-storey tower, designed by Frank Gehry, (left) picked up the Emporis Skyscraper Award where judges chose the best buildings which were completed in 2011. The other winners included (from left) F&F Tower in Panama City, Etihad Towers in Abu Dhabi and Victoria Tower in Stockholm.

MP names man accused of sexual offences in Commons using parliamentary privilege

Geoffrey Genge at Plymouth Magistrates court

Conservative South West Devon MP Gary Streeter told Parliament that Geoffrey Genge, left, from Plymouth, Devon is 'getting away scot-free'.

Another reason for rethinking that late-night cigarette: Smoking DOES make your hangover worse

You could regret it tomorrow: Smoking was found to worsen hangover symptoms among students in a U.S study

The team of scientists from Brown University found this effect wasn't because smokers drank more and suggested it could be the effect of nicotine on the nervous system.

Patriot missiles to be deployed on Turkey's border with Syria as US puts troops on standby over fears Assad will use chemical weapons

Interceptor: Patriot anti-missile systems will be deployed in southern Turkey amid mounting tensions over border clashes with Syria and fears the regime will use chemical weapons

NATO stated it will deploy missiles to ward off the threat of cross-border attacks from Syria, a step that brings the United States and its allies closer to the civil war.

British Airways to cut 400 cabin crew jobs but promises all will be voluntary redundancies

Cuts: Around 400 cabin crew jobs are to go at British Airways

The cuts will affect only those who work solely on its long or short haul routes, but not those who work across both.

Just a 200ft drop in the ocean! Oil rig lifeboat that's not for the faint-hearted

The new model has been created for oil rigs and off shore buildings so that workers can climb aboard and be launched to safety in the event of an emergency

The new model has been created for oil rigs and off shore buildings so that workers can climb aboard and be launched to safety in the event of an emergency. The GES50 MKIII was designed to fall from 154ft, but during the test drop it was hurled from the top of a crane, giving it a much greater height to ensure it was safe. The successful test means the lifeboat has now passed safety regulations and it will soon be used worldwide.

Winter vomiting bug hits 700,000 people as early onset of virus catches NHS 'unawares'

Increase: Almost 700,000 people have been struck down by norovirus

The number of confirmed cases of norovirus is already up two-thirds compared to this time last year and experts warn they will only rise further over the next few weeks.

Britain's 66 Apache helicopter gunships could become redundant after America opts for an updated model

The British Army¿s fleet of Apache attack helicopters could be cut back or even scrapped outright, defence sources have admitted

Despite the helicopters' successes on the frontline, defence sources suggested that the Army Air Corps fleet of 66 Apaches could eventually be cut to around 50 aircraft fit for operations.

United Dreamliner flight makes emergency landing due to mechanical issue one month after airline introduced new plane

Touchdown: A United Airlines 787 Dreamliner receives a ceremonial wash as it arrives at O'Hare international Airport in Chicago on Sunday

Just a month after its historic first flight, United Airlines' brand-new 787 Dreamliner was forced to make an emergency landing in New Orleans.

Snakes on a plane! EgyptAir flight forced to make emergency landing after passenger was bitten by animal 'he smuggled on board'

Diversion: An EgyptAir flight was forced to make an emergency landing yesterday after a passenger was bitten by a snake he reportedly smuggled onboard

The pilots decided to perform an emergency landing at Hurgada airport, some 300 miles south of Cairo, after hearing the terrifying screams of the victim.

Twitter campaign rescues stolen puppy snatched from a family's home by burglars

Reunited: Charley the bulldog as a puppy before she was stolen from her home by burglars

Charley the bulldog was just 11 weeks old when she was dog-napped from her owners' home in Cawston, Warkwickshire, on October 24. Thieves had smashed their way into Paul and Kelly Tolin's house, taking electrical equipment, jewellery, games and early Christmas presents. But most heart-breakingly for the couple, who have a six-year-old son, Cole, the burglars also took Charley, who was an early birthday present from Mr Tolin to his wife.

'There was no way I could have saved him': US photographer claims he was too far away to pull 'doomed' subway rider off train tracks

He said the only thing he could think to do was fire the flash on his camera at the driver on the oncoming 'Q' train to get his attention.

R. Umar Abbasi (center) says he was running toward Ki Suk Han (bottom right), 58, but was too far away to reach him before he was crushed between the platform and the oncoming train. Mr Abbasi says he was returning from a Post assignment in Times Square and had his camera in his hand when Naeem Davis (top right) allegedly pushed Mr Han onto the tracks.

Facebook under fire from privacy campaigners as more than a BILLION users are encouraged to vote on privacy changes

Mobile advertising is an important move for Facebook as more users check in using their smartphones than their desktop computers

Users urged to vote on controversial changes - but the internet giant requires more than 300 MILLION users for the vote to count.

Starbucks caves in and agrees to pay up to £10m tax this year - but it may not stop the boycott caused by its 'immoral' financial dealings

Starbucks is set to pay more tax in the UK after it was accused of acting 'immorally' after it emerged that it has paid no corporation tax in 14 of the past 15 years

The US-owned coffee chain has paid no corporation tax in this country for 14 of the past 15 years despite revenues of £3billion in that period.

Breast cancer deaths halved if patients given 'wonder drug' Tamoxifen for 10 years, not five

Breast check: Women are recommended to feel their breasts regularly and go to the GP if they notice any changes

The study from Oxford University shows that 10 years of Tamoxifen helps save lives not just during the decade women are taking the drug, but also during the second decade after diagnosis

Housekeeper, 58, jailed for stealing £100,000 painting from employer's Belgravia home to fund renovations on her own 'cold house'

Jailed: Cresentla Ragonton was today sentenced to two years in prison for stealing 'Study for Light' by Ed Ruscha from her employer

Cresentla Ragonton, 58, took the ‘Study for Light’ by Ed Ruscha from the Belgravia home of Giuseppe Ciardi in central London.

US wife kills abusive husband in self-defence only to discover 'he' was actually a woman wearing prosthetic penis

prosthetic penis.jpg

Angelo (born Angela) Heddington and Elizabeth Rudavsky had a whirlwind romance, which was followed by a shotgun wedding in Canada and then escalating domestic violence.

Middle-class children at risk of anxiety disorders because parents shelter them from the harsh reality of life, claims leading psychologist

Middle-class children are suffering mental health problems amid a trend for risk-averse parents to raise them 'in captivity', a leading psychologist and broadcaster has warned

Youngsters are growing up in a 'paranoid' culture that attempts to protect them from all risk and failure but leaves them unable to cope with life's challenges, says leading psychologist Professor Tanya Byron.

When tea was thought to be as harmful as WHISKEY: Social reformers in 1800s Ireland feared a cuppa could brew up revolution

Step away from the cup!

Critics at the time declared that tea drinking was contributing to the stifling of Ireland's economic growth, and claimed the habit was reckless and uncontrollable.

Girl, 4, dies in hospital after train hits car driven by pensioner at level crossing

Emma Lifsey was killed when a train collided with the car that she and a 67-year-old driver were in

Emma Lifsey, 4, died after the car she was in was hit by a train at a level crossing in Mission Springs, Nottinghamshire. A 67-year-old woman driver suffered severe injuries.

The revolutionary new breath test to diagnose bowel cancer

The test, which works by identifying chemicals associated with cancer tumours, is said to be 76 per cent accurate

The test, which identifies chemicals associated with cancer tumours, is said to be 76 per cent accurate, according to a report in the British Journal of Surgery.

'Mummy, there are monsters in the house': How young girl in country mansion described Gone In 60 Seconds car-theft gang before she was sent back to bed

'Gone in 60 Seconds' crime gang jailed

Damian Royle (top left), Paul Holden (middle left) and Liam Hanbury (bottom left) all pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary in rural areas across East Lancashire in March and April last year. Burnley Crown Court was told the trio were in and out of victims' homes within a matter of seconds (centre) before stealing a range of luxury cars like the ones pictured, including an Audi R8 (top right), a Ferrari (middle right) and a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution (bottom right). In almost all the burglaries, the occupants were at home at the time.

'The Baby Killing Machine': German mother who avoided jail after killing three-month-old son arrested over death of her second child

'The Baby Killing Machine': Heidi Roger has been segregated from other prisoners in the remand jail in Magdeburg, Germany (pictured), where she is being held pending trial

Heidi Roger, 31, from Magdeburg, Germany (pictured), was given a two-year suspended sentence after she killed her son Justin by holding his mouth and nose shut in 2004.

Georgian great-great grandmother who claimed to be world's oldest living person (and would have been 37 when Lenin came to power) dies aged '132'

Antisa Khvichava

Antisa Khvichava, who lived in the remote mountain village of Sachino in Georgia, held Soviet-era documents which said she was born on 8 July 1880, but her age was contested and never proven.

World's tallest woman dies aged 40 after losing battle with tumour that caused her to grow to 7ft 8in

The world's tallest women Yao Defen stood at 7ft 8in tall before she died aged 40. Here she is pictured with her cousin for a Discovery Channel documentary

Yao Defen, who measured a gigantic 7ft 8in (2.36m), passed away last month aged just 40. At her peak, she also weighed over 31 stone (200kg) and had size 26 feet.

Jailed: London-based Nigerian fraudsters who ran £2.7million lotto scam which led to a murder-suicide

Osas Odia arriving at Croydon Crown Court. The 33-year-old admitted conspiring to launder criminal property

The criminal duo convinced Betty McClellan, 62, that she had won $2.8m on the Australian lottery. She sent them £264,000 in savings to 'cover tax and admin costs'.

Worrying teenage trend for self-harming sparks sharp increase in calls to ChildLine

Growing family problems have been blamed for a spike in self-harming among the young

The number of children and teenagers who have asked for help after considering hurting themselves with knives or drugs has gone up by two thirds in a year, ChildLine said.

Pictured: German nymphomaniac, 47, found dead in bed after being arrested for imprisoning men for sex

Dead at 47: Antje Crapnik was found dead in bed by her lover after a drink and drugs binge

Dressed in a skin-tight dress and showing off her ample cleavage, Antje Crapnik looks relaxed and happy as she poses for a photograph. There is nothing to hint that her life would end abruptly at the age of 47 - or that her last days would be dogged by such sordid ignominy. She was found dead in the bed of her Munich department.

The world's worst jailbreak: Porky prisoner gets lodged in escape hole blocking exit for his two accomplices

World's worst jailbreak

Inmate Rafael Valadao, who weighs a hefty 16 stone, ended up surrounded by giggling guards after a botched attempt to break out of jail in the Brazilian city of Ceres. Firefighters stepped in around 2am this morning after the two inmates waiting their turn behind failed to push him through the hole they had made with a metal bar.

Toddler, 3, saves mother's life by calling his gran despite never using a phone before

Little hero: Aaron Green, 3, managed to save his mums life by calling for help using her mobile phone, despite having never used one before

Little Aaron Green somehow managed to call his great-grandmother when his mother Cally, 26, had a diabetic seizure.

Pensioner, 82, banned from driving for four years after getting behind the wheel while drunk on brandy and cranberry

Hyram Johnson outside Manchester Magistrates yesterday

82-year-old Hyram Johnson, from Longsight, Manchester has become one of the oldest people ever to be banned from driving after crashing into a tree, taxi, and a bus.

Indian village where woman have been banned from using mobile phones because 'they could use them to elope'

Ba: A council in the eastern Indian state of Bihar has banned the use of mobile phones by women, saying the phones were 'debasing the social atmosphere'

The ban has been put in place by Sunderbari council which is in a Muslim-dominated area in the north east of India.

Hoarder who has filled his flat with thousands of newspapers, magazines and books faces eviction because he is a 'fire hazard'

Facing eviction: Brian Clenshaw faces being homeless this Christmas after his landlord took legal action to have him evicted

Former salesman Brian Clenshaw, 52, has filled his flat in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, to the brim with magazines, DVDs, books, coins and stamps. He says he has Obsessive Hoarding Syndrome and cannot throw anything away. His landlord has taken court action to have Mr Clenshaw evicted claiming the clutter is a fire hazard and he faces being homeless for Christmas.

Baby with heart that 'swelled to the size of a football' makes miracle recovery from surgery

Liam after his first operation: His heart valves were so narrow it caused pressure on the left side of his heart

The valves in Liam Dalgarno's heart were so narrow that it caused severe pressure on the left side of his heart. The baby from Newcastle-under-Lyme needed risky surgery.

More premature babies born at 24 weeks are surviving - but the number living with disabilities will also rise

More premature babies born when their mothers are just 24 weeks pregnant are surviving - but babies delivered earlier rarely live

The Medical Research Council study also found there had been no improvement in the survival rate of babies born before 24 weeks.

Australian team shakes up the cocktail world with the invention of the coconut-flavoured pineapple

The pina colada pineapple: Hooray!

Australia's Department of Agriculture today announced it is in the final stages of developing the new variety which is not only sweet and juicy but has the added flavour of coconut.

Good Samaritans help police lift 2,500 pound car to rescue mother and two-year-old daughter pinned underneath

Quick thinking: (L-R) Sgt. Matt Brukbacher, Nashelle Gibson and Jeffrey Simpson speak at a press conference after freeing a mother and child from a car crash in Aurora on Monday

Kipinga Muanza Kalala, 37, was crossing three lanes of traffic in Aurora, Colorado with daughter, Angela, and 4-year-old twins, Jack and Vic, when they were hit by a car.

The family estate that's as fast as a Ferrari: Audi unveils new five-door which can go at speeds of up to 190mph

Speed: The Audi RS6 Avant is the German manufacturer's latest superfast estate car

The new Audi RS6 Avant is faster than a Porsche 911 and can do 0-60mph in just 3.9 seconds. The latest in the series of superfast family estate cars, the German manufacturer's latest model still has room for five passengers and plenty of boot space. It is expected to cost between £75,000 to £80,000 when it goes on sale next year.

Is it a bird... is it a plane? Amazing picture of the super seagull which left a vapour trail

Perfect shot: Amateur photographer Bob Carter took this amazing picture of a seagull in Hull over the weekend.

Amateur photographer Bob Carter could not believe his luck when he snapped an amazing picture of an apparently 'vapour-streaming' seagull in Hull.

'He's a weak and spineless coward': Fury of Anni Dewani's father after he sees the gunman who shot her jailed for life

Sentenced: Xolile Mngeni, 25, shows his family members a thumbs up after being sentenced to life imprisonment in court at Cape Town today

Xolile Mngeni, 25, was convicted of firing the bullet at the 28-year-old Swedish woman as she and her husband Shrien Dewani holidayed in Cape Town two years ago.

Families have enough money to last them just 19 days before savings would run out

Family finances: The average household has just 19 days worth of savings to last them if the main breadwinner was to lose their job

The average family would have enough money for 19 days, if the main breadwinner was unable to work for any reason, according to research.

Nicotine nests: Researchers finds urban birds feathering their homes with cigarette butts

Researchers discovered that birds, including house sparrows, are lining their nests with discarded cigarette butts

Researchers in Mexico City found the discarded butts act as an insecticide and provide insulation.

The book that could change the way we see dinosaurs: We think of them as sleek and fierce, but what if they were fat and furry?

Cute: A Tyrannosaurus rex is pictured how it might have looked sleeping

Our traditional conception of dinosaurs as sleek, leathery animals is based on images created by palaeoartists, who specialise in imagining extinct creatures by studying their skeletons. The problem is that these sparse remains cannot tell us the whole story, offering little information about layers of body fat, skin type, colouring or poise. All Yesterdays: Unique and Speculative Views of Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Animals, by palaeoartists C.M. Kosemen and John Conway, offers explores some of the possibilities.

Kiss of life from the monster who killed her: Moment paedophile rushed into hospital carrying the dying 15-month-old girl he had fatally abused

Millie Martin

Barry McCarney, from County Tyrone, was found guilty of murder, sexual assault and the grievous bodily harm of Millie Martin, the daughter of his girlfriend Rachael Martin.

Thieves stole 'priceless' Henry Moore sculpture for scrap metal and sold it for just £46... because they had no idea of true value

Stolen: Parker and Hughes took Sundial from the grounds of Henry Moore's former home in Hertfordshire

Liam Hughes, 22, and Jason Parker, 19, had admitted stealing the 'irreplaceable' Working Model for Sundial (pictured) from the Henry Moore Foundation in Herts.

Facebook-owned Instagram blocks Twitter users tweeting images as social media rivalry intensifies

No support: Twitter users will be driven to Instagram's own website by a link after Twitter cards, pictured, are scrapped

Twitter users had started to complain earlier this week that Instagram photos weren't displaying properly on Twitter's website.

Grapes of wrath: Mafia blamed for pouring 80,000 litres of wine from one of Italy's most prestigious vineyards down the drain

Mafia attack? Pickers load a tractor with just harvested Sangiovese grapes, used to make Italy's most famous red wine, Brunello di Montalcino, in Sant'Angelo in Colle, near Montalcino, some 50 kilometers south of Siena, central Italy

Raiders broke into the cellars smashing through armoured glass which house the famous Brunello di Montalcino and targeted barrels from the 2007 through to 2012 vintage.

Our best friend's a rhino! Family's incredible bond with orphaned animal whose mother was shot by poachers

Animal instinct: Jimmy, named after Roger's late father, is now free to come and go as he pleases but still visits 71-year-old Anne

Anne Whittall and her family in Zimbabwae have developed an incredible bond with a rhino after she adopted the two-tonne beast when his mother was shot by poachers in South Africa. Photographer David Hulme, discovered him yards from his mother's body, petrified and hiding beneath a bush. He had been left to fend for himself for several days. David, 40, then took Jimmy to close family friend Anne Whittall, who along with her husband, Roger, runs Humani guesthouse and Roger Whittall Safaris in Zimbabwe. Jimmy is pictured: top right, with Anne; bottom right being fed milk by hand and left, with young members of the family.

'World's worst boss' threatened to dissolve his workers in acid - and told one worker she should have been drowned at birth

Guilty: Former laundry owner Kevin Andrews, 61, was convicted of bullying former employees including making threats to burn them in acid and setting his dogs on them

Kevin Andrews, 61, was fined £30,000 after being convicted of a catalogue of abuse against his former workers at Milley Laundry and Linen Services in the state of Victoria, Australia.

Male fertility crisis fears as sperm counts fall... and scientists blame everything from diet to tight underwear

Worrying: Falling sperm counts in France are a ¿serious warning¿ to British men, scientists said yesterday. This image shows sperm fertilizing an egg

A major French study has revealed that sperm counts and quality have fallen sharply since the start of the 1990s.

Glamorous businesswoman, 28, from Kenya, killed herself because she was lonely living in Britain

Sharon Bukokhe

Sales manager Sharon Bukokhe, 28, of Levenshulme, Manchester, was a high achiever working for a family planning charity but felt lonely as relatives including her husband lived abroad.

Beauty queen died with guns blazing: Mexican model fired assault rifle in shootout that killed her, prosecutors say

Dangerous beauty? Maria Susana Flores Gamez, the Mexican beauty queen killed in a shootout between suspected drug traffickers and soldiers, likely fired a gun during the clash in the Pacific coast state Sinaloa, a federal prosecutor said

Maria Susana Flores Gamez, the Mexican beauty queen killed in a shootout between suspected drug traffickers and soldiers, likely fired a gun during the clash in the Pacific coast state Sinaloa, a federal prosecutor said.

Bungling builders bulldoze entire historic French chateau by MISTAKE. . . after its millionaire owner told them to demolish a small outhouse on its estate

Chateau

Chateau de Bellevue, 12km east of Bordeaux, once boasted 140,000-square-feet of grand reception rooms, ornate fireplaces and winding marble staircases. But then its new owner, a Russian millionaire businessman, employed a team of Polish builders to renovate the manor to its former glory, including the removal of one small building.

 
   

DON'T MISS

Intricate tattoos that tell the extraordinary stories of Russian gangsters' lives

tattoos

These haunting images were taken in the early 1990s by photographer Sergei Vasiliev after he gained access to some of Russia's toughest prisons at the peak of the post-Soviet Union gangland power struggle.

Wannabe US porn star, 23, and her father, 46, charged with incest after DNA tests show they have a child together

Arrested: George Sayers, right, and his daughter Tiffany Hartford, 23, were charged on Monday with third-degree sexual assault after police discovered they had a child together

George Sayers, 46, and Tiffany Hartford, 23, of Bethel, Connecticut, were charged on Monday with third-degree sexual assault in an investigation that began with a complaint by Hartford's former girlfriend.

Feeling hungry? How thinking about the last big meal you ate could help you curb hunger pangs and lose weight

Think big: Remembering a big meal can help you feel less hungry

Researchers find that the level of hunger people feel is equal to the amount they had last eaten, not what they had seen before eating.

Mac on... the Royal baby news

'Remind me again, dear. Is it knit one, purl one or knit two, purl four?'

'Remind me again, dear. Is it knit one, purl one or knit two, purl four?'

Japan's only GUY-sha: The geisha's son who wanted to follow in his dead mother's footsteps

Eitaro dressed as a traditional geisha

Eitaro, left and inset, who is Japan's only male geisha, performs in the role as a female dancer and is the master of an 'okiya,' a geisha house in Tokyo's Omori port district. The traditional dancing girls of Japanese tea houses have become something of a rarity outside major cities and hot spring resorts in recent years. The changing economy and corporate entertainment policies have made geishas unaffordable and the number of working performers has fallen from 80,000 to 1,000 over the course of the last century.

WORLD NEWS

This NASA still image released December 4, 2012 of Super Typhoon Bopha        

Majestic marvels of nature: Stunning photographs capture the dramatic landscapes and beautiful animals of Northern Europe

wildlife.jpg

British photographer Danny Green's first book 'The Long Journey North' explores these varied and heart-stoppingly beautiful landscapes - along with the creatures that call them home. This visual exploration of the Arctic and Subarctic regions of Northern Europe has been a labour of love for Danny for the past eight years. The end result is a collection of images showing some of the most beautiful and iconic species that can be found in this pristine wilderness. Pictured, top left, an adult and baby Brown bears in Finland; top right, a Great Grey Owl in Finland; bottom left Godfloss in Iceland and bottom right the snow-encrusted trees in the Taiga Forest in Finland.

War over Charlie Brown: Family of Peanuts creator brand his mistress 'indecent and tacky' over $350,000 sale of his love letters to her

Reunion

EXCLUSIVE: The children of Charles Schulz said that mistress Tracey Claudius is 'tacky' for auctioning off a trove of deeply personal correspondence for up to $350,000 that he wrote to his mistress during an affair that led to the break up of his marriage.

HIV positive Colombian truck driver 'infected more than 50 women in uncontrollable rampage'

HIV positive: Libardo Rojas Duenas is alleged to have raped and infected up to 50 women with the condition after going on an uncontrollable rampage

Libardo Rojas Duenas, 57, (pictured), is said to have completely ignored state-issued medical advice after being diagnosed with the deadly virus in 2006.

Why fly south when you can drive? Buzzard has remarkable escape after being wedged into bonnet of delivery van for five miles

Shock: Carl Wooley drove more than five miles from Adlington to Macclesfield with before he discovered the buzzard had collided with his delivery van

The low flying bird of prey collided with Karl Wholley's vehicle as he drove south from Adlington, in Cheshire, to Macclesfield.

Naked fury: Protestors strip off and storm San Francisco City Hall as officials approve legal crackdown on nudity

Modesty: A deputy rushes to cover a nude woman during the San Francisco Board of Supervisors meeting. She was protesting new nudity legislation in the city

The protestors stripped in a courtroom and were led away by sheriffs. They are angry that legislation to ban nudity has been approved. Protesters, one wearing only rainbow knee socks and another sporting black nylons, chanted 'body freedom' and 'shame on you' as they were escorted out. But some residents and business owners say nudists have gone too far.

   

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