As Dawn Makin (pictured) starts a 12 year sentence for stabbing her daughter Chloe (inset) to death, her former husband Michael Burke insists she was a 'devoted' and 'lovely mum' and says: 'I feel sorry for Dawn - she was not in the right state of mind'. Two years after the end of their relationship Makin was found lying unconscious next to Chloe's body on a bed surrounded by cuddly toys. She then drank anti-freeze.

Heavy deluges of rain caused flash flooding in some places, with Dorset, Devon, Somerset and Wiltshire the worst affected. Firework displays scheduled for over the weekend and tonight have been cancelled due to soggy ground following heavy rain. And a surprise icy blast led to parts of southern England blanketed in snow, with some areas experiencing snowfall as deep as 15cm during the night. Today will be the coldest November 5 since daily temperature records began in 1999, as temperatures reach a maximum of 9C.
The wet weather prompted the Environment Agency to issue of a number of flood warnings in England and Wales today.

From the Mayor of Newark inviting constituents into his home to charge their phones and watch DVDs to an East Village doctor offering free treatments and kids selling cookies to raise money for the relief effort, the stories encapsulate how people were helping each other during the superstorm and its aftermath.

Music chiefs have released a countdown of 123 songs that have sold more than a million to mark the 60th anniversary of the singles chart. (L-R) Elton John, Neil Tennant from The Pet Shop Boys and John Lennon rub shoulders with unlikely artists like Aqua and Bob the Builder.

Poll after poll over the weekend confirmed it would be one of the closest presidential elections in US history, putting the two White House contenders in a dead heat. The pair were neck and neck in four swing states which are likely to determine the winner of the White House, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.

Top secret dresses for meetings with 'James Bond', no hats after 6pm and colour coordinated umbrellas are just some of the Queen's wardrobe wonders. Angela Kelly (above left) has been the Queen's personal dresser since 1994 and reveals how the bead-count on an evening gown take on incredible significance, at events such as the Diamond Jubilee and the opening of the Olympic Games.

The sideburns (left) have become synonymous with his rising sport stardom, winning the Tour de France and seven Olympic medals this year. He plans to 'do it all again' next year hair-free (right). His muttonchops became famous as hundreds of fans lined London's streets wearing their own mock 'Wiggo' sideburns as he raced to a gold medal at this summer's Olympics, becoming Britain's greatest ever Olympian.

Scientists warn the link between deprivation and Britain's biggest killer could become even more acute as the Government's austerity measures eat into health budgets. These maps show that, allthough numbers fell in most places, people are more likely to die in poorer regions.

Anna Kavanagh (pictured right) and her former husband Giles (left) spent millions of pounds on barristers and court hearings, losing their £3.2million home and ending up with only £90,000 between them. Neither has revealed what drove them apart. They tried to settle their differences in a county court, the High Court family division and the Civil Appeal Court.

Jackie Samuel, 29, runs 'The Snuggery' business in Rochester, New York. She cuddles with up to 30 men a week - including pensioners and war veterans. The cuddling can take place anywhere around her cottage but most clients opt to use her large double bed.

Vikki Fowler was so horrified by the condition of ‘Hope’ when she visited land off Plantation Road field, in Edgworth, she offered to buy the animal. A year on and Hope won the title of overall supreme champion in the rescued horse class at a horse show and is expected to start her riding preparation work in the next few weeks.

James Bowen and Bob the cat (pictured together centre and high-fiving left) first met in the stairwell of Mr Bowen's block of council flats in Tottenham, north London. Bob started following James to Covent Garden where he makes money busking and before long he's tripled his money. Now his book (pictured right with Bob) has sold more than 250,000 copies worldwide and he is in 'talks' with a Hollywood agent about taking his story to the big screen.

A new study has found that the Empire's global reach has been underestimated with just 22 of almost 200 countries never experiencing a British invasion. Author Stuart Laycock has done a two-year research project after his 11-year-old son, Frederick, asked how many countries the British had invaded.

David Lee Collins (right) was knifed during a brawl between four off-duty soldiers and three British holidaymakers at the Black & White club in Ayia Napa (above), police said. One of the tourists is alleged to have pulled out a switch blade and stabbed the 19-year-old, who served with the 2nd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. A military spokesman said the fight broke out in a part of the clubbing hotspot that is off-limits to British soldiers because of past trouble.

Belfast solicitor Paul Gallen, 26, a previous winner of the popular TV word game Countdown, held his head in his hands in relief as he won the coveted title in a nail-biting three game final in London yesterday. The Northern Irish word wizard won a trophy and £2,500 cash prize, which he will spend on a holiday with his girlfriend.

A journalist was parked without a ticket on a street in London's Mayfair when a civil enforcement officer wearing a Westminster City Council jacket approached and threatened to fine him. But the traffic warden, employed by the UK's biggest parking contractor NSL, allegedly said he could 'sort something out' if he was paid - and would stop any local wardens putting a ticket on the car.

Tatyana Samokhval and her mother Valentina Khlystova (together top right) watch on helplessly as bulldozers demolish their house (left) in Sochi, Russia. Their family is one of at least 1,500 in the path of bulldozers clearing for the Games, less than 500 days away. Construction of venues and infrastructure is expected to cost more than £3.7billion.

Kaytlynn, right, and Heather Welsch, top left, aren't just competing in tough races, but often win against athletes typically 20 years older. Medical opinion is divided over whether or not the girls are doing permanent damage to their still developing bodies, but father and coach Rodney Welsch insists he has their best interests at heart.

West Highland terrier Molly has become a frequent passenger aboard the £750,000 semi-submersible craft designed by her owner Chris Garner. Mr Garner, chief executive of his own concept design company, spent 35,000 hours perfecting the two-seater underwater vessel. The pair are now often spotted taking trips along the Cornwall coastline in the specially designed craft.