'I'm going on holiday so I want the baby to hurry up!' Queen reveals royal excitement after youngster asks if she wants a boy or a girl

queen

Schoolgirl Fay Batey, 10, asked Her Majesty: 'Would you like it to be a boy or a girl?', and the Queen told her she 'didn't mind' as long as it came before she heads to Balmoral in nine days time for her summer break. Today hundreds of well-wishers crammed a market square to catch a glimpse of the Queen on a visit to Cumbria (left). Later she went to a local school (centre) where she was asked about her future great-grandchild. The Duchess of Cambridge is already believed to be around five days overdue and the world's media are camped outside the west London hospital where she will give birth (right).

Pictured moments before he drowned: Tragedy of swimmer who jumped into reservoir to cool off in sweltering heat as death toll rises

Final photo: Daniel Clemo, 24, is pictured standing at the water's edge in the sunshine just minutes before he went swimming and drowned

Daniel Clemo, 24, (right) is seen smiling as he stands at the water's edge as he enjoys himself with friends in the Brecon Beacons, South Wales. But tragically he decided to go for a swim and died after getting into difficulties. Emergency services across the country have warned against swimming in open water after a spate of deaths in the hot weather. Daniel's heartbroken mother Christina today warned people to stay out of the water at the reservoir (left). 'I just want people to look at this and to stay away from the water - It entices all ages but it's no good. They've got to go somewhere else,' she said.

Revealed: Lady Thatcher’s FIVE attempts to secure knighthood for Jimmy Savile while her aides warned of his ‘strange and complex’ life

Persistent; Margaret Thatcher with Jimmy Saville outside No 10 Downing Street in 1988, as it was revealed she tried five times to get him knighted while prime minister

It took the Iron Lady six years to get the paedophile DJ made 'Sir' because civil servants persistently blocked her requests, secret Cabinet Office papers revealed today.

Man wanted over murder of pensioner is arrested after three days on the run

Found: Bisexual killer Ian John McLoughlin, 55, has been arrested after three days on the run after being tracked to an address in London

Officers tracked Ian John McLoughlin, 55, to an address in London and arrested him at around 1am this morning. He is being held on suspicion of murder and robbery.

Liam Gallagher 'is sued for millions by a woman who accuses him of fathering a secret love child with her'

Liam Gallagher and wife Nicole Appleton arrive home after a night out at Arts Club, London last week

The unnamed woman, who is said to be in her thirties, reportedly claims she gave birth to the former Oasis singer's daughter less than a year ago after a one night stand.

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Cameron 'caved in to big tobacco', Miliband claims in call for inquiry into Tory election guru who lobbies for cigarette firms

Tory election guru Lynton Crosby faces questions over his links to tobacco firms

Pressure has mounted on the Prime Minister over the role of Lynton Crosby (pictured), who advises tobacco giant Philip Morris, in the decision to abandon plans for plain cigarette packaging.

Britain needs 7million MORE immigrants over 50 years to 'meet the cost of ageing population'

Open door policy: Without high levels of migration to Britain, public debt will balloon to become larger than the entire economy, the Office for Budget Responsibility said

The Office for Budget Responsibility warned urgent action is needed or the gains made by George Osborne’s spending cuts will be wiped out by the pressures of an ageing population.

Lifeguard demands mother, 20, stops breastfeeding her son at public swimming pool because she is breaking the ban on food and drink

Imagica Gilroy says staff at Parkside Pool in Cambridge told her not to breastfeed as it was against the rules

Hairdresser Imajica Gilroy, 20, started feeding nine month-old Riley in the jacuzzi at Parkside Pool in Cambridge to calm his nerves on his first visit to the baths.

Pregnant mother was told her rash was just an insect bite. But itchy bumps were HERPES which gave her unborn baby meningitis and cerebral palsy

When expectant mother Victoria Birtwhistle, 38, noticed itchy bumps on her stomach and thighs she and doctors presumed they were insect bites.

EXCLUSIVE: Victoria Birtwistle, 38, from Manchester, developed blisters in the late stages of pregnancy. Doctors believed that they were harmless insect bites as there were no other symptoms accompanying the itchy bumps.

Another day, another u-turn: Cameron ditches minimum alcohol pricing after Cabinet mutiny

David Cameron defended the latest government u-turn as he welcomed Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta to Number 10 for talks

The Prime Minister said it was unclear if unit pricing - which he had championed - would cut problem drinking, but Tory MPs warned the u-turn would cost lives.

Teenagers fall sick after swimming in makeshift pool they created by filling SKATE PARK with river water

Dangerous: A number of teenagers have fallen ill after swimming in river water which was pumped into a skate park

Crowds of young people flocked to the skate park in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, after it was somehow filled with water from the nearby River Calder.

Are we headed for the driest July in almost 250 years? UK has had just 9.2mm of rainfall so far this month as Met Office declares 'Level Three' heatwave after 11 consecutive days above 28C

Sunseekers: People cool off in the Diana, Princess of Wales, Memorial Fountain in central London today on the warmest day of the year so far

Temperatures hit 32C in Northolt, north-west London, at 1pm this afternoon - making it the hottest day of the year so far. People can be seen here enjoying the weather in Hyde Park, central London. Hugo Robinson (right) and Josh Marks (left) can be seen here enjoying the early start to their school's summer holidays in the fountains at Gheluvelt Park in Worcester.

Forensic science graduate has been stopped 70 TIMES by police 'after splitting from her PC lover'

Katie Bowman

Katie Bowman, 24, alleges she was targeted over 28 months by Thames Valley Police officers from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, after splitting from PC Alexander Ash.

Three people died in coach crash on their way back from music festival because of faulty 20-year-old tyre

English graduate Miss Ogden was described as keen on music and she had been to Bestival several times

Surrey coroner Richard Travers questioned why it was legal for such old tyres to be used after hearing how driver Colin Daulby battled to control the 52-seat coach on the A3 in Surrey.

Export of early Rembrandt painting blocked by Government in attempt to keep it in Britain after U.S. museum's £17m bid

Export bar: The work is known as 'Rembrandt Laughing'

The work, known as ‘Rembrandt Laughing’, is said to be a striking example of the Dutch artist's early paintings and was one of only a few which he executed on copper plates.

Heathrow unveils plan for third and FOURTH runway in rebuff to Boris's call to bulldoze airport completely

Expansion: Heathrow unveiled three options for a third runway, arguing this plan to build it to the north west of existing airport would limit the impact on local people

The airport set out three options for an extra runway, claiming it can host more than 240,000 extra flights with ‘minimum’ impact on people living nearby.

Summer holiday booking numbers fall as Britons decide to stay at home to make the most of the hot weather

Why jet away? People enjoy the glorious summer sunshine in beautiful Cambridge today as they punt down the River Cam

While many Brits revel in the spell of hot weather, travel agents are tearing their hair out - as consumers ditch their holiday plans and instead enjoy the hot weather at home.

New tracking software knows exactly where you'll be on a precise time and date YEARS into the future (even if you don't)

A screenshot taken from the Far Out mapping software. A pair of researchers from Microsoft are able to predict where a person will be years from now using this system.

Researchers from Microsoft and Google can predict where a person will be years from now using a computer software called Far Out. The program tracks a person using GPS and accurately plots their future.

Children as young as four face tests in first days of school

Pupils could also be ranked against their peers across the country, being put in achievement 'bands'

Pupils are currently tested at seven to set a 'baseline' for measuring their progress in school. But the Deputy Prime Minister is considering plans to do this during reception year to improve Sats results.

Reign stops play! The charming moment Queen interrupted sedate game of bowls in grounds of Windsor Castle

Brimfield players lined up to form a guard of honour for Her Majesty

Bowlers were stunned on Sunday when the Queen interrupted a drive around her estate to get some fresh air and spectate on their match. After the game had wrapped up she chatted to players.
Her Majesty had been kept fully abreast of the first Ashes Test match by one of her policemen and was said to be 'delighted' with the result.

'Well, everybody has babies': Queen's cousin admits she's not excited about the imminent arrival of the Royal baby

Sangfroid: The Queen's first cousin, 88-year-old Margaret Rhodes, says she is 'not terribly' excited about the impending birth of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's baby

Royal baby fever may have gripped much of Britain and indeed the rest of the world but, as one American TV interviewer found out when she interviewed the Queen's first cousin, Margaret Rhodes, 88, not everyone is in a frenzy of anticipation.

Eight members of 'Full Metal Jacket' drug-smuggling gang jailed for 121 years for £25m cocaine haul from Mexico to Yorkshire

Richard Stead was jailed for 21 years

Richard Stead, 45, from Barnsley, was one of eight members of the gang - which flooded the north of England with £25million worth of cocaine - to be jailed.

Toddler who had just learned to walk fell 50ft to her death after climbing onto a table and falling out of an open window

Shock: Neighbours told of their fears for their own children living in the flats

The little girl, who neighbours said was a 'lovely' 18-month-old named Muna, died in hospital after falling from the fourth-floor flat at a council-owned block in Bristol.

Labour's day of shame over the NHS: Thousands of unnecessary deaths, 14 hospital trusts condemned, and now devastating report demolished Labour's claim that the NHS was safe in its hands

Statement: Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt today told MPs that thousands died needlessly at 14 hospitals

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt announced NHS 'hit squads' will now take over failing trusts, where an estimated 13,000 people may have died since 2005.

Now the hit squad will go in: Rescue teams to run trusts where lack of care left patients dead

Tina Papalabropoulos died from pneumonia after a series of blunders

Eleven 'mediocre' NHS trusts have been placed in special measures, including the Basildon and Thurrock trust, where Tina Papalabropoulos, 23, (pictured) died from pneumonia after doctors missed numerous chances to save her life.

I WILL fulfill your dying wishes: Determined mother who lost daughter, 17, to cancer runs marathon, plant roses on her grave and writes a book

Determination: Rosemary Locock, left, has spent more than ten years completing the dying wishes of her daughter Karina, right

Rosemary Locock, 57, from Dorset, promised her daughter Karina she would complete her three last requests before she died from a rare bone cancer in 2003.

'Healthy' footballer, 26, killed himself after years of mental health problems caused by acne drug which he took for just 18 months

When his father suggested he see a specialist about his vision, he told him: 'They can't help me, nobody can help me'.

James Sillcock, 26, of Bapchild, Kent, suffocated himself just days after watching a documentary about a man who took his own life after taking the same drug, RoAccutane.

British spies did NOT use US Prism programme to get round UK law, intelligence watchdog rules

Spies at GCHQ headquarters near Cheltenham did not use the Prism programme to get around UK law, the Intelligence and Security Committee found

The Intelligence and Security Committee dismissed as 'unfounded' claims by whistleblower Edward Snowden that GCHQ used the US's Prism programme to circumvent British law.

Audio reveals moment learner driver dialled 999 to ask operator for help because his driving instructor stopped a lesson when he 'gave her attitude' for being late

Complaint: A learner driver dialled 999 to complain after his driving instructor terminated their lesson because he was 'giving her attitude' for being late (stock image)

The unnamed man contacted West Midlands Police when his lesson was terminated after he 'gave her attitude' for turning up 10 minutes late.

Council tenant botched DIY in his rented home so badly that he was billed £5,000 because his work was deemed 'dangerous'

George Brassington, 71, carried out numerous 'home improvements' on the council property in Manchester he shared with his wife Ivy for 20 years - but is now being charged £5,000 to cover the cost of fixing them

George Brassington, 71, pictured left, carried out numerous 'home improvements' by fitting new doors, pictured bottom right, and building a shed in the garden, pictured top right, at the council property he shared with his wife Ivy for 20 years in Oldham, Manchester. But after the couple downsized to a smaller bungalow, the local housing association First Choice Homes Oldham sent him a bill of nearly £5,000 to cover the cost of putting all his DIY work right.

Beat the heat! Inventors create water fountains for DOGS and portable humidifiers to help families cope with the hot weather

An Illinois-based design company has created a paw-activated water fountain for dogs.

A paw-activated water fountain for dogs and a desktop humidifier that sprays cool vapour into the air are among the novel gadgets created by inventors to help tackle the recent soar in temperatures.

Back to the nineties: Number out of work for more than a year hits highest level since 1996

Long-term unemployment hit 915,000 in June, marking a return to levels last seen 17 years ago despite falls in the overall number of people without a job

Long-term unemployment hit 915,000 in June, marking a return to levels last seen 17 years ago despite falls in the overall number of people without a job.

We've run out the travellers! Village cricket team invokes 'spirit of the Ashes' to see off caravan invasion

Stand off: Police talk to players and supporters from Hoghton Cricket Club who have formed a barricade to stop more travellers from setting up camp on their pitch

Players and supporters of league champions Hoghton Cricket Club in Lancashire decided to fight back when a group of travellers set up camp on their pitch.

Now Tories bid to cap benefits for families at £20,000 to force the jobless to work

An extra squeeze: Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne in the House of Commons, London 2013.

Treasury aides confirmed that the Chancellor will examine the case for lowering the new benefit cap further if it proves effective in cutting the welfare bill and pushing the jobless into work.

Elderly couple who fell in love as teenagers but were split up during Second World War set to marry

Bob Humphries, 89, and Bernie Bluett, 87

Bob Humphries, 89, of Pawlett, Somerset, and Bernie Bluett, 87, whose spouses have both died in the past 11 years, spent their lives on opposite sides of the world.

Two Beatles tribute acts locked in legal fight over who first came up with idea of 'jukebox musical' Let It Be stage show

The cast of Let It Be, the Beatles tribute show whose producers are being sued by another musical, Rain

The fight is between the producers of two shows: Let It Be, (cast members pictured) which is about to open in Broadway after a successful London run, and Rain, the first and longest-running Beatles show that played on Broadway in 2010 and 2011.

Schools told to organise sleepovers and open all year to give parents a break and cut the costs of childcare

Sleepover: Schools are encouraged to stay open later and even organise overnight stays to help parents with childcare

Red tape stopping schools from staying open longer will be torn up after a government report found the traditional 9am-3pm school day was letting down working parents.

BBC Savile scandal cost YOU £5million: Shocking report reveals how probes into corporation's bungled handling of crisis left taxpayers with huge bill

Bill: The BBC's internal reviews and soul-searching ordered in the wake of the Jimmy Savile abuse scandal have cost licence fee payers almost £5million

The BBC revealed the total cost of three different reviews, including one into why Newsnight failed to air a report into allegations of abuse against Jimmy Savile.

While Conservatives listened in sorrow, Labour went feral

Statement: Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt today told MPs that thousands died needlessly at 14 hospitals

QUENTIN LETTS: For the second time in a week, Labour Whips – purple in face, pointing like football hooligans and yelling ‘you! you! you!’ – cranked up the volume. Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt was trying to describe horrible failings in numerous hospitals

Schools told to organise sleepovers and open all year to give parents a break and cut the costs of childcare

Sleepover: Schools are encouraged to stay open later and even organise overnight stays to help parents with childcare

Red tape stopping schools from staying open longer will be torn up after a government report found the traditional 9am-3pm school day was letting down working parents.

Farage attacks 'spineless and clueless' Miliband for not condemning union attack on UKIP

UKIP Leader Nigel Farage tore into Labour leader Ed Miliband for not distancing himself from the Unite report

UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage also brushed off a latest opinion poll which suggests voters are switching back to the Tory party.

'I thought I would die': Runaway schoolgirl claims Turkish waiter tried to force her to cycle 600 miles to Syrian border and made her sleep in field without food for two days

Murat Can Ertani and Faye Jones

Faye Jones (right), 16, of Cramlington, Northumberland, went missing for four days after fleeing from her mother with Murat Can Ertani (left), 22, while on holiday at the Turkish holiday resort of Marmaris. But after being found on Monday she told in an interview how Can got her to sell a gold ring she had received from her mother Rhonda, 39, as a 16th birthday present, so they could survive on the run.

Landmark conviction as market trader who sold 'legal high' synthetic cannabis to schoolboy, 16, is found guilty

Landmark: Parwani was prosecuted for selling a form of synthetic cannabis, similar to the one pictured, to a 16-year-old boy

Hamayan Parwani, 37, was found guilty of selling an intoxicating substance (similar to the one pictured) to a person under the age of 18 at his market stall in Leeds city centre.

Girl, 8, racks up £4,000 bill while playing free game on her father's iPad... and now he can't get a refund from Apple

Costly mistake: Lee Neale, 43, faces a £4,000 bill after his daughter racked up the huge sum playing 'free' games on his iPad

Lee Neale, 43, from Somerset, only realised his daughter Lily had run up the huge sum playing 'free' games such as Campus Life, My Horse and Smurf's Village, from the App Store when his bank froze his account.

Risk of developing dementia down 25% in two decades, but caseload still rising because we are living longer

The proportion of Britons with dementia has unexpectedly fallen by about a quarter in the last twenty years

A major study found the chances of developing the disease in old age has fallen by a quarter since the 1990s. However, the overall number of dementia sufferers is on the rise because more of us live to an age when the illness is most prevalent.

'Schools will not become exam sausage factory': Nick Clegg defends tougher tests for 11-year-olds

Pupils could also be ranked against their peers across the country, being put in achievement 'bands'

The Deputy Prime Minister unveiled plans to rank every 11-year-old nationally to prepare them for secondary school while children as young as four could face exams.

No wonder he feels under par! Azar the Doberman nearly dies after swallowing THREE golf balls

Vet Kath Vandamme, right, discovered that Louise Powis's doberman Azar had eaten three golf balls

When Louise Powis' six-year-old Doberman Azar lost a lot of weight and became so ill he could barely stand, she rushed him to a vet in Coventry, where an X-ray revealed the surprising contents of his stomach.

Bernie Ecclestone indicted over bribery in Germany following allegations he paid £28m to banker during sale of Formula 1 to avoid UK tax probe

Court action: The tycoon's legal team will submit a response within the next few weeks and prosecutors will then decide whether Mr Ecclestone could face trial

Mr Ecclestone had been under investigation since former German banker Gerhard Gribkowsky was convicted of corruption for receiving payments from the motor racing chief executive in connection with the sale of shares in the sport in 2006.

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Clarifications and corrections

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Now that’s a selling point: £500,000 four-bedroom semi-detached home comes with its own PRIVATE ISLAND

island

The owners of this semi-detached family home in Wiltshire expect demand will be high to buy their £500,000 property (top left), which has just gone on the market and boasts its own island (centre) as a unique selling point. When the couple moved in they renovated the one-acre island (pictured here from above on the right), turning it into an extra play area, which has also become a wildlife sanctuary for ducks, otters and nesting swans.

Is this the best Wikipedia entry ever? Officer served in THREE wars, was shot in the face, head, stomach, ankle, leg, hip, and ear, escaped a PoW camp and bit off his fingers when doctors refused to amputate

General Sir Adrian Carton De Wiart has the best Wikipedia page ever

The page for Lieutenant-General Sir Adrian Paul Ghislain Carton de Wiart (pictured) is being hailed by many as the most interesting to be found on the website.

Anonymous donor gives £300,000 to charities supported by British swimmer who died trying to cross the Channel

Susan Taylor, 34, died as she neared the end of a charity swim across the English Channel

Administrators were said to be in 'no doubt' the donation to the causes supported by Susan Taylor, from Barwell, Leicestershire, is genuine.

What do new mothers miss? Eating out, sleeping in... and shopping! The simple things mums crave most about their 'old life'

The old life: New mothers say they miss parts of their old life as the stresses of having a new baby can get too much for some

The study found that just being able to lie in bed is the main thing they miss in the weeks after having a baby, followed by uninterrupted nights in with their partner.

How much would you want for a nuclear power station near your home? Government offers millions to bribe communities

Cash: Communities near new nuclear power stations will receive millions in bribes, including Hinkley Point in Somerset (pictured) which is in line for £128million

Towns and villages near eight sites in England and Wales will be offered up to £1,000 for every megawatt hour of electricity generated for 40 years.

Could we one day get our daily dose of exercise from a PILL? Scientists design compound that mimics exercise in muscles

A study has found that a new compound affected levels of a protein called REV-ERB, which has been shown to boost metabolism, normalise cholesterol levels and affect how much we sleep

Scientists at the Scripps Research Institute in Florida discovered that when a compound they created was injected in mice, it boosted metabolism, endurance and improved cholesterol levels.

Scores of strangers turn up to veteran's funeral after care home's Facebook plea for mourners because he only had one distant relative

Scores of mourners attended the former submariner's funeral despite never having met him

Mourners flocked to former submariner Rodney 'Vic' Silvester's (right) funeral in Fareham, Hampshire, despite never having met him, in order to give the Navy veteran a fitting farewell. Scores of people walked in a procession (main picture) behind the 67-year-old's coffin, which was preceded by two flag-bearers as it was carried to Fareham Cemetery (inset), where Mr Silvester was laid to rest after losing his battle with cancer. Word spread about the service after the care home where Mr Silvester had been living posted a message on the Supporting Veterans in Care Facebook group.

BBC and BT Sport share rights to show FA Cup final until 2018 after beating ITV to football's showcase event

Deal: The BBC and BT Sport will share live coverage of the FA Cup (pictured Wigan players celebrating winning this year's competition in May)

The Football Association's flagship competition will return to the BBC in a rights-sharing deal with newcomer BT Sport beginning next year, it was announced today.

'UK's debt could hit 100% of GDP': £19bn more needed in tax hikes or spending cuts by 2019 to cope with ageing nation, warns OBR

Ageing nation: Rising life expectancies and declining fertility will see pensioners than ever come 2062/63.

Health, social care and pension costs could force future governments to find an extra £61bn in 50 years time, causing public sector debt to skyrocket to 99 per cent of Britain's economic output, warns the OBR.

Crumbs! Artist carves intricate faces into her leftover crusts of bread

bread sculptures

Instead of using her loaf to make sandwiches, Polish-born artist Milena Korolczuk spent hours painstakingly creating intricate busts of faces cultural icons from pieces of bread.

Google apologises after wiping an ENTIRE Scottish island off the map

Google has had to apologise for accidentally wiping the small Scottish island of Jura from its Maps service. When users search for the island all that appears is a red outline, pictured where the mass of land should be

Google has had to apologise for accidentally wiping the small Scottish island of Jura from its Maps service. When users search for the island all that appears is a red outline where the mass of land should be.

Blind student learns to read Braille with her LIPS because her fingertips are not sensitive enough to feel bumps

Tsang Tsz-Kwan, 20, from Hong Kong, (pictured) is blind and severely hearing impaired and started to read Braille with her lips when she was five-years-old.

Tsang Tsz-Kwan, 20, from Hong Kong, is blind and severely hearing impaired and started to read with her lips when she was five-years-old.

Girl, 2, suffering fever dies from damage caused by water on the brain 'after doctors refused to carry out immediate scan'

Death: Alice Mason

Alice Mason had successfully undergone treatment for a brain tumour two months before she was taken to Kingston Hospital in Surrey, with vomiting and fever. She died one week later.

A Harrods hamper, Tiffany necklace and a spa day: What competitive parents are buying for their children's teachers as end of year gifts

Parents are splashing out more and more cash on lavish gift such as Harrods Hampers and Tiffany necklaces, right

In what has been seen as the demise of the pushy parent and rise of the 'present parent', increasingly expensive gifts are being lavished on teachers in the hope of securing special treatment.

Schoolboy dubbed 'Mini Monet' sees his earnings soar to £1.5million after his latest 23 works sell for £240,000 in under half an hour

Ten-year-old Kieron Williamson, who is nicknamed Mini Monet because of his incredible brush skills, has amassed a fortune approaching £1.5m after selling his latest collection of paintings of Norfolk for £240,000 on Friday

Ten-year-old Kieron Williamson, pictured left, who is nicknamed Mini Monet because of his incredible brush skills, has already seen his lifetime earnings approach £1.5m after selling his latest collection of paintings of landscapes near his home in Norfolk, pictured right, for more than £240,000 on Friday. The sale of another dozen of his most recent oil paintings and watercolours will take place this Friday when his new exhibition opens at the Picturecraft gallery in Holt, Norfolk.

Scams, cons and the TRUE cost of your budget flight: How our dreams of a bargain holiday are spoiled by unsavoury added extras

A shock at the check-in desk: Hidden charges

Just what are the ruses budget airlines use to part you from your cash? We uncover their top ten ploys.

Even healthy-looking smokers have 'cell damage at a genetic level which could lead to lung cancer'

cigarettes

Experts at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York found that even smokers who underwent rigorous medical tests that came back normal had changes in their DNA.

Ageism row at Asos after retail guru Kate Bostock quits and chief executive, 45, says their workers’ ‘average age is 27 or 28’

Influential: Kate Bostock was previously head of merchandising at rival retailer Marks & Spencer

Asos chief executive Nick Robertson today suggested 'time of life' was behind the 56-year-old's shock departure as executive director of product and trading at the online fashion giant.

Fugitive killer who murdered two gay men 'is obsessed with child perverts' says his ex-wife

Convicted double killer Ian McLoughlin, 55, is suspected of a third fatal attack after he was allowed out of jail on day release.

Convicted double killer Ian McLoughlin, 55, is suspected of a third fatal attack after he was allowed out of jail on day release.

Pay and bonuses at Goldman Sachs rise 10% in just six months as profits almost double

Goldman Sachs

Total pay for the bank's 31,700 global staff - 6,000 of whom work in the UK - swelled to £5.3billion in the first half of the year. The rise was criticised as 'reminiscent of the pre-crisis days'.

U.S. Justice Department investigates whether George Zimmerman should face civil rights charges as Obama calls for Americans to respect jury's decision amid protests and death threats

Zimmerman case

The FBI and the U.S. Attorney's office for Florida are evaluating evidence to decide whether civil rights charges should be filed after George Zimmerman's (top right) acquittal. President Obama (bottom right) said Trayvon Martin's (left) murder was a tragedy for America.

African and UN soldiers join French troops on march through Paris for Bastille Day parade to mark 'victory against terrorism' in Mali

FRANCE

The annual Bastille Day parade in Paris was celebrated today with troops from Mali and 12 other African countries marching with French armed forces down the Champs Elysées.

'We made these girls speak for themselves so they have the force to say no': How one Afghan school is empowering its pupils to stand up to abuse

Founded by Razia Jan as part of her battle to educate girls in rural Afghanistan, the school wants to exact change in a country notorious for dreadful women's rights

Girls at the Zabuli Education Centre are learning to dream of a different future, of saying 'no' to the dictats of their elders.

Bus sliced in half after lorry drives across the road at speed killing 18 and leaving dozens injured

Eighteen people have been killed and dozens have been injured after a truck crashed into a bus in a Moscow suburb

The lorry crashed into the green and white bus (pictured), which was reported to have been carrying 60 people at the time, near Moscow suburb Oznobishino, this afternoon.

Israeli man's penis bitten by a snake as he went to the toilet to relieve himself

The small snake (not the one pictured) attacked the man when he went to relieve himself in the loo

The man, 35, of northern Israel was bitten after the snake suddenly appeared from inside the toilet. Medics said the snake was not poisonous. The man suffered minor injuries.

Pictured: The third Asiana plane crash victim, 15, who died in the hospital days after disaster

Miss Liu, a Chinese citizen, was a classmate of Ye Mengyuan and Wang Linjia, the 16-year-olds who died on the day of the crash.

Liu Yipeng, 15, was rescued from her seat aboard the doomed Boeing 777 jetliner on June 6. She died at San Francisco General Hospital on Friday from traumatic head injuries.

French fries from Belgium and pasta invented in China? How the food on your plate doesn't always originate from where you might think

French Fries.

Most people surveyed said they knew where their food came from, but most were in fact wrong. Foods that duped them included Worcestershire sauce, from Bengal, and fajitas, which originated in the U.S.

The slimy secret of eternal youth: Japanese salon launches anti-ageing beauty treatment that involves letting live SNAILS crawl across your face

Snail facial

Snail mucus is said to contain hyularonic acid, powerful proteins and antioxidants, all of which can help repair and revitalise skin.

WORLD NEWS

Schoolchildren receive treatment at a hospital in India        

Meet the BBC's poster girl for welfare 'cuts'

No age, no surname, no address, no nationality. Is she a British citizen? Where did the BBC find this woman and why did they think it was necessary to tell us so little about her?

RICHARD LITTLEJOHN: She sounded African, but I couldn’t swear to it. We were only told that her name was Rebecca and she lived somewhere in London. Rebecca was wheeled out by the BBC as a victim of the latest ‘savage cuts’ in the welfare budget, which came into force yesterday.

DAILY MAIL COMMENT: Victory for decency in end-of-life care

The review said there were 'frequent' cases of relatives being shouted at by nurses for giving dying loved ones the water they craved (file photo)

The review set up by health officials in response to the Mail's campaign resoundingly vindicated our warnings about horrifyingly widespread abuses. Crossbench peer Julia Neuberger and her panel were ‘shocked’ and ‘upset’ by ‘distressing’ examples of appalling care.

EPHRAIM HARDCASTLE: It's a start-the-day pleasure to hear Beeb presenters being kicked up their bien pensant backsides by IDS

Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith rebuked Radio¿4's John Humphrys while discussing the government's new welfare cap

Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith rebuked Radio 4’s John Humphrys while discussing the government’s new welfare cap.

Gushy Lady Hodge pinged a smile of radiant dimness

Margaret Hodge made a proper fool of herself, losing the thread of her questions and casting her gaze longingly at the Press table as though seeking approval

QUENTIN LETTS: Rather a strange afternoon was spent quizzing Prince Charles’s top flunkey about the royal fin-ances. Lady Hodge, thumbscrewer-in-chief, chaired the meeting. La Hodge!