The terrible legacy of one mother's search for mid-life love: Newly single at 39, Rachel went online dating. What happened next will terrify every woman tempted to do the same

Rachel Dilley

As a recently separated mum-of-three and almost 40, Rachel (above) didn't have high hopes of finding a match online. But just a few days after placing an ad, she met a charming builder and father-of-two, Simon, who showered her with compliments and made her feel wanted again. Rachel's fairytale romance soon became a nightmare as she was cheated on and contracted HIV. Pictured: Rachel with her two younger children (right), with her former patner Devon and one of their children (left).

40p tax storm rocks party: As business leaders and top Tories call for millions to be spared higher rate, Osborne denies saying people ENJOY paying it

Pressure: Osborne has been encouraged to change the thresholds by Lord Lamont and Boris Johnson

Pressure is mounting on Chancellor George Osborne (above) to raise the 40p tax threshold - after it was claimed he said people do not mind paying the higher rate because it makes them feel like a 'success'. London Mayor Boris Johnson (bottom right) and former Chancellor Lord Lamont (bottom left) have encouraged him to act over the tax row, which threatens to overshadow this week's Budget. The Institute of Directors has said the current arrangement is 'unacceptable' and 'highly damaging'.

Britain will end up in United States of Europe if we don't act now, says Cameron: PM lays out seven targets for renegotiation of EU membership

Plan: For the first time, David Cameron set out targets for his renogitation of Britain's EU membership

Stricter immigration controls and abolishing the principle of 'ever closer union' featured in Mr Cameron's plans, as he claimed public support for EU membership is now 'wafer thin'.

How Keira was hounded to pay TV licence when she didn't have a television set: Actress used to catch up with BBC shows on iPlayer

Football fan: Miss Knightley says she only relented and got a TV for the football

The actress has complained she was 'hounded' by collectors despite not owning a TV for years, and admits she watches BBC shows for free on iPlayer.

Mollycoddled kids 'grow up as narcissists': Psychologist warns against parents hovering round their children as they play with friends

A psychologist claims that the rise of 'play dates' and structured activities is stifling children's social development. File picture

Dr Peter Gray said 'free play' - where children are left to their own devices - is the primary means by which children overcome narcissism.

Just five super-wealthy families own more than the poorest 12 MILLION Britons put together

Earl Cadogan

Five super-rich families in Britain own more money than the poorest 12 million people in the country combined, according to new research, confirming the gap between rich and poor.

Left-wing blogs of BBC's 'impartial' economics expert: Newsnight's latest recruit has written hundreds of posts attacking Government policy

Newsnight, the BBC current affairs programme fronted by Jeremy Paxman (pictured) has hired Duncan Weldon as its new economics expert despite him writing a series of left-wing blogs attacking Conservative policy

Duncan Weldon, a former adviser to Harriet Harman and economist at the TUC, has been made economics correspondent of Newsnight despite limited experience.

Is this proof that missing Malaysia Airlines flight WAS 'hijacked' by one of its pilots? Final words from MH370 were spoken after its communication equipment was disabled - and the pilot sounded calm

pilots

CCTV footage captures Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah (left), pilot of the Boeing 777 flight, being frisked while walking through security at Kuala Lumpar International Airport. He is then joined by co-pilot Fariq Hamid (right) who was also searched before the pair walked onto the plane. Officials revealed today that it is possible the aircraft could have landed and transmitted a satellite signal from the ground. Shah, a father-of-three, was said to be a 'fanatical' supporter of the country's opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim - jailed for homosexuality just hours before the jet disappeared. It has also been revealed that the pilot's wife and three children moved out of the family home the day before the plane went missing.

From the islands of Indonesia to the steppe of Kazakhstan: Hunt for missing flight MH370 switches to land and covers ELEVEN countries

A huge area spanning the rainforests of South East Asia and the landscapes of former Soviet Union republics is now part of the investigation into the fate of Flight MH370

A huge area spanning the rainforests of South East Asia and the landscapes of former Soviet Union republics is now part of the investigation into the fate of Flight MH370.

Keen chef, oddball inventor, and toy aircraft fanatic: Home life of MH370 pilot Captain Zaharie who posted 'Time to take passion to next level' comment before vanishing

Keen chef and oddball inventor: inside the family life of MH370 pilot Captain Zaharie whose toy aircraft collection included a seaplane marked 'RESCUE' and who made strange online post 'time to take passion to next level. Motion!'

Keen chef, inventor and passionate about toy remote-controlled aircraft: inside the home life of MH370 pilot Captain Zaharie

Working couples' childcare tax break: Budget pledge of £1,200 per child but stay-at-home mums miss out again

The Chancellor has pledged to stand by the policy which will cut tax on the first £6,000 spent on nannies

The Chancellor will press ahead with the measure, which is good news for large working families after warnings that the cost of childcare exceeds monthly mortgage payments.

We need a new law on weekly bin collections to force councils to bring them back, admits Pickles

Eric Pickles revealed the Tories are now looking at setting down 'minimum standards', making it more difficult for local authorities to offer fortnightly collections

The Communities Secretary said it had taken Labour ten years to ‘destroy’ the traditional weekly service and suggested it would take as long to restore it.

'Democracy is dead': 'Fanatical' missing airliner pilot pictured wearing political slogan T-shirt

Peter Chong (left) with best friend Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, pilot of the missing Malaysia Airlines plane. He is pictured in a T-shirt with a Democracy is Dead slogan as police investigate claims he could have hijacked the plane as an anti-government protest

An image has emerged of the pilot of the missing Malaysia Airlines jet wearing a T-shirt with a 'Democracy is Dead' slogan as it has been revealed he could have hijacked the plane in an anti-government protest. Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, a father-of-three, was said to be a 'fanatical' supporter of the country's opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim - jailed for homosexuality just hours before the jet disappeared.

'I used to be so angry, thinking I'd never lose weight... I was drowning in food', admits Fergie

Fergie

Over five months, the Duchess of York has managed to lose three stone - and says she is determined to keep the weight off this time round. The Queen's former daughter-in-law has endured a life-long battle with her weight and was shocked into taking drastic action when she stepped on the scales last year only to discover she weighed almost as much as she did when pregnant with her first child, Princess Beatrice, now 25.

Why men ARE sex obsessed: Chaps would spend more than four hours love-making and only three and a half hours working during their 'ideal day'

The modern man, given the choice, would allow sex to be their biggest and longest activity of the day, saying that on an 'ideal day' they would pledge 4 hours to the activity

The modern man, given the choice, would allow sex to be their biggest and longest activity of the day, saying that on an 'ideal day' they would pledge 4 hours to the activity.

I hate my selfie! One in three plastic surgeons in US have seen patients under 30 asking for facial procedures 'so they can look better online'

Lip injections are popular among women under 30 hoping to look better online

Survey by the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery finds that one in three plastic surgeon's clients want surgery to look better in selfies.

Mo Farah collapses at the end of the New York half marathon: Olympic champion lost consciousness after finishing in second place... but DOESN'T remember passing out

Mo Farah

The father-of-three, who won two golds at 2012 London Games, fell awkwardly around the six-mile mark but carried on and finished second. Then, at the finish line he temporarily lost consciousness in the freezing conditions (left). Immediately, his wife Tania rushed over to his side and he was helped into a wheelchair (bottom right). Farah is due to return to Kenya on Tuesday for two more weeks of training with his coach, Alberto Salazar, before coming back to Britain ahead of his marathon debut.

From women brewers, a perfect pint for a lady: New range of beers designed to appeal to feminine tastes

A team of women in the beer industry have been manufacturing more subtle flavours to attract female drinkers

The Revisionist Beer range consists of 'old world’ continental beer styles, such as Belgian Saison, to ‘new world’ beer flavours like an American Rye Pale Ale.

By George! Cost of fixing up William and Kate's four-storey Kensington Palace residence ready for baby prince spirals to £2million

Refrubishment: Kensington Palace, pictured last summer, is being renovated. Apartment 1A, a 20-room complex, is being made ready for new arrivals

Taxpayer-funded building work at the four-storey, 20-room Apartment 1A of Kensington Palace (pictured) far exceeded initial estimates and is set to dwarf the £1.1million already spent.

Boss 'sacked us when we said no to a threesome at his flat': Female executives seek £100,000 in compensation

threesome

Anna Mazover (left), 29, and Diana Nicholl-Pierson (right), 24, claim they were told they would get promoted if they had sex with married Darren Scott (inset), 55. On her first day, Mr Scott told Miss Mazover - who is married - she had a 'great body', adding: 'You are very sexy. Have you ever considered working in a strip club?' The following evening the pair were at an office leaving party when Mr Scott asked them to have sex with him at his £1.4million penthouse in north London.

Housebuyers gazumped in deals with NO rival bidders: Unscrupulous estate agents are persuading sellers to raise prices days before exchange of contracts

The property market has been hit by a new worrying tactic - 'ghost gazumping', where sellers bump up the price days before exchange (library image)

‘Ghost gazumping’ sees unscrupulous estate agents persuading sellers to increase their house price just days before the exchange of contracts.

Osborne plan for 120,000 more homes: Chancellor reveals Help To Buy scheme will be extended in bid to help secure economic recovery

Pledge: George Osborne has vowed to build 120,000 more homes by the end of the decade

The move comes despite suggestions that the Help to Buy scheme could be overheating the housing market, with Bank of England governor Mark Carney keeping a ‘close eye’ on the scheme.

Jubilation in Crimea as 95% vote to join Russia - but Ukrainian prime minister warns separatist leaders that the 'ground will burn under their feet'

Jubilant crowds let off fireworks (right), waved Russian flags (left) and celebrated in Lenin Square in the Crimean capital of Simferopol tonight after 95 per cent of voters backed leaving Ukraine and passing control of the region to Moscow

Jubilant crowds let off fireworks (right), waved Russian flags (left) and celebrated in Lenin Square in the Crimean capital of Simferopol tonight after 95 per cent of voters backed leaving Ukraine and passing control of the region to Moscow. The cheering crowds come despite threats from the country's new prime minister to hunt down the politicians responsible for backing the referendum. The EU and US are preparing to issue sanctions against Russian officials, saying they do not recognise the outcome of the ballot.

Two in three parents can't admit their overweight child is too fat - and some even think they need fattening up

Many parents do not realise their children are overweight but it can cause a lifetime of health problems if not dealt with

By the time children in England leave primary school, one in three have a weight problem, which can lead to a lifetime of health issues

£60,000 job? We'd rather work for ourselves and earn half as much: Flexibility outweighs job security

People in Britain between the ages of 16 to 30 have a bigger desire to be their own boss rather than earn tons of money, according to a new business survey

People in Britain between the ages of 16 to 30 have a bigger desire to be their own boss rather than earn tons of money, according to a new business survey.

Did hundreds of people ignore this girl's cry for help? Chinese woman appears to post her suicide on Instagram

s

'I will haunt you day and night after I'm dead,' jojostai1012, from Shanghai, told her ex on Instagram before sharing a photo of her belongings burning and another of her legs dangling perilously out a window with a carpark many stories below. It's not completely clear what happened next, but Chinese forum Mop shared a photo of what appears to be a woman's body lying in a pool of water in a similar-looking carpark with police investigating the scene. However, there is no way to tell for sure if the tragic story is true or a hoax.

DOMINIC LAWSON: Osborne won't cure the 'cost of living crisis' - but warring supermarkets can

Lobbied: George Osborne is being pressured to cut taxes, which he can't given the £100billion deficit

It is foolish to the Chancellor can do anything much to solve what Ed Miliband calls ‘the cost of living crisis’. But it is already being addressed - by very large retailers reducing the costs of their goods.

Handyman took £200,000 from woman, 89, after secret court gave him control of her bank account

A gardener was able to take more than £200,000 from the bank account of an 89-year-old woman because of of a ruling by the controversial Court of Protection

The handyman persuaded the confused and vulnerable woman to sign an agreement that he should control all her bank accounts, savings and property.

Violence fears over relaxing drinking rules for the World Cup: Police warning as Cameron gets set to allow pubs and bars to stay open late for matches

Police and councils are alarmed that every single one of the country¿s 120,000 pubs and bars will be allowed to open late on the evenings of England¿s matches in Brazil this summer. File picture

The Prime Minister is set to approve rules allowing every single one of the country’s 120,000 pubs and bars to open late on the evenings of England’s matches.

BBC chief's lover handed a five-part drama deal

BBC Chief's lover handed a five-part drama deal

Tom Rob Smith, who will write London Spy, is the lover of the Corporation's controller of drama commissioning, Ben Stephenson, writes SEBASTIAN SHAKESPEARE.

Girl, two, dies after being knocked down by a reversing car on a caravan site used by gipsies

Tragic: A two-year-old girl - who has not yet been named - has been killed after she was knocked down by a reversing car at Oaks View Caravan Park (pictured) in Upper Arncott, Oxfordshire, at 4.55pm yesterday

The toddler was struck by the vehicle as it reversed at Oaks View Caravan Park in Upper Arncott, Oxfordshire, at 4.55pm yesterday.

Third hand smoke - the sticky brown residue on smokers' walls and furniture - could be even MORE dangerous for children than passive smoking, warn experts

Third hand smoke, a sticky substance which stays on items in the home such as furniture and children's toys, may be more harmful to young people - research shows

Research shows second hand smoke can react with indoor pollutants to become a new carcinogenic compound.

Ladybirds can fly 74 miles in one stretch... and as high as 3,600ft: Research shows insects can also travel as fast as racehorse

7-spot Ladybird Beetle, feeding on pollen from a cherry flower, now believed to be a more amazing creature than previously thought

The ladybird has often been seen as an intimidating insect, but now new research at Hull University reveals that they can zoom around faster, and travel higher, than previously thought.

How George has tightened his belt: Chancellor's 5:2
diet appears to be working as he looks noticeably slimmer for TV appearance

osborne

The Chancellor looked noticeably leaner heading for his appearance on the breakfast TV sofa yesterday. He is said to have shed significant amounts of weight by cutting his calorie intake to just 500 on two days of the week - while David Cameron has sparked speculation he may also be on a new diet.

That sinking feeling... luxury boat owner smashes craft into iconic Richmond Bridge on the Thames

thames

On a glorious spring day on the Thames, when it seemed nothing could go wrong, the captain of a £1million Princess V57 motor yacht called Victoria was about to come to grief. As crowds gathered on the Richmond Bridge in west London to see the luxury boat pass beneath (main), the Princess smashed into one of the historic arches (bottom right), causing spectators to wince. After a bit of manoeuvring, the boat made it through on the second attempt, causing minor damage (top right). Fortunately, the only casualty was the captain's pride.

For £15, the formula to banish frizzy hair: Rush for Boots treatment that beats £400 salon rivals

Frizz hair products preview.jpg

The new Free From Frizz 6 week Blow Out is the UK's first home-based keratin treatment which claims to eliminate frizzy hair for more than 40 days.

Next profits to overtake those of Marks & Spencer for the first time with booming fashion chain set to announce £700m gain

Profits booming: The latest financial figures from Next represent a remarkable rise for the 34-year-old chain

A successful Christmas means the chain is on course to announce a rise of at least 12 per cent for 2013, which would take the figure to around £700million.

The Heim-lick manoeuvre! Springer spaniel saves choking owner's life by hitting her on the back so hard that stuck sweet shot out

Having a cuddle: Miss Hayes added that she thinks her pet dog Mollypops is 'glad to have me alive'

Rachel Hayes, of Carmarthenshire, West Wales, thought she was going to die as she choked on a strawberry sweet while sitting in her kitchen. But as she gasped for air, the 40-year-old woman's faithful springer spaniel Mollypops sprang into action and hit her so hard on the back with her paws that the sweet popped out. Miss Hayes said: 'She is an absolute hero - If it had not been for Mollypops I would have died.'

Twenty minutes of exercise a day 'wards off flu': Risk can be reduced by 10% with regular activity

Researchers have found that 20 minutes of intense exercise every day helps ward off flu-like illnesses

Twenty minutes of high intensity exercise every day can ward off flu-like illnesses, claim researchers at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

People really do see red when they’re angry and it's all because our ancestors linked it with danger

Discovery: People really do 'see red' when they are angry, whereas others do not, a study has revealed

Researchers from North Dakota State University found people who displayed signs of anger were more likely to choose the colour red in a series of images.

Warm-up for summer: Sunshine will stay around all week so bask while you can

sun

These sunseekers made the most of the sunshine in Brighton (top left) relaxing on the beach while one family made the most of a spectacular sun set (below). Temperatures reached 20C in St James's Park, London today (main) and although there will be a slight drop from tomorrow onwards, it will remain dry and mild for the remainder of the month - with plenty of warm days to come, forecasters say. And, after the wettest winter since records began, experts say there is a 75per cent chance the summer could be among the hottest ever.

Parents 'only go to church for places at faith schools': Clergy given clearer criteria to help beat 'pew jumping'

Research suggests some parents are falsely turning to religion as a ploy to get their children into faith schools

Research released by the Church of England reveals that large numbers of parents are probably feigning faith to help secure good school places

Why it's not that dim to bump into a lamp-post: Other objects fade away when we concentrate on one thing

Researchers at University College London found it is natural for people to bump into lamp posts if they aren't looking directly at them

Research carried out by University College London found we often look but don't see. Objects that we aren't focused on appear dimmer, as if the light were turned down.

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'It was hard to tell where one ended and the other started': Incredible story of a mother, father AND daughter who were 'connected at the soul' and naturally died within four days of each other

Schulte family

Sharon Schulte, 76, had a wish in life to walk her daughter Sandy to Heaven's gate. And she got it. The Minnesota mom died less than 24 hours after her eldest child, 57, who suffered from Down Syndrome. Three days later, her husband Thomas also passed away from lung cancer. 'It's as if Sandy left and they knew they could let go,' daughter and sibling Kim Butkowski told The Mail Online. 'We lost half our family in four days.' Sharon was buried next to her husband clutching the urn of her daughters ashes following a joint funeral in St. Cloud, Minnesota, on Friday.

A slimline Aga for the city set: Manufacturer unveils electric version aimed at young urban homeowners

The Aga has been a cornerstone of rural living for decades but the traditional design is now getting a city twist

Aga unveils a modern take on its traditional design, trying to take this cornerstone of rural life into the heart of the city

Will cleansing wipes wreck your looks? Femail examines the dangers from sagging eyes to spots

woman using cleaning wipe

Sales of cleansing wipes have doubled in the past year as busy women enjoy a simple way to remove make-up. But could they be doing long-term damage to your skin?

Oil found under Tory heartland: Deposits in southern England may be rich as North Sea

Huge new oil deposits have been discovered but would need fracking in order to extract them

Desposits in Sussex, Surrey, Kent and Hampshire could equal a third of the resources in the North Sea but fracking would have to be used in order to extract them.

Stephen Lawrence's shameless killer has bragged he believes a public inquiry into the case will clear his name

Shameless: Gary Dobson was convicted in 2012 of murdering Stephen Lawrence

Gary Dobson, 38, is attempting to use an official review into undercover policing ordered to claim he has been 'fitted up', according to a post by his sister on Facebook.

Tiny the Rottweiler was close to death in a Taiwanese dog pound until a British expat rescued him... just look at him now

tiny preview

The dog was taken to a Taiwanese dog pound to die after being cruelly abandoned on a street. But a charity set up bySean McCormack rescued him and helped him make a staggering recovery. His amazing transformation has now been recognised after he was named 'Best Dog' in The Ruffs, the RSPCA's alternative to Crufts.

Met police officers strip search more than 4,500 children as young as TEN in five years

Metropolitan Police officers have strip searched more than 4,500 children in five years, some as young as 10

Officers from London's Metropolitan Police strip searched 4,638 children in the last five years in a procedure that can involve them bending over and spreading their legs.

Hundreds of ambulance workers were employed without checks on their criminal records

Blunder: At least 14 North East Ambulance employees have been found to have criminal convictions (file image)

So far, 14 people have been removed from front line duties at North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation after criminal convictions were found on their records.

How inspectors 'favour trendy methods and force teachers to waste hours on pointless preparation' when judging schools

School inspections are as reliable as flipping a coin - and many teachers waste hours preparing for visits, a think-tanks says (library image)

Ofsted’s verdicts are only as reliable as flipping a coin - with many relying on personal preference, think-tank Policy Exchange claims.

Families 'left in utter despair' by complex care system: Watchdog says they face 'maze' of confusing advice and information

Those trying to organise care face a 'maze' of confusing advice and information, Which? found (library image)

Which? asked 30 people across the UK to keep a diary as they tried to organise care for their partners, parents or themselves.

The pony club ball? It was more like one of Caligula's orgies! The witty despatches of a devilish Dad

devilish dad

Racing journalist Roger Mortimer (pictured with his daughter Louise) wrote dozens of gloriously funny letters to his three children, Charles, Louise and Jane. Many of his most brilliantly witty and candid despatches tell of life with his formidable wife Cynthia (right, picutred in the 1960s), who was known as Nidnod. Here we share his wry and despairing accounts of their life together...

Latest round of words added to the Oxford Dictionary include one of the rudest in the English language

The latest round of words has been added to the Oxford English Dictionary - including one of the rudest in the English language

The offensive word - which has been added under the 'c' section - joins nearly 900 other terms newly added to the reference collection.

'Bring HS2 forward to revitalise the North': MPs urged to shave up to 6 years off £50bn scheme

A report today says the first phase of the £50billion HS2 scheme ¿ from  the capital to Birmingham ¿ should be extended by 43 miles to Crewe (pictured in blue)

A report recommends the phase one of HS2 should be extended by 43 miles to Crewe so parts of the North would be connected by 2027 rather than 2033.

Pioneering new treatment means medics can remove kidney stones from patients in just one procedure

Kidney stones

The procedure, known as bilateral simultaneous ureteroscopy, aims to clear both kidneys at the same time, instead of during two separate operations.

My organic garden at Highgrove may be expensive - but it helps heal damaged souls, says Prince Charles

Prince Charles claims the expense poured onto his 15-acre estate is a protest against 'fashionable vandalism'

In the introduction to a new book about his Gloucestershire estate, Charles defends his lavishing of care and money on the grounds since 1980 as a reaction to the 'carnage of fashionable vandalism'.

Mother-of-two dies from swine flu five years after a major pandemic swept the world

Jane Garden pictured here with her daughter Madison. Mrs Garner was in good health until she contracted swine flu and died within six weeks

In 2009, a swine flu pandemic swept across the world. Five years on, a mother from Leicestershire, Jane Garner, was killed by the virus within six weeks. Mrs Garner originally thought that she was suffering from a chest infection.

A celebration of life: Orthodox Jewish children around the world don elaborate costumes to enjoy the colourful festival of Purim

Orthodox Jewish children celebrate the festival of Purim in the streets of Stamford Hill in north London

The carnival-like holiday is marked by parades and costume parties with participants dressing up in masks and fancy dress outfits across the world. Huge celebrations are held around the world and Orthodox children - from Stamford Hill to Tel Aviv - donned fancy dress outfits, ranging from penguins to cowboys to musketeers.

Mother who won £1.9million Lotto jackpot goes back to work... as a volunteer 'puppy parent'

Michelle Edwards

Michelle Edwards, 43, of Poole, Dorset, felt like she needed to give something back to society - and has now become a volunteer dog trainer.

Disney film is a British first: Media giant teams up with TOWIE production company to create four-part mystery adventure

The Only Way Is Essex

Disney will be teaming up with Lime Pictures, creators of TOWIE and the Hollyoaks, for a production named Evermore, which will air on the Disney channel.

Deal or No Deal? Noel Edmonds says he is ready to buy the BBC with backing from rich investors to save it from ‘disaster’

Noel Edmonds rose to fame when he started out as a DJ on BBC Radio 1 - but now he has his sights set on a promotion after he has said that he would now like to part-own the corporation

Television presenter Noel Edmonds has claimed today that he would be prepared to buy the BBC - with the help of financial backers - in order to save it from 'disaster'.

Ronnie retire? What a load of rubbish, says Mrs Corbett: Wife's fury at claims entertainer has quit showbiz after illness

Corbett with his wife Anne on the set of his show Ronnie's Pedigree Pals. Mrs Corbett told today how he fell at his home and was taken to hospital

The 83-year-old underwent tests for several days last week before being discharged in time to attend the memorial of close friend Sir David Frost.

‘She is a mother screaming for help’: Family defend teenager Stacey Ball who snatched her toddler daughter from a foster family then vanished

missing toddler preview

Stacey Ball, 18, bundled 13-month-old Lola Page into a car after visiting her in Walsall, West Midlands. But her father, Ryan Price, defended it as an 'act of desperation'. The teenage mother allegedly became involved with social services following a violent relationship with her daughter's father. Mr Price, 46, said Miss Ball had just been told Lola was being put up for adoption. West Midlands Police are into the third day of their search for the pair and are growing increasingly concerned for the baby's welfare.

North-South property divide: You can buy 25 houses in the north for the price of an average three bedroom home in the most expensive part of the south

Mapped: The average price of a three-bedroom house across the UK. The figures in red show the pre-tax family income needed to take out a mortgage for the house. East Ayrshire, where a three-bed property costs £72,500 was revealed as the cheapest place to buy a house

For £1.8 million you could either buy one three-bedroom house in Kensington and Chelsea or 25 houses in East Ayrshire. To afford the Kensington and Chelsea home you would need to a family income of £462,214.

Would YOU let your man wear meggings? Designers launch range aiming to make men feel 'comfortable and look great' in leggings

meggings preview.jpg

Priced at £25, sTitch leggings are inspired by celebrities such as Russel Brand and Justin Bieber, who both favour meggings.

Never ask if your bum looks big again! Clothes shops install iPads in changing rooms so shoppers can send selfies to friends for a second opinion

karl lagerfeld store

Shoppers can now take selfies trying on clothes in store changing rooms and send them to their friends for a second opinion.

A sign the stars are backing Jack: Boy, six, with killer genetic illness has captured the hearts of celebrities like Bradley Wiggins and Ant and Dec

Jack

Jack, 6, known as JJ, from Chorley, Lancashire, was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy in 2011, and by the time he reaches adolescence, the chances are he will be unable to walk. Jack does not know he has the terminal disease, and yet his plight has captured the hearts of numerous celebrities, including (right top to bottom) Bradley Wiggins, Jessica Ennis-Hill and Ant and Dec, who had made the linked finger gesture used by Joining Jack, the charity set up by parents Andy and Alex (pictured with their son).

Ashton, aged three, is first child in Britain fitted with battery-powered pump to help his failing heart

Ashton

Ashton Hutcheson, three, was fitted with the HeartWare device to keep him alive until an organ becomes available for transplant.

Police arrest man, 29, after 21-year-old woman is stabbed to death at house in Redditch

Kirsty Wright, 21, who was fatally stabbed in Redditch on Saturday. A 29 year old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder

Kirsty Wright died in hospital this morning and a murder investigation was launched after she was attacked at an address in Redditch, Worcestershire, on Saturday.

Grandmother who was brutally attacked with a curtain pole by another resident at the care home where she lived died 13 days later

Tragic: Maureen Stone, 72, died after she was brutally assaulted with a curtain pole at a care home in Trentham, Staffordshire, an inquest heard

Maureen Shone, 72, was found by care home staff lying on the floor of her bedroom in Trentham, Staffordshire after being brutally assaulted by a male patient.

Female teacher in US faces up to seven years behind bars for 'performing a sex act on her 18-year-old student in her classroom and sending partially nude photos'

Former Cumberland Valley teacher Emily Nesbit, 31, was charged Friday with engaging in a sex act with a student

Emily Nesbit, 31, is charged with institutional sexual assault for engaging with her 18-year old student at Cumberland Valley High School in Pennsylvania.

Surely he's lost! 3ft ADDER discovered slithering through the sands on a Cornish beach

From far away, the snake seems like a venemous sidewinder that would better fit into a desert

It looks like a scene from a desert, a solitary snake, a venomous sidewinder slithering across the desert, but it's actually a common adder (pictured) slithering across a Cornish beach. The snake was snapped by a local photographer who tracked the snake across the beach by the unusual pattern it had left in the sand.

A Playboy photo shoot, a silly prank and a lawsuit worth £300,000: The moment DJ mis-hit GOLF BALL perched on a model's backside - now she's suing over a massive bruise

preview

Video has emerged of the moment a Playboy was hit in the buttocks with a golf club by a radio host at a 2012 golf outing sponsored by the magazine. Elizabeth Dickson, 28, is suing Playboy Enterprises and radio host Kevin Klein for $500,000 - around £300,00 - plus punitive damages after he whacked her in the behind with a golf club while trying to hit a ball off a tee placed between the cheeks of her buttocks during an amateur golf tournament in California.

Teachers’ rants at mother who hit out at four-letter words in lessons: Complained about her 14-year-old daughter studying a play containing 400 swear words

Gerardine Stockford expressed dismay on Mumsnet after finding her daughter Anna was studying the gritty drama Mogadishu ¿ which contains 218 uses of the F-word

Geraldine Stockford expressed her dismay on Mumsnet after finding her daughter Anna was studying the drama Mogadishu as part of her GCSE course at Teddington School.

Whitehall staff are rolling back the years by using 80s-style pagers to stay in touch... and the dated gadgets cost taxpayers almost £500,000

Largely redundant: Figures have revealed ministers have spent almost £500,000 on 80s-style pagers

The bill - paid for by the UK taxpayer - was racked up by eight ministries, including the Ministry of Justice and the Department of Health.

North Korea urged to 'stop provocative activities' after it test-fires 25 short range rockets into the sea

North Korea fired 25 missiles off the east coast and in to the sea today. Pictured is one of North Korea's artillery sub-units thought to be launched in a drill in March last year

The rockets (similar to those pictured) were fired from an area on the east coast and flew about 42 miles over the Sea of Japan, reports suggest.

Scientists create painkillers that could be more powerful than morphine from the venom of SNAILS

Venomous: Scientists have created painkillers from the venom of cone snails (pictured), it has been revealed

The painkillers, based on a tiny protein found in cone snails' venom, could one day lead to the development of a drug to treat severe and chronic nerve pain.

One more to go: Major milestone for British troops in Afghanistan as they withdraw from all but one base outside Camp Bastion

AFghanistan

The British Combat Logistics Patrol were pictured arriving at the gates of Camp Bastion (left) in Afghanistan after departing from operating bases across Helmand Province. They could be seen driving military trucks (bottom right) laden with equipment, weapons, ammunition and explosives, before carrying the gear into the base. Speaking from Camp Bastion today, Brigadier James Woodham (top right), head of British forces in Helman, hailed the handover of UK bases to Afghan forces as a 'historic moment' in the Britain's military campaign. A total of 448 UK forces personnel have died in the Afghanistan since the conflict began in 2001 - and more than 5,000 still remain there.

I did employ my wife but she's off the pay roll in May, says Ukip's Nigel Farage who claims to work harder even than the PM

Nigel Farage, pictured outside the BBC's London headquarters today, justified paying his wife to work as his assistant because he said he does more work than any other party leader

The Ukip leader was last week forced to deny claims he had both his wife Kirsten, and his former mistress Annabelle Fuller, on his Brussels payroll.

Cressida Bonas's stepfather died of drug overdose, tests reveal as inquest is opened into his death aged 76

Support: Cressida arrived with her half-brother Jacobi Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe and another mourner

Former merchant banker Christopher Shaw was the fourth husband of Cressida's mother, Lady Mary Gaye Curzon and played a big part in Cressida's upbringing until she was 11.

New York dethrones London to become world's top financial centre for the first time in seven years

london

The Global Financial Centres Index surveys global business leaders in order to rank the world's commerce centers.

Air pollution in Paris gets so bad car driving is BANNED on alternate days

The Eiffel Tower, is barely seen through the smog from Paris. Drivers in Paris will only be allowed to use their cars every other day from tomorrow because of dangerous pollution levels

The introduction of the drastic measure follows a grey smog settling over the French capital from the middle of last week.

The honeymoon's over! Couple follow their wedding with two years riding 20,000 miles around the world on a tandem bike

Tandem couple

Kat and Steve Turner, from London, wed in August 2011 (left) then set off from New Zealand in April 2012 and have spent 674 days pedalling the same bike home across three continents. Their journey took them through New Zealand, Australia (pictured bottom in Daly Waters), Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam (pictured top in Hanoi), China, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Greece, Italy and France. Today, they finally rolled into Plymouth (right) where they were greeted by cheering family and friends.

Worker on BBC children's film about Shakespeare hospitalised after falling from the back of a lorry after a night out

Inquiry: The 27-year-old man fell off of the truck near Redmire, after having been working on the BBC production of 'Bill' at Bolton Castle (pictured)

The 27-year-old had been working on a Horrible Histories film for the BBC at Bolton Castle (pictured) since last month, and was injured after falling out of a truck near Redmire, North Yorkshire.

Kidnap parents' family reunion: Victim's daughter meets relatives for first time more than 35 years after her mother was snatched by North Korea

The child of Mekumi Yokota, a Japanese schoolgirl who was abducted in 1977 by North Korea, has finally met her grandparents, 35 years after her mother was taken

The child of Mekumi Yokota, a Japanese schoolgirl who was abducted in 1977 by North Korea, has finally met her grandparents, 35 years after her mother was taken.

Weekly chapters of erotic ebook to be released to 'spice up' commuters' journey to work

teenage girl reading preview.jpg

Emily Dubberley is releasing chapters of Blue Mondays every Sunday at midnight for the next eight weeks.

Former trainee teacher is jailed after turning his flat into a children's prison and trying to snatch two girls

George Richards, a former trainee teacher who turned his flat into a prison for children and tried to snatch two little girls has been jailed

George Richards, 29, of Ware, Hertfordshire blacked out all his windows and placed bolts high on the doors so youngsters would not be able to escape.

More than one stroke of luck! These teenage golf wizards are so in sync that one can hit the other's ball in amazing MIDAIR trick shot

trick golf shot

Two teenage California golfers may soon be giving Tiger Woods a run for his millions, that is if couples golf ever becomes a sport. In a video from YouTube user 59 Player that has people oohing and ahhing across the internet, the Alhambra high schoolers perform an astonishing trick shot where one of them chips the ball so that the other swings and smashes the ball in midair. The impressive shot requires an astonishing level of skill, patience and concentration. More than most high school juniors can muster.

Boldly going where TV hasn't gone before: Channel 4's Live From Space broadcasts from International Space Station - and we'll see astronauts travel around the world in 90 minutes

live from space preview.jpg

The astronauts will share their breathtaking views of planet Earth, and they will explain what exactly they get up to all day in their celestial home and office.

George Michael: Why I haven't touched drugs in 18 months after smoking 25 cannabis joints a day... and why I'm so glad Kate is stronger than my friend Diana

Clean: George Michael has given up cannabis

George, 50, who once said cannabis kept him 'sane and happy', said: 'I've completely stopped... I have decided to change my life'

Three-month-old baby dies after his Australian mother plunged from balcony holding him in her arms

Tragedy: The Niagara Park house where the mother fell from a balcony holding her baby; the child died on the way to hospital

Both fell through a sheet barrier from their home in Niagara Park, NSW. The 43-year-old has a serious back injury but her child fell on to concrete and died on the way to hospital.

Guinness drops out of New York City St Patrick's Day parade after gay bar threatens to stop serving the stout

The organizers of the 250-year-old New York parade have banned gay marchers from carrying signs identifying their sexuality

The organizers of the 250-year-old New York parade have banned gay marchers from carrying signs identifying their sexuality.

Zoo once dubbed the 'worst in the world' is to close amid complaints the animals looked depressed

split zoo preview

Dirty cages, small enclosures and depressed animals (pictured) have made the Split zoo in Croatia (inset) a 'terrible' place to visit, and now after eight years of campaigns it is set to close. The animals will all be rehoused in different establishments across the country, and the zoo will be turned into a recreational ground. The establishment had been the subject of disastrous reviews on the site Tripadvisor, with scathing comments calling the treatment of the animals 'monstrous', 'terrible', sad' and 'squalid'.

Beckingham Palace sold to insurance tycoon for £11.5m (who also got an Aston Martin and two Jags thrown in)

Sold! The Beckhams reportedly sold Beckingham Palace, pictured, for £11.5million - a tidy £9million profit

Multi-millionaire insurance mogul Neil Utley, 52, is the mystery buyer who snapped up David and Victoria's sprawling Hertfordshire home last month.

Taken for a ride: How our freewheeling, freeloading MPs claim 20p a mile on expenses... for riding their BIKES

MPs were at the centre of a new expenses row after it emerged they are claiming 20p a mile on expenses for riding their bikes. Hugh Bayley (pictured) made 166 claims worth £205. He was the highest claimant of expenses for cycling  and said he used the money to maintain his two bikes

Britain's Cycling Minister, a millionaire backbench Labour MP and the shadow Transport Minister are among those who have claimed 20p a mile for pedalling to and from official engagements.

'Suicidal' teen charged with attempted murder in US for stabbing brother, 14, so 'he wouldn't be alone'

Accused killer: Ruben Renderos, 18, is accused of stabbing his younger brother multiple times

A Long Island teen planning to commit suicide attempted to stab to death his younger brother so he would not be lonely, police said.

NatWest and RBS to remove all 0% balance transfer credit cards today claiming 'teaser' rates mean customers lose out

Banking on trust: Customers of NatWest and other RBS bank brands will have a simpler range of products to choose from following the changes.

The bank's own records show that two thirds of balance transfer customers lose out because they do not switch their card before they hit punishing interest rates.

Waiter, there's a bug in my soup! Woman finds enormous silverfish in her restaurant meal... after she had eaten HALF the bowl

bug soup

A New York woman is planning to file a lawsuit against a Queens restaurant after finding a huge bug in her bowl of soup (main picture above). Natalie Estrella (inset) ordered a bowl of sancocho from Nuevo Mundo restaurant in Far Rockaway and was halfway through it when she noticed a many-legged morsel floating in the broth. Estrella says that when she showed the bug, which she believes was a silverfish, to the restaurant manager he told her, 'It's nothing,' and threw it away.

Westminster pupil arrested after he 'posted sex photos of girl, 16, on the internet' after they had an argument

A 16-year-old pupil from £30,000-a-year Westminster School has been arrested and questioned on suspicion of harassment, distributing indecent images of children and threats to cause criminal damage

A 16-year-old boy at £30,000-a-year Westminster School, whose former pupils include Nick Clegg, has been arrested after allegedly posting a sexual photo of a girl online.

Tsunami warning triggers evacuation of coastline after 6.7-magnitude earthquake hits Chile

Tremor: This map, released by the U.S. Geological Survey, shows where the earthquake happened, and the areas affected

Amid fears a tsunami could follow the tremor, thousands in the South American country were warned to leave their homes and seek higher ground.

Mystery Briton has stepped up to claim the £108million jackpot and join the ranks of the country’s richest

EuroMillions

A person has stepped forward to pick up a EuroMillions prize of £107,932,603.20p. A spokesman for the lottery said that the person could go to collect the winnings from the bank from tomorrow.

Boy, 15, drowns and two others rescued after getting into difficulty in park lake

Arrow Valley Countryside Centre lake, near where the young boys were swimming in the lake, before they found themselves in difficulty and the ambulance, fire and police services were called

Three teenagers got into difficulty in a lake in Redditch, prompting the scambling of an ambulance chopper and hazard team. One of the teenagers died after revival attempts.

Life in the slow lane: Lazy? Yes. But these orphaned sloths are the cuddliest animals around

Sloth

Sloths get a lot of undeserved bad press. Let’s face it, being named after one of the seven deadly sins was never going to be a good start, writes LUCY COOKE. In this one-woman mission to change public opinion on the misunderstood creatures, she visits Slothville in Costa Rica, home to hundreds of the cuddly animals, and finds them to be among the smartest and most eco-friendly on the planet.

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Sochi Winter Paralympic Games comes to an end with dazzling show featuring wheelchair dancers, Tetris-themed sign and a huge firework display as Putin looks on

Russian President Putin watches on as the closing ceremony of the Winter Paralympic Games takes place in Sochi

Watched by President Putin, 460 performers took part in a closing ceremony which featured wheelchair dancers, trapeze artists, skateboarders and a huge fireworks display.

US officials close to approving $66m safety net under Golden Gate Bridge in San Fransicso after a record 46 people jumped to their deaths last year

A California Highway patrol officer stand near the Golden Gate Bridge waiting for possible May Day demonstrations in San Francisco, California May 1, 2012.  May Day actions began with a strike by ferry workers Tuesday  stranding commuters who usually take ferry boats to work.   REUTERS/Robert Galbraith (UNITED STATES  - Tags: CIVIL UNREST BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT POLITICS) - RTR31H0D

Its the second most common suicide site in the world, and authorities are now getting serious about upping safety measures on the San Francisco landmark after 2013 was reportedly its deadliest year.

Therapists will be stationed along the Boston Marathon route to talk to anyone suffering negative emotions related to last year's bombings

Last year's Boston marathon was tragic after terrorists set off bombs at the finish line

Therapists, including Dr. Chris Carter, will be stationed along the Boston Marathon route next month to help people cope with memories of last year's bombing.

Ta da! New Guinness World Record set for completing a Rubik's Cube in just 3.253 seconds... by a robot

The Cubestormer 3 gets to work on solving the Rubik's Cube. The machine today broke the World Record for the fastest solve ever with a time of 3.253

The Cubestormer 3 (pictured) solved the cube in a speedy 3.253 seconds in front of a crowd at the Big Bang Fair, held at the NEC in Birmingham.

Colour blind artist becomes world's first 'eyeborg' by having antenna implanted inside his skull to 'hear' colours

Neil Harbisson, 31, has been wearing an external electronic eye for 10 years which picks up colour frequencies through a camera and transforms them into sound vibrations.

Neil Harbisson, of Camden, London, was born with achromatopsia, a rare condition which means he can only see in black and white.

Inside the amazing crystal ice caves: Giant waves appear to be frozen in time but are actually moving very slowly as part of a huge glacier

Wiltshire photographer Rob Lott (pictured) took these stunning photographs of the Vatnajokull glacier in Iceland. The caves look like giant frozen waves but water actually moves down the glacier very slowly

These caves in the Vatnajookull Glacier in Iceland, pictured by Briton Rob Lott, look like giant waves frozen in time. The glacier's surface area is 5,033 miles and the caves span eight per cent of the country. Mr Lott said the experience was one of the most surreal of his life.

WORLD NEWS

pilots        

Farmer uses scraps of metal to make his own home-made helicopter... and even manages to get it 40cm off the ground

helicopter preview

Li Housheng, 52, is determined to get his DIY helicopter off the ground in Ganzhou Village of Baitang Township in Miluo, China. The skeletons are made of angle iron and stainless steel tubes and each rotor is simply a welding of four steel plates. It even includes an accelerator, a clutch and a joystick, all of which come from an agricultural motorcycle. The helicopter completed a test flight with the fuselage hopping 40 centimeters off the ground, according to Li.

Parents were told their son was hours from death when he was born needing emergency heart surgery... now he's about to turn three

Emma Wilkinson, 32, and Gary Marshall, 42, were told their son Calvin was unlikely to survive emergency heart and stomach operations in the weeks after he was born

Emma Wilkinson, 32, and Gary Marshall, 42, were told their son Calvin was unlikely to survive emergency heart and stomach operations in the weeks after he was born.

School's out! Watch as American college building implodes and is reduced to rubble in less than two minutes

Iowa college demolished

As most of the people of Des Moines, Iowa, lay sleeping at 7am on Sunday morning, a six-year-old flipped a switch that brought down a nearly 100-year-old building.

Mercury has SHRUNK by almost 9 miles in diameter as the planet's surface continues to cool

Mercury

Fascinating new images have led researchers to conclude the planet Mercury is shrinking, now measuring up to 8.6 miles smaller in diameter than it was nearly four billion years ago.

Beware driving that hire car on your US holiday! Los Angeles police unveil new squad car... and it's a Lamborghini

LAPD Lambo

The newest recruit to the LAPD fleet is a 2014 Lamborghini Gallardo that goes up 199mph. But you won't spot this demon racing after criminals on the 101 freeway.

US beauty queen, 18, caught shoplifting cosmetics days before being crowned Miss Congeniality

College-bound: Curry will be allowed to keep the $600 scholarship she won in the pageant

Days before she was named Miss Congeniality at a Washington pageant, Chloe Curry was accused of attempting to shoplift cosmetics from the Chehalis Walmart.

Out of this world: Amazing pictures from space show Saturn and its rings... taken from 1.23million kilometres away

This Nasa picture taken on January 19, 2007, shows a view of Saturn and its rings - the visible documentation of a technique called a 'pi transfer' completed with a Titan flyby

The picture was taken by the space agency’s Cassini probe during a flyby past the planet's largest moon Titan when it was about 764,000 miles (1.23 million km) from Saturn. A pi transfer uses the gravity of the moon to alter the orbit of the Cassini spacecraft so it can gain different perspectives on Saturn and achieve a wide variety of science objectives. Nasa said taking in the rings in their entirety was the focus of this particular imaging sequence. Therefore, the camera exposure times were just right to capture the dark-side of its rings, but longer than that required to properly expose the globe of sunlit Saturn.