Sir Marcus Setchell, surgeon and royal gynaecologist, delayed his retirement to see Kate through her pregnancy and birth. The now retired 70-year-old spoke on Radio 4's Woman's Hour yesterday, describing Kate and William as 'just another healthy young couple giving birth to a hopefully very healthy baby.'

The Israel Defense Forces has launched a ground operation into Gaza in a bid to halt rockets being fired at Israel from Gaza, the Israeli government has confirmed. Fierce fighting between Israel and Hamas had resumed on Thursday, including an airstrike that killed three Palestinian children feeding pigeons on their roof, after a temporary cease-fire that allowed Gazans to stock up on supplies.

Officials said the boys (pictured, below right, on the beach and, inset, before their funerals) were members of a well-known local fishing family and died in shelling from an Israeli gunboat off Gaza's Mediterranean coast. They were named as Ahed Bakr, aged 10, Zakaria, 10, and two other boys from the Bakr family, both called Mohammad, aged 11 and nine. A second image (left) also emerged online that is believed to show a close-up of three of the boys as they scrambled along the sand. The boys' uncle, Abdel Kareem Baker, 41, described the killings as 'a cold-blooded massacre' and mocked Israel's use of advanced technology in failing to identify children playing.

Lucie Brownlee, from County Durham, (left) found herself widowed at the age of just 36 following Mark Johnston's death. The couple (pictured on their wedding day right) had been trying for a baby and were having sex at a time they had identified as the optimum to conceive. However, the intelligence analyst suffered a catastrophic arrhythmia and could not be revived. According to Ms Brownlee, her husband's last words were: 'You've still got your socks on.'

This selfie, centre, taken in Dale Bolinger's bedroom in Kent was sent to the girl 'Eva Gonza' on a website called the Dark Fetish Network. The father-of-four, left, bought the axe with a three foot handle from Homebase in Ramsgate on the day before he went to meet the 14 year-old because ‘she wouldn't come unless I bought one’. Bolinger wrote to her in a chatlog: 'It's big enough. And very sharp. How wide is your neck then?' The pair agreed to meet at Ashford International rail station but the teenager never appeared. His secret life came to light when FBI agents discovered he was 'meatmarketman', an online friend of ‘Cannibal Cop' Gilberto Valle who was convicted in New York of plotting to kidnap, murder and eat women, including his wife, before a judge cleared him because he believed it was all a ‘fantasy’.

Estate agents say wealthy homebuyers no longer care for the decaying splendour of country homes - and are building new ones from scratch. Pictured are four of the most opulent examples of the new homes (clockwise from top left): Warrenbayne in Surrey, which is on sale for £12.5million, the £7.5million Abbotts Wood in Buckinghamshire, Beechwood House near Dippenhall, Surrey, which costs £4.25million and the Cotswolds-style Field House in Wiltshire, on sale for £4million.

Julia Wylie, 36, had been working in a garden of her client's home in Putney, London, when the puppy called Jess leaped over the back wall of her owner's £2million home next to the river. Images show Ms Wylie desperately holding the dog under her arm in 25ft of water on Tuesday. It took 10 minutes before the pair were spotted by a crew member on a passing Thames Clipper river-bus. The captain steered the boat towards Miss Wylie and the puppy before a second-mate threw a rope into the water.

The Trades Union Congress said the rise in temperatures had left many workplaces unbearably hot, with many people 'visibly wilting'. Britons were sent scampering for shade as the temperature soared to the highest level of 2014 today - 29.1C (84.4F) in Hampton, south-west London. Pictured: People flock to the beach in Brighton, East Sussex (left), where some jumped off the sea defences into the water (top right). Meanwhile, a young woman enjoyed the weather in Victoria Park, east London (bottom right).

Mona Christensen, 35, of Wells, was devastated when in 2008, her boyfriend of seven years decided to break off their relationship, saying she was no longer attractive. Around a year after the traumatic separation, weighing 18st and at a size 20 (pictured left and inset), Miss Christensen was inspired by her brother to begin a strict diet and exercise regime. Today she weighs 11st and can fit into size 10 clothing (right) and has started her own personal training business.

The Institute of Sexology will run for a year at the Wellcome Collection, London, starting in November. More than 200 objects, from sex toys and medical artefacts to photographs and paintings, will be on display. This is the first UK exhibition to bring together the pioneers of the study of sex

The Queen donned a bright turquoise coat and a floral dress for her visit to Reading Station in Berkshire where she met construction workers. Clearly on good form, she beamed as she posed for photos with the men before being shown around the £895m new station by Network Rail chairman Richard Parry Jones. Next week, the Queen will travel to Scotland for the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

A parking campaigner, known only as Stuart, has taken scores of images of badly and illegally parked cars in Lowestoft, Suffolk and claims the authorities are not punishing offenders. His 'Park It Right Lowestoft' page has over 2,000 likes and has been praised by staff at Waveney District Council. He has also handed some of his pictures to the local police team. However, not everyone agrees with the campaign and one Facebook comment said 'he should go out and get a life'.

Kevin Stevens, 50, (right) a local pub landlord, and his friend Jason Luke, 31, (left) a builder, covered themselves in dark fake tan, brown face paint and afro wigs to join a tennis-themed carnival float. They put on women's sports gear and were photographed posing enthusiastically with tennis rackets at the procession in Truro last weekend. Mr Stevens also sported a pair of fake breasts for the event.

More than 1,300 objects ranging from weapons, uniforms and equipment to diaries, letters, photographs and films are now on display at the central London museum. The permanent exhibition within the museum marks the centenary of the start of the conflict and will tell story of the war - how it started, how the Allies won and its global impact. The building's famous atrium has also been redesigned and now includes a Spitfire, Harrier Jump Jet and V-1 and V-2 bombs.

Police have released footage of the shocking attack (top), which occurred in Manchester city centre in the early hours of Wednesday, in an attempt to trace the victim. Detectives want to check the welfare of the man, who can be seen in the CCTV footage clutching his head in pain (bottom left) after the brutal assault. He had his back turned when the suspect pulled a concrete slab (bottom right) from the back of his trousers and smashed it over his head (top right). One man was arrested on suspicion of assault in connection with the assault and later bailed until September 2. Police have described the attack as 'cowardly and unprovoked' and are keen to hear from anyone with information.

David Cameron has endured an awkward-looking encounter with Jean-Claude Juncker after failing to block his appointment to the EU's top job. The Prime Ministe...

Father-of-one Nick Hancock spent 43 days on Rockall island (right), 286 miles off Scotland's west coast, and completely missed the World Cup. Mr Hancock beat the previous record of 40 days in a bid to raise £10,000 for Help the Heroes charity. The 39-year-old, who is coming home today, said he was looking forward to a pint of ale and a pizza after surviving on rations for more than a month in the tiny yellow pod (pictured).

A number of people on board the City Cruises vessel were hurt including at least three with neck injuries following the crash at around 2.15pm opposite the Oxo Tower, near Blackfriars Bridge, in central London. A fleet of ambulances were lined up on South Bank ready to take casualties to hospital and several River Police vessels were at the scene.

Simon Ackroyd, 45, from Cheadle, who has been a hairdresser for 30 years, has been working out five days a week for 18 years in bid to win the coveted title. His efforts have left the gentle giant with a whopping 58in chest, 21in biceps and 29in thighs. He will compete for the title in Southport in October

Support worker Liam Blair, 31, kept the fact he was studying for a psychology degree at Dundee University from his mother Rhonda, 56, constructing an entire fictional identity to cover his tracks, and telling her he was working at a fish factory in Perth. He then revealed all after taking Ms Blair out to a pub for lunch, changing into his graduation gown in the toilet and surprising her with his news, before taking her to the ceremony (left).

The 65,000-tonne Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth (left and top right) was floated out of the docks at Rosyth shipyard, where she was assembled, into the waters of the Forth of Firth in Scotland. When fully operational in 2020 she will be able to deploy 36 F-35 Lightning fighter jets into warzones around the globe - but purchasing the planes from their U.S. manufacturer has been blighted by difficulty, worsened by the recent grounding of the entire U.S. complement of F-35s due to an engine fault.

WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT: A witness who saw the horrifying demonstration outside the offices of the China Youth Daily newspaper in Beijing said the protesters pulled out plastic bottles, gulped down the contents and collapsed to the pavement while clutching their throats in agony. The five women and two men from the eastern province of Jiangsu agreed to try and kill themselves in a dramatic protest against local officials who threw them off their land five years ago. They were left homeless after their family home was bulldozed by developers and were never given any compensation in return.

Mike Bannister, 65, (inset) from Staines, Middlesex, is selling a host of Concorde memorabilia including cockpit instruments, a blade (top left), a prototype tyre (centre left) and signed programmes. Also going up for auction on July 25 is a Concorde oil pressure gauge (right) and a signed programme from the Buckingham Palace flypast for the Queen's Golden Jubilee celebrations. Mr Bannister, who became Concorde's chief pilot in 1995 and flew the last ever flight, will spend money raised from selling the memorabilia to fund his daughter Amy's training to become a commercial airline pilot.

Worshippers travelled to the Saut d'Eau waterfall, 42 miles north of Port-au-Prince, to pay tribute to their patron saint, Our Lady Mount Carmel. The followers performed cleansing rituals in the water, which is said to have purifying powers, by stripping off their clothes and using leaves to wash away their sins. They also petitioned the saint by shouting out a wish list at the base of the cascading water.

Estate agents are looking for offers over £200,000 for the old station house (pictured top left and bottom right from the exterior) on Aberdeen's Hutcheon Street and are reporting 'significant interest'. The two-storey, red-brick building sold tickets to passengers on the Denburn Valley Line from 1887 until 1937, when the line was discontinued. Since then it has had a varied history acting as a drum shop and blade sharpening business before being converted into a house in 1999. Its bathroom is pictured bottom left and its living room, top right.

'I like to challenge myself with complex portraits; especially people with freckles or beards,' the artist, who is Malaysian, tells MailOnline. 'And I’m addicted to details. I like drawing in as much details as I can into my work.' (pictured, 'Alisa,' left, and 'Sebastian,' right)

Passengers risk robbery, kidnapping, rape, and murder on board the notorious 'La Bestia' as they head north to start a new life in America. Gangs have hijacked the route, charging $100 (£64) or more for permission to mount the train. Then, when the train terminates in Mexico City, more members of Mexico's most powerful and violent criminal gangs are lying in wait.