Four British tourists among seven dead in helicopter crash on New Zealand glacier - as photos emerge of the mangled wreckage

Seven dead in Fox Glacier helicopter crash in New Zealand

A shocking photograph has emerged of the mangled wreckage of a helicopter which crashed claiming the lives of four British and two Australian tourists in New Zealand. The tourists and their New Zealand pilot died after the single-engined Eurocopter Squirrel crashed into a crevice in Fox Glacier on the south island's west coast. A paramedic was winched down to the wreckage, which was spread over several hundred metres. There were no survivors. Police confirmed that it may take several days to remove the victims' bodies. Weather conditions at the time of the crash were described as poor. The aircraft, operated by Alpine Adventures, crashed 700 metres up the glacier at approximately 1pm local time.

Belgium on terror lockdown: Brussels metro closed and people warned to avoid public areas after 'serious and imminent threat' alert

Belgium on terror lockdown: Brussels metro closed and people warned to avoid public areas

Brussels has been put into security lockdown as its national crisis center raised the country's terrorism alert to its highest level after fears of a 'serious and imminent' terror threat. Service has been halted on the Brussels subway system and heavily armed police and soldiers are patrolling the Belgian capital amid a high security alert. People in Brussels have been told to avoid public gatherings, including concerts, train stations and airports.

Britain poised to bomb Syria after UN Security Council approves 'all necessary measures' to fight the 'global and unprecedented threat' of ISIS in wake of Paris attacks

The resolution does not provide legal basis for military action but could lead to other nations joining bombing raids on ISIS in Syria. Pictured, Russian bomber fires a cruise missile over Syria

World leaders unanimously agreed to the resolution, which states that the barbaric group 'constitutes a global and unprecedented threat to international peace and security'.

Fingerprints now reveal that TWO of the Paris suicide bombers had entered Europe through Greece a month before the attacks 

The France v Germany friendly international football match was abandoned after three jihadists blew themselves up outside the ground, as part of a number of attacks in Paris.

ISIS's chilling new tactic: Terror group tells British-based fanatics to stop coming to Syria and stay hidden in the UK while waiting to get a signal to attack

Days before the Paris massacre, UK-based jihadis were being told of plans for imminent attacks in both France and Britain, messages seen by the Mail Investigations Unit suggest.

'We shouldn't be scared - we are still going out': Defiant Parisians pack the streets of the French capital to honour those killed exactly one week ago

Some lit candles and sang and some danced in the streets. Others held hands in silent at the Place de la Republique, which has become a central commemoration site for the victims.

The puppy who will grow up to be France's next Diesel: Little Dobrynia is donated by Russia as a sign of solidarity to replace hero canine killed by suicide jihadi

The little puppy, called Dobrynia, has been sent to Paris on Putin's orders as a show of solidarity with the French after the Diesel, a seven-year-old Belgian shepherd, was killed during Wednesday's raid.

American mother gunned down in Mali massacre: Aid worker is named as first victim after terrorists slaughtered 27 at luxury hotel leaving bodies piled up in gore spattered corridors

American Anita Datar killed in Mali hotel massacre

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT Armed jihadists have killed at least 27 people in a deadly shooting rampage at the Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako, Mali, which also saw 138 people taken hostage. Automatic weapons fire was heard throughout the seventh floor of the 190-room hotel, where it is thought as many as ten militants were going floor to floor taking hostages. One hostage who escaped said the militants were speaking to each other in English. Another witness described how the gunmen allowed around 20 hostages to leave safely after they proved they were able to recite verses of the Koran. US Special Forces stormed the hotel and began clearing the building one floor at a time. All 22 American nationals inside were rescued. The al-Qaeda affiliated group al-Mourabitoun, based in northern Mali, have claimed responsibility for the hotel attack.

Sign of the times: Bomb disposal experts evacuate Jewish primary school in Gateshead and blow up 'suspicious package' as Britain is on high alert after Paris

Pupils and staff at Gateshead Jewish Primary School, Tyne and Wear, were sent home as bomb disposal experts cordoned off the road and cleared residents from nearby houses.

Jihadi suspect arrested in Sweden after crossing Arctic Circle on a BICYCLE to sneak into Europe via the backdoor 

Mutar Muthanna Majid, 25, was arrested at a refugee hostel in Boliden, Sweden. He had cycled from Russia. A loophole allows cyclists to be waved straight across the Norwegian border.

'This is for Paris': Russian pilots write messages of support for terror victims on their bombs before launching latest air raids and cruise missile strikes against ISIS

Pilots and ground crew wrote 'For Paris' on bombs destined for Syria. Moscow fired 18 missiles from its ships in the Caspian Sea at seven targets in Syria, including in Raqa, Idlib and Aleppo provinces.

Typhoon fighters scrambled from RAF Lossiemouth to intercept two Russian Tu-160 bombers on Syrian bombing mission 

The jets were rushed up from RAF Lossiemouth to intercept the Tu-160s over the Atlantic last night. The Russian aircraft made an unusual trip round Europe on their way to a bombing mission in Syria.

Shadow of a bloody past: For centuries, Islam and Christianity were locked in a brutal conflict most have forgotten. The horror, a top historian argues, is that for jihadis it's as real today as it was in the Middle Ages

Historian Tom Holland tackles ISIS and the Middle Ages

The grievances of the Islamic terrorists who have brought carnage and bloodshed to the streets of Paris twice this year reach far back into history, writes TOM HOLLAND. In their minds, it is not simply wanton violence, but the continuation of a struggle which has raged for more than a millennium. That is what Osama bin Laden was talking about when he warned the Muslim world back in 1996 'that the people of Islam have always suffered from aggression, iniquity and injustice imposed on them by the Zionist-Crusader alliance'. Today, ISIS (inset) nurtures its resentments in a similarly poisonous manner. Main: The conquest of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks saw the most famous of Christian capitals transformed into a bastion of Islam.

'Christmas is a charade': Pope says atrocities such as Paris massacre have made festivities meaningless in a world which has chosen 'war and hate'

'There are wars today everywhere, and hate,' the pontiff said after the worst terror attack in French history, the bombing of a Russian plane over Egypt and a double suicide bombing in Lebanon.

Newlywed couple let seven frightened strangers fleeing from the Paris terror attacks join them in their honeymoon suite for the night 

Courtney, 20, and Callum Hartley, 22, let the desperate teenagers sleep on their hotel room floor on the night 130 people were brutally killed in Paris as the hotel was in lock down.

Teenager who dubbed herself the 'bride of the mountains' becomes first Briton to be convicted of trying to join the fight AGAINST ISIS 

Silhan Ozcelik, 18, from Highbury, North London, claimed she only ran away from home because she was in love with a man ten years her senior, who she had met on a market stall

How £400-a-month ISIS video producers dictate the terrorist group's every action and receive better treatment (and salaries) than any of their peers

From its headquarters in a residential building in Raqqa, Syria, the media division oversees hundreds of recruits who have had two months' military training and one month of media training.

CCTV shows massacre mastermind jump barriers and use Metro without a ticket as terror reigned across Paris

CCTV footage showed Abdelhamid Abaaoud, 27, who was killed in a special forces raid in the Paris suburb of Saint Denis on Wednesday, jumping the barrier at Croix de Chavaux station.

'We didn't know how close we were to being killed': Revealed, the friends who survived Paris massacre because jihadi's AK-47 ran out of bullets in Mail's incredible video

Friends who only survived Paris massacre because jihadi ran out of bullets tell of escape 

Sophia Bejali (pictured left, left), 40, and Barbara Serpentini (pictured left, right), 18, were drinking at La Casa Nostra when a jihadi gunman sprayed the cafe with a hail of bullets (right, from CCTV). He pointed his gun at their heads, but it didn't fire as it had run out of bullets. The women revealed that they had no idea how close they came to being two more among the 130 victims of the massacre that night. After being shown CCTV footage of the incident, the women described their terror and relief after they managed to get away.

AMANDA PLATELL: It's not just Adele. Big girls are often the unsung stars 

After a chief executive said he wouldn't employ any woman who wasn't slim and beautiful, AMANDA PLATELL asks, has he not noticed that the larger lady is in the ascendancy?

State pension set to rise by £3.35 a week to £115.95 in move that will benefit 13 million pensioners 

Millions of pensioners will see their spending power boosted to the highest level for 25 years. George Osborne will announce next Wednesday that the basic state pension will rise to £119.30 a week.

'George is already talking about Christmas': Kate and Wills reveal they are looking forward to their first festive season as a family of four

Princess Charlotte is getting on well with her 'noisy' big brother, the Duchess of Cambridge today revealed during a visit to a men's mental health support group in Denbigh, North Wales.

Parents are left furious at Tesco after it scraps its hugely popular £65 tablet computer just before Christmas 

The supermarket's budget tablet computer was a hugely popular sell-out success, but it has announced that there are no plans for a new model. Parents are now struggling for Christmas ideas.

Britain wakes up to snow! Flurries fall from Loch Lomond to London as freezing overnight temperatures turn the UK white

First snows of winter hit swathes of UK with up to 5cm falling overnight and lows of -4C 

Leek in Staffordshire was the snowiest place in Britain on Friday, receiving the full 5cm after temperatures dipped to -1C. The market town was also the coldest place in England. In Scotland temperatures sank to -4C in Tulloch Bridge, near Fort William. Northerly regions also had snowfall, with Aviemore in the Highlands hit by 2cm.

Sex, suicide and chilling threats: How the scandal engulfing David Cameron's chum has sparked civil war in the Tory party

The Conservatives have descended into a morass of scandal and sordid allegation, with so-called 'Tatler Tory' Mark Clarke accused of bullying, blackmail and now sexual harassment.

Police probe 'Tatler Tory' scandal: Conservative party at war as sex, drugs and blackmail claims spiral 

Police interviewed a female Tory activist who said she was sexually harassed by 'Tatler Tory' Mark Clarke. Seemingly endless scandals about Mr Clarke have Tory chiefs at each other's throats.

Aristocratic ex-husband of I'm A Celeb star Lady Colin Campbell says, 'I don't care about her or her jungle show'

I'm A Celeb star Lady Colin Campbell's ex-husband says 'I don't care about her jungle

Lord Colin - who was married to the I'm A Celeb favourite briefly in the 1970s, pictured together right - revealed to SEBASTIAN SHAKESPEARE that he was not even aware she was on the ITV show, left. Lord Colin, 69-year-old son of the 11th Duke of Argyll and a cousin of the Queen, ended the marriage after a year when he was 'horrified' and 'traumatised' to learn his bride had been raised in Jamaica as a boy.

Workers to get three days off on full pay in Volunteering Leave as Cameron revives the Big Society

19.11.15
David Cameron greets Prime Minister Miro Cerar of Slovenia at 10 Downing Street

EXCLUSIVE: The Prime Minister claims the policy will be 'good for our society' but it has been the subject of a Whitehall battle over which minister would take responsibility for delivering it.

PETER OBORNE: David Cameron truly is the heir to Tony Blair 

On the basis of close analysis and many conversations with the PM's supporters, I have concluded that those trying to solve the Cameron enigma have been looking in the wrong place.

EXCLUSIVE: How an Old Etonian dog of war and the despot he plotted a coup against are uniting to put Mark Thatcher in the dock 

Simon Mann who was jailed for plotting a coup in Equatorial Guinea is teaming up with the African country's president to put Sir Mark Thatcher on the stand for his role in the attempted overthrow.

Couple pay off mortgage on the home they believed was worth £120,000... then the rest of their street went up for sale for £1 a house

Liverpool couple pay off mortgage then their street goes up for rate of £1 a house

Linda Hunter (pictured) and her husband George paid their mortgage on a house they thought was £120,000 only to find the houses on their Liverpool street sold for £1 after a botched council regeneration plan. The community of Garrick Street in Liverpool has disappeared, with the road lined by boarded-up houses and anti-social behaviour rife.

Is this the most mind-blowing illusion show ever? JANE FRYER on Derren Brown's mass hysteria-inducing new show

Derren Brown has transferred the panache of his TV show onto the stage in this head-spinning production of his latest tour, writes Jane Fryer.

Church of England vicar accused of sexually assaulting 15-year-old boy in India is urged to return there to face trial

Rev Jonathan Robinson, an acquaintance of former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, is accused of attacking a 15-year-old boy twice in 2011.

Turn your SELFIE in! Woman 'stole an iPhone from a teenager then used it to take photos of herself that landed in the victim's iCloud'

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California police are on the hunt for Tasja Dowell, 18, who is accused of violently mugging a 15-year-old girl on November 5. Dowell then allegedly took selfie's on the victim's phone.

Woken up grumpy? It really could be because you got out of bed the wrong side (and we finally know which side that is) 

A study by sleep experts at Wigton based Sealy UK found that those who nestle down on the right hand side of the mattress are far more pessimistic than those who doze on the left.

The doormat bites back: Woman whose partner of 25 years said he only loved her as much as his dog tells how 'spiteful' ex has left her 'humiliated, ashamed and exploited' 

Woman tells how 'spiteful' ex Rupert Ashmore left her 'humiliated and ashamed'

Kim Woodward (left) was a 'naive' 19-year-old student when she met Rupert Ashmore (right with Kim, and inset with Kim and their son Jack), her art college lecturer. But after 25 years, in 2010, their relationship broke down and she was left penniless. The deeds to the home she shared with Ashmore were in his name only. So was the business to which Kim had devoted the best years of her life. It had paid for his Jaguar while Kim, who drove a VW Polo, received just £400 a month. But last week she emerged victorious after winning a £275,000 settlement following a two-year legal battle bitterly defended by Ashmore.

Seven-year-old boy who was shot on doorstep with his mother in spate of tit-for-tat gangland shootings in Manchester 'is out of hospital' 

Seven-year-old Christian Hickey (pictured) was discharged seven weeks after being blasted above the knee when he and mother Jayne, 29, answered the door at their home in Manchester.

Student diversity officer who allegedly tweeted 'kill all white men' quits over claim she bullied union president

Bahar Mustafa (pictured) - student union diversity officer at Goldsmiths University, London - announced today she was leaving her post just 24 hours after the student president stood down.

Single woman turns the tables on men and sends potential dates unsolicited pictures of her vagina - and is horrified when almost all respond with crude enthusiasm 

Kerry Quinn, from Los Angeles, has received many unsolicited pictures of male genitalia, so the 27-year-old decided to send a vagina picture unsuspecting guys on the dating app Bumble.

The terrifying moment passenger plane was blown SIDEWAYS by fierce crosswinds in Storm Barney and forced to abort landing

The Avro RJ85, which has a capacity of 95 passengers, approached Cork Airport's runway at a sharp angle and briefly touched down before lifting off and soaring back into the air.

The bad Manners sisters of British high society: Duke of Rutland's leggy, loud and frightfully naughty daughters who make Downton's Crawley sisters look like angels 

Duke of Rutland's daughters make Downton Abbey's Crawley sisters look like angels 

The daughters of the Duke of Rutland are causing a stir in British high society with their rowdy antics and lives they share on Instagram. We haven't heard the last from Lady Violet, 22, Lady Alice, 20, and Lady Eliza 18 Manners who been compared to the Mitford girls even though it might be more accurate to liken them to the Earl of Grantham's lively daughters in Downton Abbey.

That really IS a Happy Meal! Lonely 93-year-old who has gone to McDonald's almost every day after death of his wife is thrown a surprise birthday party by the restaurant

Harry Scott began visiting his local restaurant in Workington, Cumbria, at least six times a week following the death of his wife Martha and now even has his own table.

Flagship Manhattan Apple Store brought to a standstill as man terrorises customers with a Samurai sword

The man was subdued by two off-duty cops after entering the Fifth Avenue Apple Store at 3.55 pm Friday brandishing a samurai sword, terrifying hundreds of customers inside.

Six men with links to Italian Mafia boss are arrested in home town of Don Corleone over alleged plot to kill a government minister 

Police have arrested six members of Sicily's Cosa Nostra mafia, including its boss Giuseppe Lo Bue (in picture) as they foiled a plot to kill Interior Minister Angelino Alfano.

Gordon Ramsay buys £4.4million holiday home... and then announces he wants to demolish it and build a bigger version 

Gordon Ramsay buys £4.4m holiday home in Cornwall but wants to demolish it

Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has submitted plans to bulldoze the 1920s retreat, in Rock, Cornwall, to build a bigger replacement. Lavish plans include a swimming pool, wine cellar and ensuites for each bedroom. Ramsay also wants to put up a three-bedroom grass-covered boathouse in the grounds, which cover one-and-a-third acres with direct access to the beach. Rock has been nicknamed Kensington-on-Sea because of the number of wealthy interlopers with large holiday homes in the area.

Landscape gardener and his neighbour appear in court over grooming, rape and murder of Kayleigh Haywood

© Licensed to London News Pictures. 17/11/2015. Collect picture of 15 year-old Kayleigh Haywood who has been missing since she was dropped off at Ibstock Community College on Friday. Two men have been arrested in connection with her disappearance. .Photo credit: London News Pictures

The 15-year-old sparked a huge police search when she disappeared last Friday after being dropped off outside Ibstock Community College, Leicestershire, by her parents.

Stirring spoons at the ready, it's Stir-Up Sunday! Royal baker says start tomorrow for best Christmas cakes and mincemeat

Tomorrow is the traditional day for making Christmas puddings and mincemeat.. Royal baker Fiona Cairns, who made the wedding cake for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, gives her top tips.

Michael Parkinson warns that visiting some care homes dealing with dementia patients is 'like going back to Victorian times' 

The veteran broadcaster (pictured with his wife, Mary) has urged people caring for relatives not to be afraid to ask difficult questions or complain if they are worried about the standard of care

The man eater and the narcissist: Germaine Greer, her 30,000-word love letter to Martin Amis and the baby she craved but never had

Germaine Greer's 30,000-word love letter to Martin Amis revealed

When the world-famous feminist wrote the letter to author Amis, right, in 1976, she was in a relationship and hoping to have a baby with another man, old Etonian James Hughes-Onslow. In the end, Greer, left, never sent the letter - and now doesn't want it published. But is it because it shows off her softer and more vulnerable side, asks the Daily Mail's Geoffrey Levy.

Sophie Wessex says she's the only royal woman with a career - even though her own PR firm bombed after newspaper sting

The Countess of Wessex has said she was a 'rare breed' among royals because she had had a career. This is despite a 2001 scandal where she made indiscreet comments about the Royal Family.

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Freed after 20 YEARS in chains: The moment Mufasa the lion king is released into the wild after decades in Peruvian travelling circus 

Moment lion freed after 20 YEARS in cruel Peruvian travelling circus 

A majestic mountain lion called Mufasa, who spent 20 years in captivity as part of a cruel travelling circus in Peru, has been set free. A film crew captured the tear-jerking moment he was released into the wild, having spent the majority of his life shackled in the back of a pick-up truck amongst rusting equipment.

Babysitter who was spared jail for having sex with an 11-year-old boy signs up for dating app Badoo - calling herself 'honest and trustworthy'

Jade Hatt, 21, of Swindon, walked free from court after admitting sexual contact with an underage boy but has since signed up to dating site Badoo where she calls herself 'honest and trustworthy'.

How insurers hit customers with extra fees: Which hits out at 'sneaky fees' for homeowners 

Home insurance customers face 'sneaky' fees for administration issues, Which found

Home insurance customers are being hit with a host of extra fees and charges that are sending the cost of a policy soaring.

Viscountess Weymouth reveals she does 1,000 stomach crunches A DAY as she admits she's wary of having a second child after struggling during her first pregnancy

Viscount of Weymouth Emma McQuiston, 29, has opened up in an interview about her crazy exercise regime, suffering with a difficult pregnancy and living in the 'Disney'-like surrounds of a safari park.

'Suddenly there were three guys trying to rape me': Premier League footballer reveals he arrived in Britain from Sierra Leone after being duped by child sex traffickers

IPSWICH, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 9:  Jonathan Walters of Ipswich Town and Alhassan Bangura of Watford tackle the ball during the Ipswich Town v Watford Coca Cola Championship match played at Portman Road on February 9, 2008 in Ipswich, England. (Photo Tom Dulat/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Alhassan Bangura;Jonathan Walters

Upon arriving in Britain as a 16-year-old, former Watford FC player Al Bangura, 27, was taken to a house in London where he was set upon by a group of 'two or three' men who tried to rape him.

'It's a horrible psychological disorder!' Victoria's Secret model slams followers who accused her of being anorexic as she encourages women to 'support' each other

Victoria's Secret model Bridget Malcolm SLAMS followers who accused her of being anorexic

She received backlash off body shamers last week after she uploaded an image of herself wearing a yellow two piece bikini. And on Saturday model Bridget Malcolm hit back at the haters who labelled her as 'anorexic'. 'It is a horrible psychological disorder men and women have to go through,' she told the Daily Mail Australia while adding women should be supporting one another not spreading hurtful statements.

Want to buy a UFO hunting satellite? Crowdsourcing project aims to scour the skies with a swarm of $10,000 CubeSats

The satellite that?s planning to clean up space. The CleanSpace One chasing its target, one of the CubeSats launched by Switzerland in 2009. The EPFL on 15 February 2012 launched the 'CleanSpace One', a project to develop and build the first installment of a family of satellites specially designed to clean up space debris, during a press conference in Lausanne, Switzerland.  

epa03106942 A undated handout illustration provided by the Swiss Space Center of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) 15 February 2012, showing EPA/EPFL / Swiss Space Center / HANDOUT MANDATORY CREDIT: EPFL/Swiss Space Center, HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES

A team of developers in Canada has come up with a way for ordinary people to track extraterrestrial encounters. The team hopes to raise $50,000 to launch the device, called CubeSat for Disclosure.

Why a sea breeze may not be so good for you anymore: Particle pollution from shipping is far worse than had been thought

Scientists at Lund University in Sweden estimate that pollution from shipping on the North Sea and Baltic Sea may contribute to around 10,000 premature deaths a year.

'Beeming' with pride: I'm a Celebrity camp mates including Eton-educated Spencer Matthews showcase their woeful lack of spelling in Scrabble challenge, with howlers including 'sopher' for 'sofa'

Im A Celeb MIC's Spencer Matthews

Nothing could've prepared the six contestants for the challenge which required them to put their basic spelling skills to the test - something which they proved to significantly lack as the game played out.

'It's Tiananmen Square all over again!' Social media comes to support of elderly lady filmed standing in front of a bus to stop it driving off

PIC FROM MERCURY PRESS (PICTURED: A BYSTANDER COMES OVER TO HELP THE ELDERLY WOMAN WHO IS STILL STOOD IN FRONT OF THE BUS AT CHORLTON BUS STATION IN MANCHESTER) An elderly lady took on a double decker bus by standing in front of it in busy traffic because the driver refused to let her on despite being only two metres from the bus station.
The moment the unnamed woman angrily used herself as a blockade to hold up the bus was caught on video by local resident Martin Guttridge-Hewitt around midday on Wednesday.
Martin, 31, believes the woman had narrowly missed the bus at Chorlton Bus Station in Greater Manchester, but chased it down as it tried to pull back on to the main road and positioned herself in front of it.
The driver of the number 86 bus from Manchester to Chorlton can be seen gesturing wildly to get the woman out of the way and even drives the bus towards her in a bid to get her to move ñ with no luck. SEE MERCURY COPY

The unidentified pensioner was angry that a Stagecoach bus in Manchester was pulling away from its stop before she got on, so she chased it down and confronted the driver.

Judge jails teenager with 'morals of a tom cat' who savagely beat man - then had sex with victim's girlfriend in the street

Luke Patten (pictured) was sent to jail for four and a half years after attacking a man in Eastham on the Wirral while he was on bail for sharing a video of him having sex with a 15-year-old girl.

'I'm glad he's dead': Astonishing courtroom outburst of 22-year-old killer as he is jailed for life for killing his ex-girlfriend's new love

Michael Bagnall, launched the foul-mouthed tirade in front of his victim's family as he was sentenced to life behind bars for the murder of 18-year-old plumber Ben Purdy in Bermondsey, London.

Pupils at Trojan Horse school 'were forced to pray instead of playing football and taught that Christians and Jews were ignorant' 

Maths teacher Wakass Haruf, 30, is accused of telling children they were worse than a 'kaffir' - a non-believer - if they chose sport over worship at Park View School in Birmingham. (file picture).

A 'floating' home over a picturesque beach and a retreat fit for a Bond villain: The most stunning cliff houses available for rent

Stunning cliff houses for rent

For Instagram-obsessed tourists, nothing beats a holiday home with unrivalled views of a sweeping valley or crystal clear sea from what may seem like the edge of the world. The most amazing cliff houses in the world include Australia's Pole House (top left), which plays tricks on visitors' eyes, and Scotland's Eagle Bay Cottages (bottom right), which looks like a den for a Bond baddie. Other stunning holiday spots include Alinghi Beach House (top right) in Australia, Villa Barcelona (bottom left) in Spain, and Villa Aretusa (inset) on Italy's stunning Amalfi Coast.

Feeling advent-urous? With Christmas just around the corner, FEMAIL reveals the most fun-filled calendars to help you count down to the festive season

While chocolate is one of the most traditional calendar fillings, many lifestyle, beauty and fashion brands now release their own versions. Options include beauty, food, fashion and toys.

The £1,500 Christmas tree vs the £10 offering: FEMAIL pits luxury trees against those from Poundland and Wilko, so can YOU tell which is which?

How much should you spend on the centrepiece of your Christmas decorations? And can you really tell the difference between a luxurious tree and a thrifty one?

Baby girl with epilepsy suffers 40 seizures a DAY leaving her parents terrified she will die in her sleep

Maisie O'Brien, 29, of Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, was diagnosed with epilepsy and an ultra-rare genetic condition called Shox depletion at just nine months old.

Touched by cupid: Baby born with adorable birthmark the shape of a HEART is parents' little cherub

Liam Bailey was born with the unusual mark at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich, south London, on Thursday. Grandmother Leslie Johnson, 52, said he will be popular with the ladies.

Could vasectomies on the NHS be given the snip? GPs told to advise patients to wear condoms or go private for procedure in latest budget squeeze

The controversial move by the Mid Essex Clinical Commissioning Group, which already severely restricts access to IVF, is part of planned savings of £15.7 million.

Desperate to shed pounds? Diet by NUMBERS! 10,000 steps a day, no more than 6 tsps of sugar and 3 positives to cancel out every treat

Weight-loss expert, Dr Sally Norton reveals her 10 simple steps to a achieving a healthier lifestyle, including ensuring you get seven hours sleep a night and five portions of fruit and veg a day.

NHS in 'unprecedented financial meltdown': Agency staff and bed-blocking blamed as deficit hits £1.6 billion in just six months

NHS trusts in England have racked up a deficit of £1.6 billion in the first six months of the financial year - the worst on record. It is estimated it will reach £2.2 billion by the end of the financial year.

Tax disc fiasco as car clamping soars 58% in the year since they were phased out with motorists saying they do not know when they have to renew

More than 99,000 cars were clamped in the past 12 months, compared to over 62,000 in the same period of the previous year, following a government move to abolish tax discs.

Life in the freezer: Previously-unseen images of Sir Ernest Shackleton's 1915 expedition to the Antarctic give an new insight into his men's fight for survival 

Previously-unseen images of Shackleton's 1915 Antarctic expedition revealed

Ernest Shackleton (inset) and his crew struggled to survive for months against the odds in the punishing conditions of the Antarctic. They were left stranded after their ship the Endurance became trapped in the ice (left and right) before being crushed. A new exhibition will open at London's Royal Geographical Society on Saturday, 100 years to the day that the magnificent ship sank beneath the Antarctic ice. Haunting photographs in the exhibition reveal never-before-seen insights into the day-to-day struggles of the 28-man crew, trapped and fighting for their lives in the 'world's last great wilderness'.

Devout Christian who was in a near-fatal car crash claims she felt 'joy and peace' when she thought she was going to die in Facebook post liked 85,000 times

Kailey Collins, 28, of Atlanta, Georgia, was in a severe car crash on her way to work. In what she thought were her final moments she felt only joy and peace. Her post about the crash went viral.

Greedy businessman who was already earning a six-figure salary is jailed after he conned a charity out of £325,000 to buy a chain of Subway shops

Lakhbir Jaspal, 47, who earned a six-figure salary at a housing charity and conned them of £325,000 to buy a chain of Subway sandwich shops has been jailed for three years.

Armed robbers steal 17 paintings including works by Rubens and Tintoretto in £10million art heist 

Armed bandits have stolen 17 paintings worth £10million from Verona's art museum in one of the most significant art heists in Italian history One work was by Peter Paul Rubens (pictured).

Could you brave a night alone in a haunted hotel? Fearless guest captures eerie flickering lights in deserted holiday home 

The creepy 3mins 17secs footage depicts the man - believed to be called Doug - wandering around deserted corridors and stairwells in the Hampton Inn, New York.

Move over Willy Wonka! Chocolate with flavours to 'rival fine wines' developed by altering yeasts used to ferment cocoa beans

Scientists from Belgium have found they can select specific yeasts to ferment cocoa beans shortly after they have been harvested to produce a range of different aromas and flavours.

The real Winnie the Pooh had tooth decay because Christopher Robin gave her too much HONEY

The author was influenced by a Canadian black bear called Winnipeg, who was loved and fed honey by his son, the real-life Christopher Robin, at London Zoo.

Scotland Yard apologises to SEVEN women who were tricked into relationships with undercover officers

Policeman Mark Kennedy took part in high-profile demonstrations

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The Metropolitan Police agreed to settle multiple civil cases by paying an undisclosed amount of compensation to women who had affairs with officers including Mark Kennedy, pictured.

Why a sea breeze may not be so good for you anymore: Particle pollution from shipping is far worse than had been thought

Scientists at Lund University in Sweden estimate that pollution from shipping on the North Sea and Baltic Sea may contribute to around 10,000 premature deaths a year.

Headmistress at £28,000-a-year girls' school under fire for ditching historic names of its boarding houses - because they're all MEN 

A headmistress at a £28,000-a-year girls' school has scrapped century-old boarding house

Rose Hardy, (inset) headmistress at the all-girl St Margaret's School in Bushey, Hertfordshire, (main) insisted the names are not appropriate and don't represent a 'modern, female educational institution'. The school's houses were all named after prominent British male figures in the 17th to 19th centuries. They included Sir Walter Raleigh, (bottom left) Charles Gordon, (top left) John Wesley (bottom right) and John Nicholson, (top right). They have now been changed to Southwark, Windsor, St John's and Waterhouse, which have geographical links to the school.

The beasts lurking in YOUR home: From a spider's hairy mandibles to an earwig's pincers, scary details of bugs captured in close up

London-based photographer Mikael Buck took the incredible photos using a Sony 27R II camera with a 90mm macro lens and macro filter.

Revealed... the 10 diseases that could kill you in just ONE day 

From Ebola, which has killed 11,314 people since an epidemic swept West Africa last year, to meningitis and MRSA, here we reveal 10 of the most potent diseases in the world.

Headteacher scraps end of school prom saying it distracts pupils, costs parents too much money and is a potential magnet for drugs and alcohol 

In a letter to parents, Chris Beirne, pictured, headmaster of the all-girl Beaulieu School, Jersey, said there was 'considerable concern' over the use of drugs and alcohol at after-parties.

Is the search for happiness over? Experts discover the part of the brain that determines how cheerful we are

Psychologists at Kyoto University found people who are more content, satisfied and happy have more grey matter in their precuneus - a part of the brain normally associated with consciousness.

Transgender 10-year-old was disqualified from a boys' swimming race 'after organisers discovered he was born a girl'

The child, who dresses, identifies and is treated as a boy, came second in the gala at Llanelli Leisure Centre, South Wales, but was told the result would not stand because he was wearing a 'skin swimsuit.'

First look at the UK's Crossrail trains which will be air-conditioned, Wi-Fi enabled and have room for 1,500 passengers

Concept pictures of the £14.8 billion project running from Reading in Berkshire in the west to Shenfield in Essex in the east were unveiled today. Crossrail is set to fully open in 2019.

Would you want your photo taken during labour? Midwife gives up her to job to snap mothers during EVERY stage of birth

Julie Davis, 45, from Hampshire, came up with the idea after working in the US where birth photography is 'commonplace.' She said the pictures are 'tasteful and precious.'

Father-to-be blows a kiss to his pregnant wife in court as he is jailed for making 298 indecent films of women and girls in swimming pool changing rooms by holding his iPhone under changing room doors

Daniel Helps jailed for spying on women and girls as young as 13

Daniel Helps poked his iPhone under the doors of cubicles in a bid to film girls as young as 13 naked hundreds of times, a court heard. He wept as he was sentenced to 15 months in prison, and blew a kiss to his pregnant wife and his parents as they watched from the public gallery at Swindon Crown Court. Helps admitted six counts of voyeurism and two of making indecent images of children, confessing that he recorded 298 obscene films on 118 different occasions between 2011 and 2014.

'Remember the Chilean miners?' Unsympathetic colleagues tweet pictures of five Manchester police officers stuck in a lift urging the public to #prayforthem

The Greater Manchester police officers were trapped for around 45 minutes as they headed to a team meeting - and they required the fire service to help them.

Veyron the run! Car showroom offers £20,000 reward for catching hooded vandal who broke in and smashed windscreen of £900,000 Bugatti supercar

Bosses at Kahn Automobiles are offering a £20,000 reward for help catching a hooded vandal who smashed a Bugatti Veyron's windscreen with an iron bar at the dealership in Leeds.

Pet crematorium owner cheated customers by taking their beloved cats and dogs and giving them the ashes of random animals in return

Alan McMasters, 52, owner of Swan Pit Crematorium in Gnosall, Staffordshire, charged owners for the cremation of their pets and returned what they though were their ashes to them.

Will astronauts use this jet-pack to explore an ASTEROID? Gyroscopic gas thrusters tested for future spacewalks

Massachusetts-based space company Draper has trialled a gyroscopic jet-packthat could help give astronauts new freedom when working in orbit or exploring asteroids in the future.

This scanner knows what your pants are made of: 3D X-rays to search for bombs and drugs in luggage at airports

HALO uses 3D-imaging to understand the exact material an object is made of . The UK-made scanner can detect the presence of bombs by looking at their typical 'material signature'

'Benefits system is bleeding money': Taxpayer loses more in fraud and error than Osborne's £4billion cuts to tax credits

Picture (Device Independent Bitmap) 1.jpg

Former shadow chancellor Chris Leslie today argues that as Mr Osborne 'desperately scurries' to find extra money, he should start by addressing the billions paid out by mistake.

Look out parents! Babies are capable of reasoning and problem solving when they are just 10 MONTHS old, researchers find

Emory University found babies are capable of working out social hierarchies as early as 10 months, in a study that used puppets playing out different scenarios.

Mother-of-four reveals how YOU have been changing your baby's dirty nappy all wrong: Blogger reveals one-handed vest trick that eliminates fuss and mess 

Mum reveals you have been changing your baby's dirty nappy wrong

The unnamed British mum, who blogs at Tiaras & Prozac, has taken the internet by storm with her easy parenting hack. After reading an article on a 'Facebook parenting group', she admits she had a 'vest epiphany' regarding the removal of her children's baby grows. She revealed the special fold on the shoulder, pictured inset, allows parents to pull down their newborn's all-in-one when they've made a huge mess, eliminating the need to manoeuvre it over their head. Pictured main, her daughter.

Body of beloved pet dog David is flown nearly 6,000 miles from Hong Kong so it can be buried in Wales to strains of Whitney Houston's 'I Will Always Love You'

David's tombstone is made of black, polished granite. It also features gold leaf lettering referring to him as 'the best trustworthy friend ever in our lives'

Elaine Kao, who lives in Hong Kong, had the body of her beloved Golden Retriever, David, flown to a pet cemetery in Hollywell in Wales after scouring the web to find somewhere to lay him to rest.

'I can't stick with the posturing t**ts': Peep Show star Robert Webb quits Labour with swipe at the 'Corbytrons'

Television programme: Peep Show Series 9 - 
(Robert Webb as Jeremy and David Mitchell as Mark)

The actor said he 'felt sick' at paying £11-a-month to a party which hired pro-Kremlin columnist Seumas Milne as its top spin doctor and was fed up with being 'horribly' attacked by 'Corbytrons' online.

From council house to country mansion: Pair of run-down local authority homes are transformed into £3million manor by property developers 

Husband-and-wife team Kate and Johnny Bourne transformed the Dorset properties into one luxury family mansion, over three years. They 'gutted' the workers' cottages over the three-year transformation.

In the money! Massive hoard of 4,000 Roman coins unearthed in Switzerland after lying undisturbed under a cherry tree for 1,700 years

A farmer made the spectacular discovery when he spotted a molehill with some shimmering green coins on his land in Ueken in Switzerland, but he will not be allowed to keep the hoard.

Manchester United fan, 8, is offered signed memorabilia by fellow supporters after his prized autograph book was stolen by man his father gave a lift to outside Old Trafford

Schoolboy Zayaan Khan, from Chorlton, Manchester, spent almost a year collecting the signatures of every player and member of coaching staff at the club during the 2014/15 season.

It's a fur cop! Moment thief is disturbed by a cat as he raids charity box full of money intended to pay for vets' bills

The cat tries to retrieve the charity box after the thief places it in his bag.  This is the extraordinary moment a thief who stole a charity box from a cafÈ was almost caught red-handed - by a have-a-go-hero CAT.  See NTI story NTITHIEF.  Remarkable CCTV captured the thief as he slipped the charity box, containing around £60, into his bag as he paid for a cup of tea at a cat cafÈ.  But as he was about to leave with the box in one of his bags, 11-month-old cat Daisy is filmed sniffing around the man's feet.  At one point the moggy even attempted to open the bag with its paws before being shooed away by the crook.  Police are appealing for anyone who recognises the man who struck at the Kitty CafÈ in Nottingham city centre at 3pm on Tuesday (17/11).

Remarkable CCTV captured the thief as he slipped the charity box, containing around £60, into his bag as he paid for a cup of tea at a cat café in Nottingham.

'I'm not pregnant and I'm not fat!' Anna Paquin fires back at cruel body shamers who labeled her 'gross' and 'ugly' because she 'wasn't wearing a skin-tight dress'

Anna Paquin hits back at body shamers on Twitter who criticized her appearance

The actress, 33, took to Twitter to slam commenters who said she look 'fat' and 'ugly' at the premiere of The Good Dinosaur on Tuesday. Anna said that just because she wasn't wearing a skin-tight dress doesn't mean she's pregnant, and told them she doesn't care if they don't like her dark hair.

American Airlines loses prosthetic LEG belonging to Boston bombing survivor who has resumed her career as a ballroom dancer

The airline misplaced the limb belonging to ballroom dancer Adrianne Haslet-Davis, 34, who lost her left leg in the terror attacks in April 2013, but has since started dancing again with a replacement limb.

'It's creepy, freaky, crazy!' Woman who used an online experiment to track down her doppelganger finds a THIRD 'twin stranger'

Niamh Geaney, 26, from Dublin, Ireland, has now met a third lookalike, called Irene Williams, who also hails from Ireland, after meeting 'twin strangers' Karen Branigan and Luisa Guizzardi.

Windsor Wonderland! How the Castle's State Apartments have been magically transformed with decorations, glittering Christmas trees and spectacular dining tables laid for royal feasts 

Visitors to the castle will see the State Apartments kitted out with a Regency-themed display to give visitors a taste of how the Prince Regent, the future George IV, celebrated the festive season.

Huddling together in fear, a pod of pilot whales circle one another after dolphin hunters at Japan's infamous Taiji cove round them up for slaughter 

Poignant footage captures the mammals gathering in a tiny circle, clinging together to protect themselves from injury as the men drive the animals towards the netted shoreline in the cove.

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Mandatory Credit: Photo by Everett/REX Shutterstock (1897452a)\n THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI, from left: Orson Welles, Rita Hayworth, 1947\n THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI, from left: Orson Welles, Rita Hayworth, 1947\n \n

IN BOOKS TODAY

Mark Zuckerberg will take two months of paternity leave - six weeks MORE time off than Yahoo's Marissa Mayer took and two months less than he offers his employees 

Facebook CEO Zuckerberg to take two months of paternity leave

Facebook allows up to four months of maternity or paternity leave. Zuckerberg said Friday he will take two months, in what is being seen as encouragement for employees to use their parent benefits. It is stark contrast to Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, who is expecting twins around the same time as Zuckerberg's child, but has said she will take a 'limited' maternity leave of about two weeks. Comparatively, Google gives 18 weeks maternity leave and 12 weeks paternity, Microsoft gives 12 weeks, and Netflix allows for one year maternity leave.

Spot the difference! Briton accused of animal smuggling after she orders dolphin-shaped lamps from India

London based Jocelyn Burton (pictured) became the focus of a bank probe after she received an order from a wealthy Russian client to cast a pair of lamps in the shape of two intertwined silver dolphins.

The royal seal of approval: A relaxing stay at the quiet and exquisite Caribbean island paradise that was loved by Princess Diana (and it is easy to see why)

Princess Diana stayed on Nevis in the Caribbean 20 years ago with the young Princes William and Harry. From horse-riding at sunset to catamaran cruises, the island offers a blissful getaway.

Is this the world's first BLING? 24 carat gold jewellery made 6,600 years ago unearthed at prehistoric settlement in Bulgaria

The delicate two-gram pendant was discovered by archaeologists at the site of Solnitsata in Bulgaria, the site of the oldest prehistoric town in Europe.

Gone (not very far) in 60 seconds: Incredible moment pensioner caused traffic chaos by going round a busy roundabout in his mobility scooter at 3MPH 

The man, believed to be in his 70s or 80s, was captured as he went around the roundabout in Swanley, Kent, at just 3mph, forcing other drivers to dramatically slow their speed.

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Coughing and spluttering for adult 'entertainment': Indian boy, three, is forced to smoke a cigarette as watching adults laugh and cheer in sickening video

Indian man makes child smoke a cigarette in video

The video, taken in India, shows a child, believed to be around three to four-years old, sat on the knee of a man who then places a cigarette in the little boy's mouth and lights it up. The most shocking aspect of the video is that a child smoking appears to be some form of entertainment for those watching, who cheer and clap in the background.

There's not mushroom in my kitchen for that: Giant fungi has to be chopped up and carried by FOUR people in Vietnam 

The lingzhi mushroom - which translates to supernatural mushroom - was discovered by a lumberjack in Vietnam before it was sold. It is thought to be thousands of years old.

Can you watch this without laughing? Cute toddler can't stop giggling after getting hit by cream pie while playing with his parents

The unnamed little boy, who is believed to be from America, is filmed in hysterics while having a pile of whipped cream splatted onto his face.
The clip was posted online on November 19.

Final countdown: British astronaut Tim Peake takes his last test before blasting off to the International Space Station

Tim Peake is today taking part in the final exam training session at the Gagarin Cosmonauts' Training Centre in Star City, outside Moscow before his mission to the ISS on December 15.

I want that one! Dad creates hilarious Little Britain-style video about his Derbyshire town in bid to sell his house

James Lett creates hilarious Little Britain-style video about his town in bid to sell his

James Lett, 38, made the spoof video in an effort to help bolster the image of the family's hometown of Staveley, near Chesterfield (top left), Derbyshire. The video has already clocked up more than 1,000 views online since James posted it Facebook. The comedy clip echoes the style of the much-loved show starring Matt Lucas and David Walliams and has a narrator and snapshots from different areas of the town including the local supermarket (bottom right), the newsagents (bottom left) and tasty eateries (top right).

   

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