Nightmare before Christmas: Families forced out of their homes by 'soul-destroying' floods are told it could be eight months before they return as forecasters warn of another SEVEN INCHES of rain after record fall of more than 13ins in just 24 hours 

Thousands of devastated families face eight months away from their homes after they were

Families who were forced out of their homes by the 'soul-destroying' impact of Storm Desmond were told it could be several months before they can return as a war of words erupted over the nation's flooding defence systems. It came as the devastating storm claimed its second victim, with Cumbria Police confirming that a body had been found in a search of the River Kent in Kendal after an elderly man fell into the water yesterday. It was the second death caused by Storm Desmond after a 90-year-old pensioner was blown into the path of a bus in London on Saturday. MPs were today at loggerheads over the failure of £48million in anti-flood investment, with Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron claiming the problem had been compounded by the shelving of nearly 300 flood defence schemes which had been deemed 'low priority'. The clean-up operation, which is expected to run into the hundreds of millions, has already started in homes and shops in Cockermouth, Carlisle and Keswick in Cumbria (pictured).

Pictured: Attempted murder suspect, 29, accused of shouting 'This is for Syria' as he 'cut five-inch wound in neck of victim who needed five hours of surgery after Leytonstone tube attack' 

Leytonstone stabbing suspect Muhaydin Mire appears in court

Muhaydin Mire (pictured, left, and, centre, in police van), appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court charged with the attempted murder of a 56-year-old man, referred to only as Male A. The victim was attacked from behind in front of several members of the public at around 7pm. Eyewitnesses said his attacker said 'this is for Syria' during the incident (pictured, right), much of which was captured in mobile phone footage. One of those injured in the attack, David Pethers described how witnesses at the station filmed with their mobile phones rather than help tackle the man.

'You ain't no Muslim bruv!' Now David Cameron joins legions repeating the anti-terror slogan as he condemns the Leytonstone knife attack

Prime Minister David Cameron speaking during a visit to the De Ferrers Academy in Burton Upon Trent. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Monday December 7, 2015. David Cameron was unveiling a major expansion of the Government's shared-ownership scheme, which ministers say will open the door to tens of thousands more people becoming homeowners. See PA story POLITICS Cameron. Photo credit should read: Darren Staples/PA Wire

The eyewitness's defiant riposte to the senseless bloodshed at an east London Tube station, recorded on a video clip, has become London's defining response to the atrocity.

U.S. coalition kills three Syrian soldiers in airstrike: Assad government hits out at 'flagrant aggression' after jets target military camp by mistake

SYRIA. DECEMBER 5, 2015. Pictured in this screen grab is an airstrike by Russian Air Force on a Jabhat al-Nusra training base. Video screen grab. 
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The Syrian government said four warplanes from the U.S.-led coalition had targeted a Syrian army camp in Deir Ezzor province, killing three soldiers and wounding 13 more.

Sorry ladies! Men really DO have a better sense of direction: Males use a different part of their brain to navigate - and giving testosterone to women boosts their ability

Researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology scanned the brains of male and female volunteers as they completed navigation tasks. Stock image.

Muslim man is thrown off National Express coach after women passengers complain he 'looked shifty' and made them uncomfortable

File photo of a National Express coach. See SWNS story SWCOACH: A Muslim was thrown off a National Express coach after women passengers complained he 'looked shifty' and made them feel uncomfortable. The man was escorted off the London-bound service moments after he boarded in Bristol. One passenger said a group of women sitting at the front of the coach had been "making their feelings very obvious" and were "silent and staring at him." One of the women spoke to the driver and seconds later a member of National Express staff escorted the man off the half-empty coach at Bristol bus station.

The customer was told to get off the coach from Bristol to London after others on the bus complained to the driver about the man.

EIGHT opportunities to save the Glasgow bin lorry crash victims were ALL missed because driver Harry Clarke 'repeatedly lied' to keep his licence, inquiry rules

Harry Clarke (pictured) 'deliberately concealed relevant information from the DVLA' as he 'repeatedly lied in order to gain and retain jobs and licences', a Glasgow sheriff has concluded.

Bing

Clarifications and corrections 

An article of 15 November wrongly claimed that Sam Allardyce allegedly lost £1.7m and Ian Wright lost £2m after investing in schemes recommended by David McKee and Kevin McMenamin.

'A real Miracle On 34th Street': Internet goes nuts over heartwarming moment kind Santa uses sign language to ask girl with hearing problems what she wants for Christmas 

Middlesbrough's Cleveland Centre Santa uses sign language to ask girl what she wants for

The heartwarming scene was captured by an onlooker at Middlesbrough's Cleveland Centre on November 5 and was posted to YouTube. It has since attracted over 156,600 views. The kind Kris Kringle communicates with the girl in sign language after her mother tells him she 'can't talk very well'.

Incredible video shows waterfall in the Peak District being blown BACKWARDS in 50mph winds as Storm Desmond batters the UK 

A waterfall appeared to defy gravity when - instead of gushing down - it flowed upwards towards the sky as 50mph winds battered Kinder Scout in the Peak District.

Dicing with death: Shocking moment two Irish teenagers dived into tumultuous seas during Storm Desmond - but survived 

Chilling footage captures the moment two boys - who are both wearing nothing but swimming shorts - plunge 20ft from a raised platform into rough seas in Ireland.

Fans thought Kim Kardashian called her new baby Storm Desmond - because the phrase was trending after flood warnings

Some wondered whether Kim Kardashian and Kanye West might have called their baby 'Storm Desmond', after the name began trending on Twitter because of the flood warnings issued.

London on terror alert: Armed police and undercover officers on guard at train and tube stations after Leytonstone attack 

Armed officers were present at a number of Underground and main line stations this morning following the knife attack on Saturday night.

Lord Janner is unfit to stand trial for sex offences against boys dating back 50 years because of irreversible disabling dementia

A judge at the Old Bailey today ruled that the 87-year-old cannot enter a plea because he suffers from advanced dementia which means he cannot understand what is happening.

Record rainfall triggers review of all flood defences to see if they can cope with 'unprecedented' high water levels

Picture (Device Independent Bitmap) 4.jpg

David Cameron chaired a meeting of the emergency Cobra committee which agreed to examine whether 'adjustments' now need to be made to the level of protection given to millions of homes.

Pictured: Boy, 7, run over and killed with his father who was dressed as SANTA in front of his mother as the family walked home from a Christmas party

Pictured: Boy, 7, run over and killed with his father who was dressed as SANTA in front of

Stuart Bates, 43, who was dressed as Santa, and seven-year-old Fraser when both were hit by a car in Talbot Green, South Wales. Anna Bates watched in horror as her husband and seven-year-old son were killed in front of her. Keen churchgoer Mr Bates was dressed as Father Christmas and had been handing out festive presents to other children at the party. Fraser was dressed in a bright green Christmas jumper.

Man armed with 'foot-long' knives is Tasered by police as he stabs a man to death in Poundland branch in front of horrified shoppers

Police were called at around 11.22am to reports that a man had been stabbed in the shop in Abingdon, Oxfordshire.

Pensioner, 83, sent a council tax bill of 40 PENCE for a property she moved out of five years ago

Muriel Cranmer received the tiny bill from Birmingham City Council which related to her old home in Erdington, Birmingham, which she moved out in May 2010.

Father who lost £100 he saved for his son's Christmas present while on the way to buy it is re-united with the money after stranger's Facebook appeal 

Lloyd Staszkiewicz, 28, lost an envelope containing cash for a Star Wars action figure for his son in a Nottingham shopping centre before he was reunited with it after a Facebook appeal.

Gang of baseball bat wielding thugs who attacked eight strangers in a sickening crime spree that wrecked an airline pilot's career are jailed for more than 40 years

A group of baseball bat wielding teenage thugs, who roamed east London looking for lone men to attack, have been sentenced to more than 40 years in prison for a vicious crime spree.

Boy, 5, is banned from swimming pool because bosses said his GOGGLES were a health and safety risk

Kevin Morris, 37, was outraged after his five-year-old son Toby was banned from the pool at Tunbridge Wells Sports Centre in Kent because his goggles were deemed a health risk.

Moon-light cruising: Lamborghini driver gets a shock as man rubs his bare bottom on the bonnet of the £280,000 supercar

The Aventador Roadster (pictured), worth £280,000, can be seen in front of festive lights in one of the busiest parts of the city, as a crowd of revelers gather around, when one man tries to steal the limelight.

Police are called to 'Fawlty Towers' restaurant after hungry customers demand refunds and staff walk out while the oompah band play on

Old Vienna restaurant

The gigantic row between diners and managers at The Old Vienna in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, was soundtracked by an oompah band which continued to play throughout the fracas.

Disabled schoolgirl, 13, 'choked to death on a meatball after refusing an offer to have her food chopped up for her' 

Autistic Isabel Pearce (pictured) who was born with Sotos Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder, was having lunch at Ridge View School in Tonbridge, Kent, on January 26 when she started choking.

Teacher hit with £50,000 legal bill and could now lose her home after court battle with neighbours over a fence that strayed just 15 INCHES into their land 

Teacher Carole Anne Green hit with £50,000 legal bill after court battle with neighbours

Carole Anne Green, (pictured right) who has fought with her elderly neighbours for five years, says she will now be forced to sell her home to pay her legal costs. Mrs Green moved into an exclusive development in the Worcestershire spa town of Malvern, next to the 18th century listed manor where the late Barbara Cartland grew up (marked left). She obtained planning permission to build a holiday let in her garden but once the apartment (inset) was built she found herself in a bitter court battle with her neighbours Doreen and Victor Elliott, who are both in their 80s, over property borders and a disputed fence (marked left).

'Dear Dave, we can't agree to four-year migrant benefit ban': Brussels chief delivers blow to Cameron's plans for EU reform

epa05048004 British Prime Minister David Cameron (L) shakes hand with President of the European Council Donald Franciszek Tusk (R), during a bilateral meeting at the end of an extraordinnary EU Summit with Turkey in Brussels, Belgium, 29 November 2015. The meeting marks a step in developing EU-Turkey relations and contributing to managing the migration crisis. Turkey and the European Union have agreed on a plan to tackle migration flows, German Chancellor Angela Merkel says after the meeting.  EPA/ERIC VIDAL / POOL

European Council president Donald Tusk today warned that while some progress has been made on uncontentious issues, there is 'presently no consensus' on barring migrants from benefits.

How Calais' 'jungle' migrant camp has now become a mini city - complete with restaurants, a theatre, book shops and free wifi

The notorious 'Jungle' migrant camp in Calais has grown into a self-contained mini-city including shops and hotels. It is a permanent magnet for people trying to get to Britain.

Britain should cut a deal with Assad and Putin to defeat ISIS, says Boris Johnson as support for airstrikes plummets

Syrian President Bashar Assad during a meeting with his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran, Iran. Speaking in an interview with Russian media on 15 September, 2015, 
Bashar Assad said the refugee crisis now hitting Europe is a direct result of the West's support of "terrorists" in Syria. The Russian president has said it is impossible to defeat the Islamic State group without cooperating with Damascus, and in recent days has sent about a half-dozen battle tanks and other weaponry to Syria. 



FILE - This Aug. 19, 2009 file photo shows
(AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)

The London Mayor's intervention comes as polling shows a dramatic fall in the public appetite for British airstrikes against ISIS in Syria, with net support dropping by 31 points in just over a week.

Thousands more families offered the chance to get on property ladder with expansion of shared ownership scheme

Households with an income of less than £80,000 - or £90,000 in London - will be able to sign up to the schemes, where people part buy and part rent a property, the Prime Minister will say.

How freedom law has saved taxpayers cash: Public sector waste revealed by threatened Freedom of Information Act 

Ministers want to water down the Act, saying curbs are needed because it is too expensive to deal with requests. Tom Felle, from City University London, will warn that this could damage democracy.

Stop the War brags about 'celebrating' Christmas with Jeremy Corbyn despite Labour MPs calling on their leader to boycott 'disreputable' group

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Geovien So/ZUMA Wire/REX Shutterstock (5479673m)
 Jeremy Corbyn welcomed by protesters as he about to give a speech at Finsbury Park mosque
 Anti Islamaphobia protest, Finsbury Park Mosque, London, Britain - 04 Dec 2015
 Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn of Labour Party gave speech as he join hundreds of protesters in the Unite Against Islamophobia and Racsim rally host by Stand Up To Racism and Stop The War Coalition at Finsbury Park Mosque in north London

The group, of which Mr Corbyn was a founder member, has caused anger by comparing ISIS terrorists to the foreign freedom fighters who battled to save Spain from fascism in the 1930s.

Blatter had 'full knowledge of bribes involving Fifa and 1990s television deal', claims letter sent by former president 

Sepp Blatter, who is currently suspended from his position as Fifa president, is being investigated by the FBI over the $100million (£66million) ISL bribes scandal, it is claimed.

Soccer? I prefer watching rugby, says Beckham: Former England captain says he enjoys the game more because there is 'no nastiness' among sport's fans

The former England captain has revealed how he has enjoyed going to Twickenham to watch rugby more than football as he enjoys fans sitting together 'with no nastiness'.

Town hall parking 'profits' hit £700m in 12 months: Figure has jumped by 35 per cent in just four years 

Councils have raked in a staggering £700million 'profit' from parking in one year, a report reveals today. They collected more than £1.45billion in charges and fines over the past 12 months.

Surprise! Men DO prefer bigger breasts: Woman gets 34% more matches on Tinder after digitally enhancing her cleavage to a DD

An experiment has shown that 'Carla', 24, from Manchester, got 34% more likes with a DD chest than an identical profile of the same woman with A-cup cleavage - as well as more comments on her looks.

Father Christmas represents 'materialism gone mad', says Benedict Cumberbatch in letter to Santa... and also complains he never got a lightsaber as a boy

The 39-year-old Sherlock star wrote a letter to Santa Claus asking him to distract children 'from the realities of a world gone mad' and for 'a little more time for children to be children'.

Inside The National Crime Agency: How a Bahraini paedophile ring who befriended underage British boys online and terrorised them into performing sexual acts was FINALLY brought to justice 

The strategies used by the law enforcement team responsible for bringing the perpetrators to justice is the focus of Channel 4 documentary, Hunting The Paedophiles: Inside The National Crime Agency.

We won't be gagged, Blunkett warns Corbyn as pro-war MP calls in police after being compared to Myra Hindley by Left-wing thugs 

The former Home Secretary spoke out as rumours swept the party that Mr Corbyn was planning to capitalise on the win by purging his enemies from the frontbench.

Secrecy storm of MP at centre of expenses inquiry after it emerged they had been investigated before general election... but the public were kept in the dark

Westminster faced another cover-up scandal last night after it emerged an MP has been subject to an investigation over their expenses since March, before the general election.

Another SNP MP caught up in a financial 'scandal' as Phil Boswell admits benefiting from a tax avoidance scheme

Phil Boswell twitter.jpg

Phil Boswell, who has campaigned for a crackdown on tax avoidance, was labelled a 'hypocrite' amid claims he took out an interest-free £18,000 loan to minimise his own bill.

'Twitter trolls would have stopped us taking on the Nazis': Labour's Chris Bryant says MPs should ignore web abuse over ISIS air strikes in Syria

Chris Bryant: 

Labour politicians on campaign trail ahead of Wythenshawe and Sale East by-election, Manchester, Britain - 06 Feb 2014

Rachel Reeves, MP for Leeds West and Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, and Chris Bryant, MP for Rhondda and Shadow Minister for Welfare Reform, joined Labour candidate Mike Kane on the campaign trail ahead of the Wythenshawe and Sale East by-election, following the death of MP Paul Goggins. They visit the home of Tony Gunning (51) who suffers from hereditary adult polycystic kidney disease and is on dialysis, who says he is adversely affected by the bedroom tax.


Mandatory Credit: Photo by London News Pictures/REX (3552361j)

Chris Bryant, the shadow Leader of the Commons spoke out about the rise of 'political extremism' after online trolls attacked him for defying Jeremy Corbyn in messages such as: 'I hope you die screaming'.

Warning over 'sociopathic and dangerous' Tatler Tory: Party chiefs received memo a month before activist's death claiming Mark Clarke's 'bullying tactic were well known'

Conservative Party officials received a memo branding the Tatler Tory 'sociopathic' and 'dangerous' a month before the suicide of an activist who said he had been bullied by him.

Take a bow! Secret trick turns labels on Christmas coke bottles into a festive ribbon

Christmas Coca-Cola bottles turns labels into a festive ribbon

The bottle of Coca-Cola looks to be like any other, despite the tiny festive snowflakes printed on the label. However, the labelling is actually split into three sections, allowing you to pull the middle part away from the bottle to reveal a lever (left). Once this is pulled (middle) a little Christmas bow forms - like you would see on the top of a well wrapped present (right).

The spy camera that peers around CORNERS: System can track people who are out of sight and spot cars at blind junctions

Researchers at Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh have developed a camera system that uses infrared laser light reflected off the floor to track objects or people hidden around a corner.

Cadbury's pays no tax on UK profits: Firm accused of treating British with contempt after not paying a penny last year despite profits of almost £150million 

Cadbury's owners Mondelez International, previously Kraft Foods, did not pay a penny of UK corporation tax last year despite generating sales of more than £2billion and profits of £150million.

The man who's fathered 54 babies in just two years: Britain's most prolific sperm donor also has eight children of his own 

Declan Rooney (pictured), 43, from Middlesbrough, boasts a 50 per cent first-time success rate and says he has even helped couples who have been unable to conceive through IVF.

Thrilled Lauren Silverman and Eric are re-united with eldest son Adam... hours after break-in at Simon Cowell's home

Arriving back in the Big Apple, the 38-year-old socialite appeared in high-spirits as she and her 21-month-old son made their way through arrivals - despite the raid in the early hours.

Video captures shocking moment mugger snatches a 69-year-old woman's handbag and drags her along the street

Hounslow Police release pictures of moment mugger drags woman along the street

This is the shocking moment a brazen mugger drags a 69-year-old woman down the street after snatching her handbag. Police have released the stunning CCTV footage (pictured) of the offender pulling the pensioner along the pavement in Hounslow, west London, when she refused to let go of the bag. It comes as detectives step up their search for the bag-snatcher, whose actions left the woman with a fractured shoulder.

Mystery body is found in serial killer's dumping spot: Police unearth remains in remote forest where 'Man In Black' left one of his victims 20 years ago 

The grisly discovery was made three weeks ago as spectators watched the Wales Rally GB car event on November 14 in a remote forest near Cerrigydrudion in Conwy, north Wales.

Mother of murder who bludgeoned Karen Buckley to death with a spanner tells of her relief after he drops appeal against sentence

Speaking after the sentence outside the High Court in Glasgow, Mr and Mrs Buckley, said that while it would not bring their daughter back, his sentence would ensure other girls are safe

Alexander Pacteau, 21, was jailed for at least 23 years in September after admitting to killing Buckley, 24, in Glasgow. His mother, Noreen Dow, has now welcomed the news he has dropped the bid.

Jeremy Clarkson 'demanded gravy, cigarettes and Monopoly be delivered to him by helicopter during New Zealand island stay'

Mandatory Credit: Photo by REX Shutterstock (5204760ap)
 Jeremy Clarkson
 Celebrities at the ITV studios, London, Britain - 01 Oct 2015

The 55-year-old presenter is claimed to have told Ed Coutts, who owns celeb-favourite luxury accommodation Waiheke Unlimited, that it was too far to the shops.

British children are growing up with American accents because of flood of cheap imported TV shows says creator of Teletubbies

Anne Wood (pictured), creator of Teletubbies, In the Night Garden, said that it is happening because not enough children's TV is being made in the UK leaving viewers with no other options.

Bishop claims the TRUE meaning of Christmas is sitting around the telly with the family watching the depressing Eastenders festive special

The Rt Rev Nick Baines, Bishop of Leeds, said the television has the power to promote family bonding by making people put down their phones and tablet computers and sit and talk together.

BBC's Christmas TV schedules include just FOUR hours of original religious shows across 300 hours of festive programming 

On top of the four hours of original religious-themed television are two repeats, but the total still equates to less than 3 per cent of the BBC's scheduled Christmas programming over a seven-day period.

Driver used homemade James Bond-style smokescreen on his battered Peugeot 309 in failed bid to shake off chasing police

Driver used James Bond-style smokescreen on his Peugeot 309 in bid to shake off police

A driver tried to shake off a pursuing police officer by activating a homemade James Bond-style smokescreen on his old Peugeot 309 (pictured). Simon Chaplin, 62, (pictured inset) flicked a switch on the dashboard of his red vehicle and 'colossal' amounts of smoke came out of the exhaust pipe. PC Dafydd Campbell Birch caught up five miles later when Chaplin turned into a farmyard near Haverfordwest, west Wales.

Ex-wife of tycoon who fell to his death a year ago claims she has found £187 MILLION of his hidden money 

Details of Michelle Young's alleged find have surfaced almost a year to the day her ex-husband Scot, 52, fell to his death from a flat in Montagu Square, central London.

Burglars with a guilty conscience saved the life of a pet goldfish after they smashed its bowl as they raided a family home

Burglars stole cash and laptops but saved the life of a family's pet goldfish, by placing it in the kitchen sink, after smashing its bowl while raiding a house in Wollaton, Nottinghamshire.

Businesswoman fined £75,000 after company 'targeted elderly or vulnerable people' with 'distressing' phone calls

Leah Matthews is the sole director of Cold Call Elimination, which was investigated by the Information Commissioner following dozens of complaints. It is one of four companies to be fined.

Boy suffering headaches and sleepiness is diagnosed with rare condition where the brain slips into the SPINE

Kai Diawne, 9, of Hexthorpe, South Yorkshire, suffered from a type 1 Chiari malformation, where the lowest part of the back of the brain drops down into the top of the spinal canal.

Pippa's EX files: Miss Middleton and mum Carole are joined by former flame as they support Prince William at carol concert

Newly single Pippa Middleton, 32, was joined by James Matthews, 40, at a memorial carol concert in Chelsea on Wednesday night which was also attended by her mother Carole and Prince William.

The New Shard: Planned skyscraper 1 Undershaft across the river from London landmark will be 73 storeys tall and feature the capital's highest public viewing gallery

Planned skyscraper 1 Undershaft will rival The Shard at 73 storeys tall and feature the

Plans have been unveiled for a new London skyscraper that could rival The Shard for views across the city with the capital's highest public gallery. 1 Undershaft will be 73-storeys tall at a height of 309.6 metres - exactly the same as The Shard, which it would sit across the river from. But its pavement to peak height will be around seven metres less than its rival because of the difference in level of the land they sit on.

Shakespeare armed himself and a band of actors with daggers and swords to steal a WHOLE THEATRE and re-build it as The Globe, court document from 1601 reveals

A document to go on show at London's Somerset House next year reveals how Shakespeare and a group of friends flattened a theatre on the banks of the River Thames and rebuilt it as The Globe.

Animal magic: The unbreakable bond between children and their pets revealed in heartwarming photos that include dogs, cats, frogs and a BEAR 

An atmospheric shot of a young boy and his dog with their hands (and paws) over their eyes beat more than 1,000 entries to take first prize in an international photography contest.

Want to live between the Beckhams and Simon Cowell? It will cost you £7m! Stunning apartment in London's 'golden postcode' goes on sale 

A stunning apartment with dazzling interiors and A-list neighbours in London's 'golden postcode' is up for sale - but living next to Simon Cowell and co will set you back £7m.

Stonehenge may have been first built in Wales: Archaeologists discover recess in rocky outcrop that contains bluestones that are similar to the prehistoric monument's

Researchers have discovered two prehistoric quarries in Pembrokeshire, 140 miles from Stonehenge, which appear to be the origin of the bluestones used to build the monument.

Pooh's reminder of Britain's best festive traditions: New illustrations inspired by survey that found many people believe historic customs are dying out

Playing parlour games, singing carols and getting dressed in your best for Christmas lunch are British festive traditions that need to be saved for future generations, a study has found.

He's got the nose for it! African elephant can detect even a tiny amount of TNT using his sense of smell 

*** EXCLUSIVE - VIDEO AVAILABLE *** 
BELA BELA, SOUTH AFRICA - 23 NOVEMBER: Chishuru raises his right foot when he has found the suspect bucket on November 23, 2015 in Bela Bela, South Africa.
AN AFRICAN elephant detects dangerous TNT using its extraordinary sense of smell. Shot in November, this fascinating footage shows Chishuru, a 17-year-old male bull, carefully checking a row of white plastic buckets ñ one of which contains the explosive material.The huge animal raises its right leg to signal that he has found the tiny amount of TNT which is placed on a piece of filter paper. This amazing research is being carried out in Bela Bela in the Limpopo Province of South Africa by wildlife organisation Adventures with Elephants. In 2007, researchers discovered that a herd in Angola, who were being tracked using GPS technology, were purposely avoiding landmine fields left over from the civil war ñ which had claimed the lives of many elephants. And when Chishuru was tasked with finding the

Fascinating pictures show Chishuru the 17-year-old elephant locating a small amount of TNT on a piece of filter paper hidden in a row of buckets in the Limpopo Province of South Africa.

You're eating it WRONG: Etiquette expert reveals the correct way to enjoy a mince pie (and why you should never serve them cold)

Etiquette expert William Hanson reveals the proper way to eat mince pies this festive season and exposes common misdemeanours including using a fork and serving the pie cold.

Bugatti of the sea: Team behind the world's fastest supercar reveals plans for sleek luxury yachts with top speeds of 43mph (starting at £1.5million)

Ranging from 42ft to 88ft in size, the luxury yachts will have dark blue titanium and carbon fibre hulls, accommodation for four, and the same flair as Bugatti's classic and modern cars.

ISIS Inc: Extraordinary documents show terror group's masterplan - with plans for child soldiers, health, education and a two-week annual jihadi refresher course on weapons training

ISIS documents reveals terror group's masterplan

Leaked internal documents (pictured right) have revealed ISIS has created staggeringly sophisticated levels of administration in a bid to turn its self-declared caliphate into a legitimate state. The terrorists (left) have created departments to administrate over the health, education and the treasury sectors, while it also holds two-week annual refresher courses for its veteran soldiers. The majority of the revelations come in a 24-page memo which was published in the months after the group announced its caliphate, spanning parts of Iraq and Syria.

Baby-faced assassins: Jihadists release chilling picture of young terrorists involved in deadly Radisson Blue Hotel attack in Mali 

An image released on December 7, 2015 by Al-Ribat Media Foundation, the media unit of the Mali-based jihadist organisation al-Murabitoon allegedly shows a picture of Abdul Hakim and Mu'adh al-Fulani, two fighters involved in the Radisson Blu Hotel attack in Bamako. 
Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb said last month's hostage taking at a hotel in Mali's capital Bamako was a joint operation with another jihadist group, in an audio message posted Friday. / AFP / SITE Intelligence Group / HO / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / SITE Intelligence Group / HO" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTSHO/AFP/Getty Images

An Islamic terror group has released a photograph of two baby-faced jihadists it claims killed 20 people at the Radisson Blu hotel in Mali on November 20. The picture was published by al Mourabitoun.

Beheaded for practicing 'magic': ISIS releases its latest horrific video as they execute two 'sorcerers' in Libya in front of a baying crowd 

ISIS beheads sorcerer

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT - In its latest barbaric video, the accused - blindfolded and wearing orange jumpsuits - are led in the centre of a crowd to be executed in Tripoli, Libya.

The glamorous Le Pen who is the new poster girl of France's Far Right: 25-year-old at centre of National Front's 'record-breaking' election triumph eclipses her aunt and sounds JUST like her grandfather

Marion Marechal-Le Pen, France's youngest-ever MP when elected at 22, is on course to lead the southern Provence-Aples-Cote d'Azur region with polls giving her some 40 per cent of the vote.

The end of the revolution? Venezuela's opposition trounces Socialist party founded by Hugo Chavez to win control of national assembly for first time in 16 years 

The Democratic Unity coalition won 99 seats to the Socialist party's 46 in the 167-national National Assembly, the election board said, with some districts still to be counted.

Palestinian attacker is shot dead after stabbing an Israeli in the West Bank just hours after a knife-wielding 'terrorist' went on the rampage in Jerusalem

WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT: Dramatic footage taken on a mobile phone shows the 21-year-old walking towards the soldier in Jerusalem before four shots are fired and he falls to the ground.

Merkel's legacy: Germany on course for more than ONE MILLION asylum seekers in 2015 as tide of migrants continues despite cold weather 

Migrants queue inside a tent at the compound outside the Berlin Office of Health and Social Affairs (LAGESO) waiting to register in Berlin, Germany, December 1, 2015.      REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

Some 206,101 migrants arrived in November alone, a new monthly record, up from a previous high of 181,166 in October, according to the German interior ministry.

WORLD NEWS

       

Reporting for duty! Russia officially hands over Alsatian puppy to France after police sniffer dog Diesel was killed during siege of Paris 

The German shepherd puppy, called Dobrynya, was donated in solidarity with France following the Paris attacks. She is in memory of police dog Diesel, who was killed by a suicide bomber.

Mugged in broad daylight by CHILDREN: The shocking moment a woman is attacked in the middle of the street in Brazil as passers-by walk by doing nothing

Two pedestrians in the city of Porte Alegre, Brazil, look the other way as university worker Thais del Rio, 33, is cornered, pushed and punched by the youngsters aged just 12, 15 and 17.

US is 'certain' Russia was behind airstrike which killed three Syrian soldiers after Assad had blamed the States 

SYRIA. DECEMBER 5, 2015. Pictured in this screen grab is an airstrike by Russian Air Force on a Jabhat al-Nusra training base. Video screen grab. 
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A senior US official said they were 'certain' that it was a Russian air strike that killed three Syrian soldiers and wounded 13 others after the Assad regime blamed the US for the attack in Deir ezzor.

'If I'm gone, what would you do without me?' What 11-year-old Sara asked her father after being shot in the head fleeing ISIS in Syria

Sara, 11, was shot in the head as her family fled their home in Homs, Syria. Her father felt blood on his shoulder and turned to find his beautiful daughter slumped forward. She has made a good recovery.

PETER MCKAY: Mad? The Ripper is playing us all for fools 

The so-called Yorkshire Ripper, Peter Sutcliffe, 69, and two fellow killers have requested a goose instead of a turkey for their Christmas dinner at Broadmoor, says a news report.

DAILY MAIL COMMENT: Ten good years...but the key tests lie ahead

Looking back on his decade as Tory leader, David Cameron has much to be proud of. But there's still a long way to go if he is to be remembered as a great reforming prime minister.