News

Seven people, including three children, were killed when a gas truck exploded and destroyed a large part of a maternity hospital in the west of Mexico City, emergency services said.

Luis Felipe Puente, the head of the country's civil protection agency, confirmed the seven deaths.

Dozens of people were evacuated, some with injuries from broken glass, while rescue workers scour the area for survivors.

A Metropolitan Police spokeswoman said the force has undertaken a risk assessment of the material that was on the discs and has taken "appropriate steps".

The trade union Unite has announced it is to donate £1.5m to the Labour Party's campaign funds.

Police forces are close to "tipping point" when it comes to delivering policing services, the President of the Police Superintendents Association of England and Wales has said.

Chief Superintendent Irene Curtis said further cuts could leave it "incredibly difficult" for the police forces to deliver an efficient service to the public, with fewer officers on patrol and people facing longer waits for officers to attend incidents.

The wife of freelance journalist Kenji Goto has made an emotional plea for her husband - who is being held hostage by Islamic State militants - to be released.

A full statement was posted on the Rory Peck Trust website.

Severe weather warnings for snow and ice have been issued for almost every part of the UK, with forecasters predicting a week of snow and ice as a cold snap continues to grip the country.

The Met Office has issued the yellow 'be aware' alerts for the rest of today, covering Scotland and Northern Ireland as well as most of England and Wales, with only coastal areas of Wales and the south-west of England escaping.

Up to 15cm of snow - around six inches - is predicted to fall in some highland areas tonight, with some "thundersnow" storms expected in the north.

Yellow warnings of snow are also in force for large swathes of the country over the coming week.

A member of staff has been suspended from the Ministry of Justice after files from three major inquiries went missing in the post.

The Ministry of Justice said an independent review had also been set up to find out how the information was lost.

The inquiries centre on Azelle Rodney and Mark Duggan, who were both shot dead by the Met Police, and Robert Hamill, who was beaten to death by a loyalists in Northern Ireland.

In a statement, the Ministry of Justice, said: "Government officials became aware on 8 January that two discs containing documents relating to these inquiries were missing, having been dispatched by post.

"Immediate steps were taken, including intensive searches to locate the discs.

"These searches continue with police assistance. The discs have not, as yet, been found."

Treasury Solicitor’s lawyers said they were reviewing whether any of the lost information posed a risk to anyone if it got into the wrong hands.

The MoJ said individuals will be contacted, where appropriate, to inform them of any personal information relating to them.

The uncle of Jordanian pilot Moaz al-Kesasbeh has said that the family has "received assurances" from Islamic State militants that he is still alive.

The comments appear to conflict with a statement from a Jordanian government spokesman, who said no confirmation of the hostage's welfare had been received.