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John Kerry gets box of cookies for his 70th birthday
The US state department has posted a picture of the staff's gift to Secretary of State John Kerry for his 70th birthday - a box of cookies:
In honor of his 70th birthday, #SecKerry received @kilvertforbes cookies from staff today. Ben settled for a biscuit. http://t.co/GtxDZAVkQA
Whistleblower reveals Lloyds' sales techniques
A whistleblower has told ITV News he was under relentless pressure to "sell, sell, sell" during his time working at Lloyds Banking Group.
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de Klerk 'very sad' after seeing Mandela lying in state
Spoke to FW de Klerk as he emerged from Mandela lying in state. "I'm very sad... It touched heart deeply"
Wesley Williams 'behaved as if nothing had happened'
Wesley Williams behaved as if nothing had happened after murdering his ex-partner and her son, a court has heard.
Yvonne Walsh, 25, and her seven-month-old son Harrison were found dead in separate rooms with the curtains drawn at their home in Birmingham in May this year.
Mr Justice MacDuff said Williams' subsequent behaviour, which included posting messages on Ms Walsh's Facebook page and visiting friends, demonstrated how unconcerned he was at what he had done.
The judge told a completely impassive Williams:
You are the only person who knows precisely why you acted as you did, but it is clear that you could not accept being rejected by Yvonne Walsh when you were proposing or intending to propose marriage, and she wanted no further part in a relationship with you.
And you decided to kill her - in fact to execute her.
It was your decision, casually taken, that she had to die.
And then you killed Harrison as well, probably as he lay sleeping in his cot.
'Fake' interpreter seen signing for Jacob Zuma in 2012
Video posted online appears to show the man accused of 'faking' sign language during Nelson Mandela's memorial 'interpreting' for South African president Jacob Zuma last year.
The footage, apparently filmed in January 2012 at the ANC party's 100th anniversary, shows the man making gestures as Zuma sings to the crowd.
ANC communications manager Keith Khoza told NBC News that the interpreter had translated for party events in the past, but said that the man only “volunteered” and was not paid.
Witness recounts 'phone hacking' conversation to court
Media lawyer Ambi Sitham told the Old Bailey today that Piers Morgan "said to Rebekah [Brooks] that he already knew what her splash was going to be".
"He said 'I already know what your splash is, or your cover is, because I've been listening to messages'."
Asked by prosecutor Andrew Edis QC how Brooks responded, Ms Sitham said: "She retorted, 'been hacking into my phone again, have you, Piers?'
"He said something like, 'well you've been looking at my emails' or something. It was quite a quick back and forth of bantering, I just know what I heard.
Asked how they appeared, she said: "It was pointed. There was a pointedness to it."
Rebekah Brooks denies all charges against her and the trial continues.
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Murderer's relationship with woman who also killed son
A man sentenced to life for murdering his ex-partner and her seven-month-old son was previously in a relationship with a woman who also killed her son, it has been revealed.
Details of Wesley Williams' previous relationship with Rebecca Shuttleworth, who was jailed for life in June for the murder of son Keanu Williams, could not be reported by the media until today after a court order was lifted by the judge.
Brooks and Morgan 'exchanged phone hacking banter'
Rebekah Brooks and Piers Morgan exchanged banter at a dinner party about phone hacking, the Old Bailey was told today.
Media lawyer Ambi Sitham said she overheard the conversation at a steak restaurant in 2003 where some 20 media professionals were celebrating Andy Coulson's birthday.
Speaking by videolink from the United States, Sitham told the court that Brooks had asked Morgan if he had been "hacking into her phone again".
Brooks denies all of the charges against her. The trial continues.
Labour: Cameron 'threatening school standards'
Shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt said Ofsted's annual report shows David Cameron is "threatening school standards" with "a damaging postcode lottery education system".
Mr Hunt said:
By allowing unqualified teachers into our classrooms and having no strategy for school collaboration ... David Cameron is damaging school standards and hurting children's life chances.
Labour would ensure high standards in all schools, with rigorous local oversight, effective collaboration and properly qualified teachers.
Williams killed Walsh out of anger after rejection
Wesley Williams killed Yvonne Walsh and her seven-month-old son out of anger after she ended their relationship as he planned to propose to her.
Police found that Williams made comments on Facebook almost immediately after the murders.
In a post to his own Facebook account timed at 8.54pm on Friday May 31, Williams wrote: "Sometimes we just have to do things we shouldn't."
Inquiries by police also proved that Williams told another social media user he was in good spirits, and had then posted "I am sorry it had to come to this" on Ms Walsh's Facebook page.
The 29-year-old cannabis user was also captured on CCTV doing "high-fives" with a friend in a fast-food outlet in the hours before he was arrested by police.
Friends of Williams also told police he had seemed fine after May 31 and was "joking, laughing and smiling" as he played pool on a computer.
Read: Killer described as 'evil and dangerous beyond measure'
