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Threats were made against Alexander Litvinenko's life including in 2004 where his home was firebombed by two Chechen men, an inquiry has heard.

A public inquiry into the circumstances of Litvinenko's death in November 2006 heard he dedicated much of his time to "political campaigning" particularly objecting to "Putin's regime" after he came to the UK in 2000.

Robert Tam QC, counsel to the public inquiry, said: "At the extreme end of the spectrum in July 2006, Mr Litvinenko published an article on the Chechen press website accusing Putin of being a paedophile.

"Could the Kremlin have regarded him as an irritant or worse?" he added.

Waitrose has announced plans to create 2,000 extra jobs in 2015.

The supermarket said the positions would be in new and extended shops as well as an e-commerce grocery depot opening this year.

From spring, the retailer is opening 14 new shops including seven new supermarkets and seven Waitrose convenience stores.

The new stores will be in Oxford, Guildford, Basingstoke, Wollaton in Nottinghamshire, Milngavie in Dumbartonshire, Bagshot in Surrey,and Kings Cross, which will also house a new cookery school.

Smaller outlets will open in Heathfield in East Sussex and a further six locations in the south east.

Waitrose Director of Development Nigel Keen said: "Last year many of our branches received more than 10 applications for every vacancy - so we're delighted to be able to create an additional 2,000 roles in 2015."

Labour Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls said George Osborne has broken his promise to "balance the books".

He said Tory claims that the economy is fixed will "ring hollow with working people who are still not feeling the recovery".

"Wages are down by £1600 a year since 2010 and now these figures show a concerning slowdown in economic growth too, Mr Balls said.

“Construction is down again, business investment under this government is lagging behind our competitors and exports are way off target.

"And the stagnating wages we have seen over the last five years are the reason why the Chancellor has broken his promise to balance the books."

Metropolitan police have released an interactive map explaining how they built their evidence into the investigation of the death of 14-year-old Alice Gross.

The map shows the last known sighting of Alice on August 28 last year, and the moment police belief she came into contact with convicted murderer Arnis Zalkans.

Ed Miliband has said an NHS under David Cameron "is what tuition fees were to Nick Clegg".

The Labour leader accused Cameron of "broken promises" after he stood outside a hospital with a sign saying "no cuts" then later closed its A&E department.

His comments came as he outlined Labour's 10-year plan for the NHS if elected, which includes an extra 20,000 nurses and 8,000 GPs.

Ed Miliband has promised an "NHS with time to care" if Labour wins at the General Election.

The Labour leader pledged to recruit an extra 20,000 more nurses and 8,000 GPs and join home services up with hospitals.

He also said he would also guarantee GP appointments within 48 hours and cancer test results within one week.

In a speech in Trafford, Manchester, he added: "An NHS that is better for patients, better for staff and better for all of us."

Police have released pictures of the shoes Alice Gross was carrying in her rucksack when she died.

In a statement today, police said that though they have no eyewitness evidence that Arnis Zalkalns killed Alice, they have pieced together circumstantial DNA and other evidence that would have been enough to charge him with her murder.

Traces of Zalkans' DNA were found on the back of the shoes.

Tim Thompson, Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS London said he had not been asked to consider any other suspect.

French President Francois Hollande has paid his respects to Holocaust victims by placing a wreath at the Shoah memorial in Paris - the country's memorial and museum to the Holocaust.

He referred to the recent shooting at a Jewish supermarket in the Paris suburbs, and told the gathering that the whole of France shared their pain.

He said France is a homeland for all Jewish people and if they left - then the shooters will have won.

He pledged to make anti-Semitism a crime.

He spent time talking to five Jews who were deported and five young Jews and thanked survivors for their tireless work sharing their experiences with others.

The Hebrew word "Shoah" which means "catastrophe" is used in France to describe the Holocaust.