Weather: Heavy Snow As 80mph Winds Blow In

After a brief respite from winter weather, freezing temperatures and gale force winds will be felt in many parts of the UK in the coming days.

Scotland will experience gusts of 70mph to 80mph and up to four inches (10cm) of snow will spread from the north to many parts.

Areas of higher ground in the south will also see accumulations.

Sky News weather producer Christopher England said: "There will be drifting in the stiff wind and blizzard conditions are likely at times. The blustery winds will be a hazard to high-sided vehicles too, with north-south routes most at risk.

"Snow showers will extend to most parts overnight, although they will tend to die back towards western coasts later, and with a widespread frost developing, there will be a risk of ice."

Men take photos on the Scottish border in Northumberland

The Met Office has issued a yellow "be aware" snow warning from 4pm to midnight. It said the wintry showers will turn to snow inland and there is a 70% probability of low temperatures and icy conditions.

Temperatures will drop to -2C overnight but the wind chill factor will make it feel much colder.

Further snow showers are expected on Tuesday as temperatures will continue to fall through the week, mainly in the north, bringing a risk of ice to untreated surfaces.

Snow storms brought parts of the country to a standstill at the end of last month.

On January 25 hundreds of drivers were forced to spend the night in their cars on the M6 in Lancashire after more than a foot of snow fell.

The snow was followed by widespread floods caused by the thaw and heavy rain.

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Dale Cregan Trial: Extra Security At Court

Armed officers are on duty around a court building where the trial of a man accused of murdering two police officers is due to start.

Dale Cregan, 29, is accused of the murder of PCs Fiona Bone and Nicola Hughes, and of father and son David and Mark Short, last year.

The trial, at Preston Crown Court, will get under way later although the jury will not be sworn in until Tuesday and the opening remarks are not expected until Thursday.

Cregan arrived at the courthouse this morning after being driven to Preston in a police convoy.

PC Hughes, 23, and PC Bone, 32, are alleged to have been murdered as they responded to a report of a burglary in Hattersley, Greater Manchester, on the morning of September 18 last year.

PCs Fiona Bone and Nicola Hughes were murdered last year.

Former amateur boxer Mark Short is alleged to have been killed at the Cotton Tree pub in Droylsden, Manchester, on the evening of May 25.

His 46-year-old father was found dead on August 10 after an explosion at a house in nearby Clayton.

Cregan has pleaded not guilty to the offences.

Up to 150 officers are in the precincts of the court and inside the building in preparation for the start of the trial, which is expected to last 12 weeks, with a week's break for Easter.

As part of the stepped-up security, a portable cabin has been built on the steps of the court entrance so all visitors can be searched.

Lawyers, media and other court users will have to pass through airport-style metal detectors, watched by police and security guards.

Further checks will take place inside the courthouse for those seeking access to Court One, where the trial will be held.

Once a jury has been selected, the trial, presided over by Mr Justice Holroyde QC, will begin with Nicholas Clarke QC putting the case for the prosecution.

Simon Csoka QC will defend Cregan.

Seats in the public gallery have been set aside for relatives of the police officers and the Short family, and also the detectives who worked on the murder inquiries.

A handful of seats have been reserved inside for the media, but most of the 50 members of the press and broadcasters who are expected to cover the trial will watch the case unfold via TV screens in an annexe inside the courthouse.

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European Football Match-Fixing Ring Smashed

A criminal ring suspected of fixing 380 matches, including World Cup qualifying games, has been smashed by police in Europe.

The matches included European Championship qualifiers, two Champions League games and some top-flight matches in European national leagues.

One of the Champions League matches was played in England in the last three or four years, according to Sky sources.

Rob Wainwright, head of the European police agency Europol, said the investigation had identified about 425 corrupt officials, players and serious criminals in 15 countries.

It had uncovered "match-fixing activity on a scale we have not seen before", he said.

Most of the fixed matches were played in Turkish, German and Swiss championships, but other suspicious matches were identified in Africa, Asia and south and central America.

Inquiries found evidence that a Singapore-based crime group was spending up to 100,000 euros (£86,000) per match to bribe players and officials.

The probe uncovered 8m euros (£6.9m) in betting profits and 2m euros (£1.7m) in bribes to players and officials and has already led to several prosecutions.

Europol declined to identify any of the suspects, players or matches involved, citing the ongoing investigations.

Mr Wainwright said while many fixed matches were already known, the Europol investigation lifted the lid on the widespread involvement or organised crime in rigging games.

"This is the first time we have established substantial evidence that organised crime is now operating in the world of football," he said, adding that there was now a "concerted effort" across the soccer world to tackle the corruption.

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Bin Laden Town Abbottabad Plans Theme Park

Plans to build a £19m amusement park in the town where Osama bin Laden was killed by US special forces have been revealed.

The 50-acre site on the edge of Abbottabad would include a zoo, adventure sports facilities, restaurants and artificial waterfalls.

Officials in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province hope the project will boost tourism but denied it was intended to improve the town's image after the bin Laden raid.

The al Qaeda terrorist was killed by US Navy Seals at his compound in the town on May 2, 2011.

"The amusement city will be built on 50 acres in the first phase but later will be extended to 500 acres," Syed Aqil Shah, the provincial minister for tourism and sports, said.

The compound where bin Laden was killed

"It will have a heritage park, wildlife zoo, food street, adventure and paragliding clubs, waterfalls and jogging tracks."

Work is due to begin in late February or early March and will take eight years to complete. Funds worth three billion rupees (£19m) have been allocated, he said.

Abbottabad, a quiet, leafy town in the foothills of the Himalayas around 50km (30 miles) north of the capital Islamabad, has long been a popular spot for wealthier families to spend weekends away.

The town also houses Pakistan's elite military academy and the discovery of the world's most-wanted man on its doorstep prompted allegations of incompetence or complicity between the armed forces and the 9/11 mastermind.

But Mr Shah insisted the new development was simply about promoting tourism, not polishing the town's tarnished image.

"This project has nothing to do with Osama bin Laden.

"We are working to promote tourism and amusement facilities in the whole province and this project is one of those facilities," he said.

The authorities demolished the compound where bin Laden hid with his wives and children last February, fearing it could become a shrine to al Qaeda followers.

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Ahmadinejad: I'll Be Iran's First Astronaut

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has revealed his dream to be his country's first astronaut.

He said he was willing to sacrifice his life for Iran's space programme, which aims to send a man into space by 2020 and put an astronaut on the moon by 2025.

"I'm ready to be the first Iranian to be sacrificed by the scientists of my country and go into space, even though I know there are a lot of candidates," state news agency IRNA quoted him as saying.

Speaking at a ceremony to unveil two new satellites, Mr Ahmadinejad added that he was willing to "auction (himself) and donate" the money to the space programme, which has been hit by international economic sanctions over Tehran's controversial nuclear drive.

Iran claimed last week it had successfully sent a monkey named Pishgam - or Pioneer in Farsi - into space and brought it back alive.

However, doubts have been raised over the mission as before-and-after images appear to show two different animals.

In 2010, Iran said it launched a rocket into space carrying a mouse, turtle and worms, but an attempt the following year to put a monkey into space failed - although no official explanation was given.

Western nations have suggested the space tests could be a cover for the development of ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, but Tehran denies there is any link with its nuclear programme.

The UN Security Council has imposed an almost total embargo on the export of nuclear and space technology to Iran since 2007.

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Richard III: Council Car Park Skeleton Is King

Remains found beneath a council car park in Leicester have solved the 500-year-old mystery about the final resting place of King Richard III, archaeologists say.

Researchers said they had concluded "beyond reasonable doubt" that the skeleton, which showed evidence of an abnormal lateral curvature of the spine, was the monarch.

There were cheers at the University of Leicester as the announcement was made.

Bone specialist Jo Appleby said a study of the remains provided "a highly convincing case for identification of Richard III".

The remains were found on the first day of a three-week dig

"The analysis of the skeleton proved that it was an adult male but was an unusually slender, almost feminine, build for a man. This is in keeping with historical sources which describe Richard as being of very slender build," she said.

DNA samples from Michael Ibsen - a Canadian-born furniture maker who is a direct descendant of Richard's sister, Anne of York - provided further certainty.

Dr Turi King, the project geneticist, said: "There is a DNA match between the maternal DNA from the descendents of the family of Richard III and the skeletal remains we found at the Greyfriars dig.

Richard III was the last Plantagenet monarch

"In short, the DNA evidence points to these being the remains of Richard III."

The skeleton, with severe trauma to the skull and an arrow in the back, was unearthed on the first day of a three-week dig at the site of what is believed to have been the choir of Greyfriars Church.

Historical records show the long-lost church was the burial site of the monarch, following his brutal death at the battle of Bosworth Field in 1485.

Michael Ibsen provided DNA for comparison

The remains were found in good condition - with feet missing - at a depth of 68cm. The hand were crossed over the front of the pelvis and there was no evidence of a coffin or shroud found.

The king's remains will now be reinterred at Leicester Cathedral, the nearest consecrated ground, in keeping with archaeological practice.

Shakespeare portrayed Richard III as a hunchbacked tyrant but modern historians argue that the king was the victim of Tudor propaganda.

The car park where the skeleton was found

His brief reign from 1483 saw liberal reforms, including the introduction of the right to bail and the lifting of restrictions on books and printing presses.

Richard III was the last Plantagenet monarch, a Yorkist defeated by Henry Tudor, who became Henry VII.

"It will be a whole new era for Richard III," the Richard III Society's Lynda Pidgeon said. "It's certainly going to spark a lot more interest.

"Hopefully people will have a more open mind toward Richard."

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Malala: Schoolgirl Shot By Taliban Speaks Out

The Pakistani schoolgirl shot in the head by the Taliban has spoken out about her recovery for the first time since she was nearly killed.

Malala Yousufzai, 15, underwent successful surgery to reconstruct her skull and restore her hearing at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham at the weekend.

She escaped death by a matter of inches when she was shot on a school bus in northwestern Pakistan on October 9 last year - as the bullet entered just above her left eye and ran along her jaw, "grazing" her brain.

The Islamist gunmen said they targeted her because she promoted girls' education and "Western thinking".

In a message recorded by the hospital on Sunday, Malala said she was "feeling alright" and "happy that both the operations were successful".

She said: "I can also walk a little bit, I can talk and I'm feeling better.

"It does not feel like I had a very big operation," she added, despite undergoing five hours of surgery.

Malala on her path to recovery

Her doctors have expressed their delight at her recovery. They hope that the latest procedures - to put a titanium plate on her damaged skull and to fit a cochlear implant - will be the last surgery she needs.

Neurosurgeon Anwen White said that her "brain is healing very well" and she did not expect any long lasting cognitive problems.

She said the teenager would continue with rehabilitation and then "hopefully be discharged home fairly soon".

University Hospitals Birmingham medical director Dave Rosser said Malala was "doing very well".

He added that just a day after the operations Malala was "already talking about resuming her work and furthering her cause for women's education".

"Most of us would be feeling sorry for ourselves 24 hours after an operation like that, not talking about helping other people."

In another video interview, filmed before her surgery on January 22 but only just published, Malala is heard saying that she was "getting better, day by day".

Surgeons operating on Malala

Speaking clearly but with a slight stiffness in her upper lip, she said: "Today you can see that I am alive. I can speak, I can see you, I can see everyone.

"It's just because of the prayers of people. Because all people - men, women, children - all of them have prayed for me. And because of all these prayers God has given me this new life, a second life.

"And I want to serve. I want to serve the people. I want every girl, every child, to be educated. For that reason, we have organised the Malala Fund."

Malala was airlifted to Britain from Pakistan in October to receive specialist medical care and protection against further Taliban threats.

She is expected to remain in the UK for some time as her father, Ziauddin, has received a diplomatic post based in Birmingham.

The Malala Fund is a girls' education charity set up in late 2012. It launched with a $10m (£6.4m) donation from Pakistan.

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Chris Huhne Pleads Guilty Over Penalty Points

Chris Huhne is facing a possible jail sentence after admitting lying to police over a speeding offence committed a decade ago.

The former Energy Secretary pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice over claims his ex-wife Vicky Pryce took penalty points so that he could avoid prosecution.

He announced he was quitting as an MP shortly after entering the plea on the first day of the pair's trial at Southwark Crown Court in London.

The dramatic move came just days after he denied the offence at a preliminary hearing last week and sets up a bitter by-election fight in his constituency of Eastleigh.

Pryce, a former Government economics adviser, denies a charge of perverting the course of justice. Her case has been adjourned until Tuesday but is expected to proceed.

In a short statement outside the court, Huhne said: "I have pleaded guilty today. I am unable to say more while there is an outstanding trial.

"Having taken responsibility for something which happened 10 years ago, the only proper course of action for me is to resign my Eastleigh seat in Parliament which I will do very shortly.

"That is all I can say today."

Huhne's ex-wife Vicky Pryce arriving at court

Perversion of the course of justice carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

Huhne, 58, once seen as a future Lib Dem leader, has been released on unconditional bail and will be sentenced at a later date.

Mr Justice Sweeney made clear in court: "You should have no illusions whatsoever as to the sort of sentence that you are likely to receive."

The politician arrived at the court on Monday with his girlfriend Carina Trimingham, who he admitted having an affair with in 2010.

It was only after their relationship was exposed and his 26-year marriage to Pryce fell apart that the penalty points claims emerged.

Ms Trimingham, a PR adviser, watched from the public gallery as Huhne entered his plea.

The charges date back to March 2003 when Huhne's car was caught speeding on the motorway between Stansted Airport and London.

His legal team had led a desperate bid to get the case thrown out, arguing it was "at best gossamer thin" and the evidence was circumstantial.

His barrister John Kelsey-Fry, who reportedly charges £20,000-a-day for his services, also tried to have the trial stayed because of an abuse of process.

He claimed a fair trial was impossible because the offence was committed so long ago, the original forms had been destroyed and there was so much adverse publicity.

Days of legal argument - under strict reporting restrictions - ensued as prosecutors insisted the combination of evidence did point to Huhne being the one behind the wheel and that he should go to trial.

The judge eventually ruled that the trial should go ahead, at which point Huhne pleaded not guilty. But on Monday, as he prepared to face a jury, he changed his mind and admitted his crime.

Details of his broken relationship with his son Peter following his marriage break-up also emerged as a series of text messages between the pair were read out in court.

In June 2010, Peter, then 18, rebuffed his father's attempts to make contact, saying: "I don't want to speak to you. You disgust me." He later wrote: "You are the most ghastly man I have ever known."

On Christmas Day, Huhne sent a message saying: "Happy Christmas. Love you. Dad." Peter replied: "Well I hate you so f*** off."

Three days later, Huhne wrote to congratulate him but his son said: "Leave me alone. You have no place in my life... Don't contact me again. You make me feel sick."

In May 2011, Peter referred to the penalty points, writing: "Are you going to accept your responsibility or do I have to contact the police and tell them what you told me?".

When he stood down from the Cabinet last February, Huhne had vowed to clear his name.

At the time, he said: "I am innocent of these charges, and I intend to fight this in the courts, and I am confident that a jury will agree."

His departure from the Commons 12 months on completes the fall from grace of one many had seen as Nick Clegg's natural successor.

After the dramatic developments, Mr Clegg said: "This is obviously an extremely serious matter and it is essential that the legal process is now allowed to run its course.

"I am shocked and saddened by what has happened but I believe that Chris Huhne has taken the right decision in resigning as an MP."

The by-election fight for the Eastleigh seat will be the first since the coalition formed where the Tories and Lib Dems are the main contenders.

Huhne won with a majority of 3,864 in 2010 but it is viewed as a key target for the Tories.

UKIP leader Nigel Farage has also previously stood for the area and could use the opening to make another run for Parliament.

Party sources said UKIP would be fielding a candidate in Eastleigh and Mr Farage would consider the situation, adding that the constituency was "very close to his heart".

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Drunk Son Who Ran Over Mother Is Sentenced

A drunken teenager who ran over and killed his mother in a fit of temper has been sent to a young offenders' institution.

Lewis Foster, 19, was drunk and emotional when he got behind the wheel of his Vauxhall Corsa on July 12 last year.

The landscape gardener had spent the afternoon drinking with his boss in Cornwall but later got into an argument with his mother, Deborah Jones, when he returned to his family home in St Austell.

He began revving the vehicle, causing his mother to come to the lane at the back of the house where the Corsa had been parked and beg him to stop.

Foster, who had a provisional licence, said his foot slipped on the clutch, causing the vehicle to spring backwards and pin his mother underneath the wheels.

She was taken to hospital but was pronounced dead the following morning with a number of severe injuries.

Judge David Ticehurst said: "Had you spent a moment or two thinking about the situation, had you not been drunk, had you not been in temper, you would not have been here.

"The words 'tragic' and 'tragedy' are often misused these days, but there is no doubt this was a tragic case with tragic consequences. Nothing I say or do can add to the sense of guilt you feel and always feel."

The judge, sitting at Truro Crown Court, said he would "temper justice with mercy," sentencing Foster to 12 months' detention after the teenager pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving. He was also banned from driving for four years.

Foster, wearing a dark suit and blue tie, wept throughout the 20-minute hearing as details of the night in question were heard in court.

Prosecuting, Philip Lee said Foster - who was found to be twice the legal drink-drive limit -  was "in a bad frame of mind" at the time of the incident, around 9pm.

Mr Lee said: "Witnesses could see [Ms Jones] shouting at him, at the back of the car.

"She called his friend to come out and help, who tried to unlock the bonnet and disable the engine, but couldn't. She began to walk towards the passenger side. As the car was still revving, it reversed. It shot backwards."

The court heard how Foster's friend frantically tried to use a jack and suspend the car, freeing Ms Jones, but she died from her injuries.

Piers Norsworthy, defending, said Foster and his mother loved each other very much, and that there was never any intention to harm her.

"At the time of the incident, this young man was in a very dark place," he said.

"No rational thought would have gone through his mind. He's a decent young man who's not always had the best of starts in his life, but he certainly loves his mother very dearly.

"The punishment your honour will impose will pale into insignificance compared with the mental damage this man will face and continue to face."

A tearful Foster blew a kiss to his family members in the public gallery as he was led from the dock.

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Olympic 100m Final Bottle-Thrower Sentenced

A man who threw a plastic beer bottle at athletes in the men's Olympic 100 metres final has been given an eight-week community order.

Ashley Gill-Webb, who suffers from bipolar disorder, used an old ticket to get into the Olympic Park and then the stadium on August 5 last year, a court heard.

The 34-year-old man hurled abuse at competitors, including Jamaican sprint star Usain Bolt, and then threw a bottle on to the track as the final began.

It landed behind the lane markers and the world's top sprinters as they exploded out of their blocks in the showpiece race at the London 2012 Games.

Gill-Webb, of South Milford, near Leeds, was found guilty of public disorder at Stratford Magistrates' Court, east London, last month.

District Judge William Ashworth, sitting at Thames Magistrates' Court, told Gill-Webb: "Your intention was to target the highest-profile event  at the London Olympic and put off Usain Bolt.

"The potential harm of triggering a false start was significant. By good fortune, you failed. You did, however, spoil the occasion for some spectators and tarnish the spirit of the Games."

The bottle landed behind the athletes

The judge added: "You suffer from bipolar disorder. At the time of the offence, you were in the throes of a manic episode. This made you over-confident and your behaviour risky.

"I have reduced your punishment to take account of the effects of your illness."

Gill-Webb,  who is being treated for his illness, will be electronically-monitored and be subject to a 7pm to 7am curfew. He was also ordered to pay a £1,500 contribution to costs.

The court heard Gill-Webb pushed his way to the front of an exclusive seating area at the stadium and started shouting: "Usain, I want you to lose." He then threw the bottle.

Dutch judo champion and London 2012 70kg bronze medallist Edith Bosch who confronted him about the bottle throwing said the incident made her miss the race. Gill-Webb was escorted from the stadium and arrested.

The defendant, who did not give evidence during his trial, originally denied throwing the bottle, but his DNA was later found on it.

He later said he could not remember what happened.

Tom Barley, defending, said Gill-Webb risked inflicting "massive embarrassment on the country" by his behaviour.

He has since lost his job through the bad publicity triggered by the case and has two young children to look after, the court heard.

Bolt, the world record-holder and defending champion, won the 100 metres in 9.63 seconds, ahead of Jamaican team-mate and 2011 world champion Yohan Blake. American Justin Gatlin, the 2004 100m Olympic champion, won bronze.

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