Michael Will Be Bigger In Death

Michael Jackson will be bigger in death than he was in life, according to his father Joe.

In an interview with Fox News, Mr Jackson said he wished his son was around to see the public outpouring of affection towards him.

He also said it was unlikely stress about his upcoming concert tour killed the King of Pop.

Mr Jackson told Geraldo Rivera that the Jackson family is "pretty strong" and coping with their loss.

As for Jackson's children, he said: "My grandchildren are fantastic."

The Jacksons have gathered at the home of Michael's brother Jermaine to make funeral arrangements and discuss the future of the singer's three children.

In a statement issued by Mr Jackson earlier, they said: "Our beloved son, brother and father of three children has gone so unexpectedly, in such a tragic way and much too soon.

"It leaves us, his family, speechless and devastated to a point, where communication with the outside world seems almost impossible at times.

"We miss Michael endlessly, our pain cannot be described in words."

And then they told fans: "Michael would not want us to give up now. Please do not despair, because Michael will continue to live on in each and every one of you.

"Continue to spread his message, because that is what he would want you to do. Carry on, so his legacy will live forever."

The family is believed to be planning a series of simultaneous global celebrations to honour the star.

And they are continuing their efforts to discover the truth about what caused Jackson's death by requesting a second post-mortem examination.

Family friend Rev Jesse Jackson said: "We have called for an independent autopsy, we cannot just depend on the state.

"It should be independent and verifiable and it should be done quickly.

"The longer we wait the more anxiety there is about the matter. It deserves real priority."

Police in Los Angeles have now had the chance to speak to Jackson's personal doctor Dr Conrad Murray.

He was with the star when he collapsed but said he was not responsible for his death.

Police have said they are not conducting a criminal inquiry into the death of the pop superstar.

Fox News reported that investigators found Jackson's body to be healthier and stronger than they had expected, with some scarring on the face.

Harry Potters Fan Swindled By Hackers

Harry Potter fans desperate for a sneak preview of the new film are being ripped off by hackers.

Cybercriminals are planting links on blogging websites to tempt eager punters to watch the soon to be released Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince for free.

Clicking the link opens a new page where the Potter potty are apparently just a press of the mouse away from an early premiere.

But first lovers of JK Rowling's fantastical creations are told they must download and install a "streamviewer" in order to watch it.

Like a bad spell the streamweaver downloads "malware" which secretly records personal information such as passwords, and bank card numbers.

These details are gathered by hackers often working for organised crime networks and sold on.

Fraudsters can then reproduce account details onto blank cards ready to be sold over the internet or use the information for other scams.

Michael Greene, vice president of Product Strategy for PC Tools, said Harry Potter fans are being hit because of the buzz surrounding the new release.

"It's a case of curiosity kills the cat... If you want to see the Harry Potter video before it's released you are going to click on the link. But it's likely you'll get an infection on your computer.

"It's not uncommon to target major events. The malwriters need an audience in order to deliver the malware."

The difficulty in tackling cybercrime is the pace of change. New malware is written every day so programs cannot easily be detected by anti-virus software.

Unfortunately this means impatient fans could be left with no money to see the real movie when it hits cinemas.

Rare White Tiger Mauls Zookeeper To Death In NZ

A zookeeper has been mauled to death by a white tiger in front of horrified tourists at a wildlife park in New Zealand.

The animal fatally mauled the man while he was cleaning an enclosure in Whangarei's Zion Wildlife Park on North Island.

Despite the efforts of a second keeper and a rapid response from other wildlife park staff, the tiger would not let the park worker go.

He died at the scene.

Police spokeswoman Sarah Kennett said the keeper had suffered serious injuries to his abdomen and lower legs.

The tiger was later destroyed by wildlife park staff.

Victim Support officers were called to the scene to help distressed park employees and visitors, including eight foreign tourists who witnessed the attack.

The park, located near the northern city of Whangarei, has 42 rare lions and tigers.

They are kept in large wire-cage enclosures, which include trees and grassy areas.

In February, park employee Demetri Price required surgery after he was attacked by a white tiger.

Scottish teenager Lisa Baxter was left scarred last year after she put her hands through a hole in the fence and was bitten by a white lion.

Authorities are investigating the latest incident.

Truck Driver Gets Fired Up

This truck driver has a blazing experience as his engine catches fire.As this web video shows everything seems fine as this driver heads out in his truck.

Things soon get a little to hot for comfort as the front of the truck catches fire.

It is all over in a blaze of glory though as the fire burns itself out, even leaving the flags untouched.

Babysitter 15, 'Beat Two-Year-Old Girl Toddler To Death'

A 15-year-old boy beat a toddler to death, a court in Manchester has been told.

The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, denies murdering two-year-old Demi Mahon on July 17 last year.

The child's mother, Ann Marie McDonald, sobbed as she gave evidence before jurors at Manchester Crown Court.

Ms McDonald told the jury of six men and six women that she left her daughter with the defendant at a house in Eccles, Salford, for around 90 minutes while she popped out to pick up her child benefit and buy a birthday card.

She said that when she returned he was standing outside the house with a man.

Ms McDonald claimed the defendant then said to her: "I picked her up - I might have hurt her - and she fell in the park."

She said she rushed into the house and found her daughter in bed with the bedclothes partially covering her face.

Ms McDonald said: "Her face was bruised. I tried to pick her up and her head flopped back. She couldn't breathe properly.

"I screamed 'Why haven't you rung an ambulance?' He said 'I never done nothing, I've not done nothing'."

Ms McDonald, who is known as Sindy, sobbed as she pointed to the defendant and said: "He did that to my daughter", before leaving the court in tears.

Prosecutor Howard Bentham QC said: "When her small body was examined by Dr Naomi Carter, pathologist, Dr Carter found 68 sites of injury on that small body.

"We say every one of those injuries were caused by this young man.

"They were all over her body but many of them were to her head and face and Dr Carter drew the conclusion that young Demi had probably been punched repeatedly in the face."

Mr Bentham told the jury that the defence will argue that their client suffered an abnormality of mind which impaired his responsibility.

Venezuela Ready Attack Honduras

Venezuela's president Hugo Chavez has threatened military action against Honduras after the country's president was overthrown.

Honduras' supreme court claims it told the army to oust President Manual Zelaya after his attempt to hold a referendum on his re-election.

During the coup the ambassadors of Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba were taken hostage.

President Chavez said Honduran soldiers left the Venezuelan ambassador on the side of a road after beating him.

Speaking on state television, President Chavez said he would do everything necessary to "abort" the coup.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Sunday has also condemned the action.

"We call on all parties in Honduras to respect the constitutional order and the rule of law, to reaffirm their democratic vocation, and to commit themselves to resolve political disputes peacefully and through dialogue," she said in a statement.

President Zelaya was arrested at his home by around a dozen soldiers and taken to a military base on the outskirts of the capital, Tegucigalpa.

Mr Zelaya said soldiers rousted him out of bed, beat his bodyguards and arrested him in his pyjamas.

He was then flown to Costa Rica from where he condemned his ousting from power.

Mr Zelaya said he was a "victim of kidnapping" and a "coup d'etat," part of a plot by members of the military to remove him from power".

He said he would not recognise any replacement, asked his compatriots to peacefully resist and said the United States should demand his government be reinstated.

President Barack Obama said he was "deeply concerned", while Czech Foreign Minister Jan Kohout, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, called for "a swift return to constitutional normality."

A neighbor told Honduran television that about 200 troops arrive at Zelaya's home in a dawn swoop.

Shortly after, tanks rolled through the streets and Army trucks carrying hundreds of soldiers equipped with metal riot shields surrounded the presidential palace in downtown Tegucigalpa.

Pro-Zelaya protesters yelled insults at the soldiers while more troops could be seen surrounding the palace.

Tear gas was also fired by police as hundreds of supporters gathered in the centre of the capital.

Mr Zelaya was elected in 2006 for a non-renewable four-year term but planned a vote asking Hondurans to sanction a future referendum to allow him to run for re-election.

He was opposed by the country's Supreme Court, the military, Congress and members of his own party, the Liberal Party of Honduras.

Last week he sacked the country's top military chief, General Romeo Vasquez, and also accepted the resignation of Defense Minister Edmundo Orellana after military commanders refused to distribute ballot boxes for Sunday's vote.

But in defiance of the president the Honduran Supreme Court unanimously voted to reinstate General Vasquez.

Michael Jackson Singles No1

Michael Jackson has topped the album chart and made six new entries in the singles top 40 as fans rushed to buy his material in the wake of his death.

His Number Ones album, that features all of his biggest hits, raced up the charts from 121 to reach number one.

The same album earned Jackson his last number one hit when it was released in 2003.

Four of his other hit albums also made a reappearance in the top 40.

A total of 11 Michael Jackson or Jackson Five albums are in this week's Top 200 and 43 out of the Top 200 singles feature the singer, the Official Charts Company said.

Thriller, still the biggest selling album of all time, surged from 179 to number seven, King of Pop reached 14, Off The Wall got to 17 and The Essential Michael Jackson came in at number 20.

Music retailers said that although demand for Jackson's singles had been overwhelming since his death his extensive back catalogue meant that no one song stood out in sales and he was narrowly denied a posthumous entry in the singles top 10.

Man in the Mirror re-entered the charts at number 11, nearly 20 years after its original release and Jackson hits accounted for all but one of the new entries in this week's top 40 singles.

Billie Jean got to 25, Smooth Criminal to 28, Beat It reached 30 and Earth Song reached 38.

Jackson's return to the charts overshadowed electro-pop newcomer La Roux's surge straight into the number one spot in the singles chart with Bulletproof.

Kasabian also suffered from the Jackson effect and was knocked off the number one spot in the albums chart after three weeks in the chart with West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum.

Jackson has been dominating sales at music retailers and download sites across the world since his death.

At one stage his songs topped Apple's iTunes download charts in every country except Japan.

Spokesman Gennaro Castaldo said HMV stores saw sales rise 80 times over in the 24 hours after Jackson's death - the biggest one day lift in any artist's album sales in the store's history and one which dwarfed the leap in sales after the deaths of Elvis Presley, John Lennon and Freddie Mercury.

Hospital Dash For Ronnie Biggs

Great Train Robber Ronnie Biggs has been rushed to hospital with a suspected broken hip.

Biggs was apparently found on his cell floor early Sunday, suffering from a hip injury and chest pains.

He was taken from Norwich Prison to hospital for medical treatment.

His son Michael has spoken to Sky News about today's events and the risks involved in surgery for his father.

"My father was taken this morning with a fractured hip so we are waiting for the main surgeon to come in and see if it is safe for him to undergo surgery," Michael Biggs said.

"What I imagine happened is that he probably fell off his bed."

"My father is in such frail condition."

Sky News crime correspondent Martin Brunt says the 79-year-old has been dogged by a number of medical conditions in recent years.

"Since he came back to Britain, he has suffered a number of strokes and heart attacks," Brunt said.

During a pneumonia attack last February Biggs was rushed to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.

"This coming Friday is the day he's due to be released on parole - that's not been confirmed - but at the moment his family are waiting for Jack Straw to sign off on Ronnie Biggs' parole," he said.

"The Parole Board has recommended he be released on that date," Brunt added.

Biggs' family believe the time served by the robber is far beyond what was fair.

"We are distressed - parts of me think they are trying to make an example out of my father," Michael Biggs told Sky.

Brazil-based Biggs returned to Britain in May 2001 to serve out his sentence after fleeing Wandsworth Prison in 1965.

He had served just 15 months of a 30-year sentence for his part in the infamous post office train raid that netted more than £2m.

"I don't think he has any regrets of coming back," Michael added.

"He has paid his debt to society and now should be let out."

According to Michael, his father has been virtually confined to a wheelchair in jail and insists he is no threat to the public.

"It is quite pathetic - I think the only crime my father could do is use his bus pass before 9am," Michael said.

Once officially released on parole, the plan is for Biggs to enter a nursing home in north London, Brunt revealed.

Hospital Stay Finishes For Ex-PM

Margaret Thatcher will leave hospital on Monday after two weeks of treatment following a broken arm.

The ex-PM had an operation at the Chelsea and Westminster hospital on June 19 and was said today to be in "good spirits".

Her spokesman said: "Lady Thatcher will be returning home tomorrow. She is in good spirits and recovering well."

The Iron Lady remained in hospital for far longer than was originally expected.

She had surgery to insert a pin into her upper left arm which she broke in a fall at her home.

Doctors decided on the move after the injury failed to heal as quickly as they would have liked.

Lady Thatcher has suffered a number of health scares in recent years, including a series of minor strokes.

In March last year, she spent a night in hospital after feeling unwell while having dinner with friends.

Last summer, her daughter Carol revealed her mother was suffering from dementia.

Lady Thatcher cut down her commitments - all but stopping speaking in public - on the advice of doctors several years ago but she continues to attend ceremonial functions.

Pilot Rescued From English Channel

The pilot of a light plane had to be rescued from the English Channel after he was forced to ditch the aircraft when its engine failed.

The man was said to have been stranded on the plane's wing for about an hour waiting to be picked up.

He was later found floating in the water wearing a yellow life jacket and suffering mild hypothermia.

The RAF and Belgium airforce were both involved in the rescue operation.

The pilot was taken by helicopter to William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, Kent.

He had been en route from Lydd in Kent to France when he brought the plane down at 2.30pm, about eight miles from his origin.

He was the only person on board the aircraft.

Michael Mulford from RAF Kinloss told Sky News: "Details are sketchy, but it seems he was able to stay with the aircraft long enough to be rescued by a passing ship.

"It set off an international rescue operation. We were involved and the Belgium airforce launched a helicopter."

A spokesman for the Dover coastguard said it received a call from Lydd Airport air traffic control reporting a light aircraft with engine failure, eight miles south-east of Lydd.

"At the same time a south-west bound vessel in the Dover Strait reported a light aircraft ditching in the vicinity.

"The vessel immediately went to give assistance as did another vessel.

"The pilot was rescued from the wreckage by the Dutch Faith vessel."

The spokesman added it appeared the pilot was able to land the plane and get out.

"He was wearing a life jacket which is a sensible precaution if flying over water," he said.

"The jacket enabled him to be spotted along with the good weather conditions, everything was in his favour."

Warning As Britain Basks In The Sun

The Met Office has issued a heat warning for large parts of the UK as forecasters predicted temperatures could rise above 30C.

Health and social services will be preparing themelves under the Heat Health system should temperatures get too much for the young and elderly as increasingly hot and humid air will spread across much of Britain during this coming week.

The system uses four levels of response based upon threshold maximum daytime and minimum night-time temperatures.

These thresholds vary by region, but an average is 30C (86F) by day and 15C (59F) overnight.

Wales, the north and Scotland is at level one, the lowest, but the Midlands, east Anglia and the south of England is currently at level two.

This is triggered as soon as the risk is 60% or above for threshold temperatures being reached in one or more regions on at least two consecutive days and the intervening night.

Sky weather forecaster Isobel Lang said: "It's been warm enough already this past week, temperatures reached 28C (82.4F) in London on Saturday, and the heat and humidy has already sparked off intense storms.

"But it's going to get even hotter.

"The peak of the heat this week looks like being Wednesday or Thursday with a high of 32 Celsius (90F) possible in London.

"Night-time temperatures will be unusually high and obviously it's the build-up of heat over several days and nights which will cause the problem."

NHS Direct said the elderly and young children are most at risk from heat stroke in hot weather and that people should avoid going out in the hottest part of the day, between 11am and 3pm.

Medics advise:

:: Strenuous outdoor activity such as sport, DIY, or gardening is best avoided and that people outside should stay in the shade, wear a hat and light, loose-fitting clothes, preferably cotton.

:: Indoors, close curtains in rooms that get a lot of sun.

:: Take cool showers or baths, and splash yourself several times a day with cold water, particularly your face and the back of your neck.

:: Drink regularly even if you do not feel thirsty - water and fruit juice are best. Avoid tea, coffee and alcohol as they can cause dehydration.

The heat and humidity is expected to fuel some severe thunderstorms this week with the risk of flash flooding.

It has already claimed one victim after a teenage boy was struck by lightning in a park in Birmingham.

The 16-year-old suffered a heart attack after the incident in Small Heath Park and is now in a critical but stable condition in hospital.