N evil mugger who battered a Birmingham old soldier and fled with just £40 has been jailed for nine years .

More weather chaos is heading our way, with ice and snow already hitting areas across Birmingham .

A family of foster carers are facing bankruptcy and homelessness after they signed up to a Government scheme to renovate their house to be used for disabled children's short breaks .

HUDDLED together on a branch, a pair of adorable Javan scops owls soak up the sun .

SAT ON top of a Brazilian turtle’s head, this little ladybird looks content as he studies his environment from a new height .

AN American accountant has grown the world's biggest MELON and smashed his way into the record books with his mammoth 350 .

Some parents would gasp at the thought of their children playing with a toy gun, but these Russian children are actually encouraged to take up real arms .

WELCOME to the pretty 122-inch-tall red dwelling that lays claim to the title of the UK's smallest house .

PRANKSTER Dom Joly was so livid when he was slapped with a parking ticket that he took to Twitter to vent his anger – only to discover he was the victim of his own gag! The comic got a taste of his own medicine when he was tricked by a fellow joker for the first time in a decade .

Grandmother Janet Kirby was told she couldn't board her plane home after being accused of assault .

THEIR gnarling teeth at the ready, these two baboons fight it out for the last piece of fruit .

With their guts spewing and eyes hanging out, these are the cuddly toys children might be reluctant to curl up to .