Real Madrid F.C release statement supporting Karim Benzema in sex tape extortion case

Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema received the backing of his club on Thursday, just hours after being charged in connection with a sex tape extortion case. The 27-year-old was released by French prosecutors on Thursday after a blackmail case involving a sex tape featuring fellow French international Mathieu Valbuena was brought to the fore.

Despite the player pictured training alone, Real Madrid's president leapt to the defence of the French international.

Grandmother SHREDDED her fortune of 950,000 euros because she didn't want to leave it to her relatives

An 85-year-old woman shredded nearly one million euros in cash in an apparent move to stop her family inheriting her fortune.

The grandmother also cut up savings accounts books before her death in an Austrian retirement home.

But the woman's surviving family will have the last laugh as the country's central bank has pledged to replace the 950,000 euros (£680,000) she destroyed.

An 85-year-old woman chopped up nearly one million euros in cash before her death in a retirement home

The cut up money and bank documents were only discovered after she died, prosecutors said. 

State prosecutor Erich Habitzl confirmed the discovery but said there was nothing he could do for the relatives.

'He is doing better slowly but surely': Lamar Odom 'is walking with assistance and may be moved to a rehab centre next week'

Lamar Odom is getting better ‘slowly but surely’, according to reports.

However the former NBA star apparently still has a long way to go until he fully recovers.

A source told Us Weekly that Odom, who turns 36 on Friday, may be moved to a rehab facility as early as next week, but adds that this ‘is not definite yet’.

'Doing better': Lamar Odom, pictured here in 2013, is said to be walking with assistance and may be moved to a rehab centre next week

The source said: ‘Lamar is doing better slowly but surely. He is still working with lots of therapists.

‘Every day he is relearning how to do more with his motor skills. He is cognitively aware of everything but [it’s] hard to process a lot at once.’

Meanwhile an insider told Entertainment Tonight that Lamar is walking with assistance – with people holding him up or while using a walker.

‘He is doing better but he has a long road ahead,’ the source said, adding that the basketball pro is able to decide what visitors he accepts.

It has been three weeks since Lamar, who is currently being treated at Los Angeles’ Cedars-Sinai hospital – collapsed at a Nevada brothel following a four-day bender. 

Teenager claims she was gang raped by five young Syrian migrants: Girl, 18, 'deeply distressed' after being 'subjected to five-hour ordeal' at care home in Kent

An 18-year-old woman says she was raped by a group of migrant teenagers while staying in a supervised facility in Kent.

The victim claims her attackers were all Syrians who had only recently arrived in the UK.

She says last weekend's horror ordeal lasted a terrifying five hours at the home she was staying in in Gillingham.

The four men arrested have already appeared at a youth court hearing held inside Medway Magistrates (pictured). They were remanded in custody and will appear again on November 20 

Her accused attackers had been given accommodation in the same building by the local council. 

Chipotle E. Coli Outbreak Due To Use Of Dog And Cat Meat; 60 Restaurants Have Closed

SEATTLE — Health officials expect the number of people sickened by an E. coli outbreak linked to Chipotle restaurants in Washington state and Oregon to grow after discovering they have been using dog and cat meat.

It is being reported that the popular restaurant chain ‘Chipotle Mexican Grill’, more commonly known as simply ‘Chipotle’, is currently being investigated for allegedly using dog and cat meat in their dishes causing the E. coli outbreak.

105 People Where Shot 63 Killed Last Night In CHICAGO And Officials Are Calling It The “HALLOWEEN PURGE”

CHICAGO — More than 105 people were shot and 63 people were killed in shootings throughout the city this Halloween night in Chicago of 2015 in what many are calling the “HALLOWEEN PURGE”

That’s an increase in shootings and gun deaths compared to Halloween of 2014, when 134 people were wounded and 36 were slain in shootings.

This October , 446 people in total were slain in Chicago, with 137 dying from gunshot wounds.

Mum's horror after child abductor 'tried to groom her daughter through sick Facebook messages'

Sick: Michael Martin sped off when his victim’s 10-year-old hero brother clung onto his vehicle

A mother has revealed her horror after claiming a sick predator groomed her 13-year-old daughter through Facebook.

Child abductor Michael Martin has been caged for 13 years for dragging an 11-year-old girl into his jeep.

The monster, who has nearly 100 convictions, sped off when his victim’s 10-year-old hero brother clung onto the vehicle and struck him.

Last night a mum, who came forward to reveal how Martin groomed her teenage girl, blasted Martin’s sentence, saying he “should have got life”.

Despite the sick Facebook messages sent by the brute being reported to Garda, he could not be charged because he never suggested meeting the teen.

Man. U players step out with their wives and girlfriends for Christmas party

Manchester United players stepped out with their significant others on Wednesday night at the club's early Christmas party which held at the luxury Place Aparthotel in Manchester. See more photos after the cut...

Chaos on the streets of London: Million Mask March anarchist - in a £500 jacket - trashes police car as fireworks are aimed at horses in clashes outside Buckingham Palace and Hunger Games premiere

Thousands of protesters wearing sinister Guy Fawkes masks brought chaos to the streets of London last night.

Hundreds of anarchists were held back by police outside Buckingham Palace. They aimed fireworks at the police horses and also tried to dazzle them with laser pointers.

Another group targeted the UK premiere of the new Hunger Games film in Leicester Square, moments after Hollywood stars including Jennifer Lawrence and Julianne Moore had walked the red carpet.

Meanwhile, one anarchist was filmed smashing up a flaming police car - while wearing a Colmar ski jacket that cost around £475.

Elsewhere, officers were forced to brandish their batons after clashes turned violent as the vandals marauded through the streets, setting off smoke bombs and daubing graffiti. A total of 50 people have been arrested and at least three officers have been taken to hospital with injuries. 

A police car was set on fire by an anti-capitalist demonstrator, who was wearing a Colmar ski jacket that cost hundreds of pounds

The protestor clad in his expensive  jacket, similar versions of which retail for between £100 and £500, could be seen attacking the police car's windscreen with a metal frame 

Nigeria edge thriller to set up all-African final #NIGERIAVSMALI #NGRVMLI

Holders Nigeria have reached their second consecutive final thanks to a thrilling 4-2 victory against Mexico in Concepcion.

Mexico opened the scoring through Kevin Magana, with stunning efforts from Kelechi Nwakali and Orji Okwonkwo seeing the African side ahead. Diego Cortes's remarkable solo effort levelled matters, before Osinachi Ebere and Victor Osimhen's late record-equalling penalty saw the Golden Eaglets into an all-African final against Mali.

Mexico controlled the ball in the opening stages of the match, and took the lead early on. Kevin Lara beat his man on the Mexican right and delivered a teasing cross into the middle. Aguirre tried to control with his chest, but Magana took charge and fired home.

Could toddler killed in Egypt air disaster hold the clue to why the plane crashed? Tiny girl's body is discovered 20 miles from crash site, suggesting Russian jet may have exploded earlier than thought

The youngest victim of last weekend's Russian tourist jet disaster may help solve the question of what happened to the Airbus A321 before it went down in Egypt last weekend.

Ten-month-old Darina Gromova from St Petersburg had been on holiday in Sharm el-Sheikh with her parents when they, and 221 others, died shortly after their flight to Russia took off on Saturday.

The baby girl's body was found more than 21 miles from the main crash site, indicating that the plane may have exploded earlier than aviation experts had previously thought. 

That has forced investigators to widen the search area - and could lead to the discovery of otherwise missed clues. 

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Tragedy: The discovery of little Darina's body, pictured at a St Petersburg airport shortly before the young family set off for Egypt, may help solve the question of what happened to the Airbus A321 before it went down

Legendary auto exec says VW was under a 'reign of terror' that led to emissions scandal

Bob Lutz is taking no prisoners in his relatively new gig as a columnist at Road and Track magazine. In his last column, he said that Tesla was doomed.

Now he's taking on the Volkswagen scandal — and taking aim at one of the men at the top, if not the top, of the VW Group hierarchy.

"Ferdinand Piëch, the immensely powerful former chief of Volkswagen's supervisory board, is more than likely the root cause of the VW diesel-emissions scandal," Lutz writes.

It gets worse.

"It's what I call a reign of terror and a culture where performance was driven by fear and intimidation," Lutz continues.

Man dies with tumours made up of cancerous tapeworms growing inside of him

Tapeworm: Doctors were totally puzzled by the man's condition

A man has died with tumours inside him which were composed of cancerous tapeworms.

Doctors believe that the man, 41, was able to develop the rare condition because he had HIV which caused him to have a weakened immune system.

The bizarre form of the illness was eventually diagnosed by the US Centers for Disease Control and the UK's Natural History Museum, which have laid out their findings in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The patient, a Colombian, was first seen by doctors in 2013, who found that he had what initially seemed to be normal tumours across his liver, lungs and elsewhere.

Anorexic puts on FIVE stone and inspires others to be body positive

MERCURY

HEALTHY: Megan looks amazing now she is at a healthy weight

Brave Megan Jayne has 39,000 online fans who regularly see her posing in a bikini after gaining five stone.

Now a healthy size 12-14, the carer posts photos of her podgy tummy, cellulite and wobbly thighs to help other girls overcome their image worries.

She said: "My first bikini picture terrified me. But as I started posting more about my eating disorder, I received messages telling me I'd helped with people's recovery and even saved their lives."

'Sharm el-Sheikh flights suspended: Live updates as Russian plane 'bomb' fears halt services

KEY EVENTS SO FAR

• 58 MINS AGO'People could be flown home tomorrow'
• 2 HOURS AGOSharm el-Sheikh airport chief replaced
• 11 HOURS AGOUK government advising against 'all but essential travel' to...
• 13 HOURS AGOIf you're stuck in Sharm call our newsdesk on 0207 293 3831
• 14 HOURS AGODowning Street announces delays to UK bound flights

08:55ANDY LINES

The Mirror’s chief reporter Andy Lines has arrived on the scene at Sharm el-Sheikh airport.

He has been speaking to tourists and getting a first hand picture of the situation.

Stay with us here for all the latest from him.

08:38

Suspected bomb 'could be an inside job'

The explosive device suspected to have brought down a Russian plane in Egypt could have been planted by airport staff.

Barcroft Media

Devestation: The plane could have been brought down by a bomb

Chris Yates, an aviation safety expert, told Sky News: “It could be an inside job, we just don’t know.

“That’s a point for the airport authority itself.

“They will have to go through their personnel list with a fine tooth comb to find anyone with terrorist sympathies including to ISIS”