Trump faces global firestorm over Muslim ban call
A global firestorm erupted on Tuesday over Donald Trump's call to bar Muslims from entering the United States "until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on", as the White House branded him a "carnival barker" unfit to lead and his campaign rivals rounded on him.
The 69-year-old billionaire real estate mogul was unrepentant on Tuesday, even as criticism rained down from the White House and as far afield as London and Cairo, where Egypt's official religious body Dar al-Iftaa denounced his comments as "extremist and racist."
The strongest reaction came in the United States, where White House spokesman Josh Earnest was scathing and deeply personal, painting Trump - who has never held elected office - as a "carnival barker" with "fake hair", and saying Trump's call "disqualifies him from serving as president."
Lions made famous on TV poisoned in Kenya
Eight members of a pride of lions that featured in a popular wildlife documentary series have been poisoned in Kenya's Masai Mara reserve.
Two lions from the Marsh Pride - stars of the BBC's long-running Big Cat Diary series - died after eating a poisoned cow carcass on Saturday night.
Among the dead lions was 17-year old female Bibi (above), who had become something of a celebrity during the TV series' long and hugely popular run from 1996-2008.
Ronaldo sets goals record for Champions League group stage
Cristiano Ronaldo set a record for goals scored in the group stage of the Champions League of 11 when he netted four against Malmo in Group A on Tuesday.
The Portugal forward made it 3-0 to Real six minutes before halftime at the Bernabeu and added three more goals in the 47th, 50th and 59th minutes.
Ronaldo, who has reached double figures for a fifth consecutive Champions League campaign, extended his all-time Champions League scoring record to 88 goals.
Coldplay to stream album on Spotify after delay
British rockers Coldplay, one of a select number of acts that have shied away from Spotify, will put their latest album on the leading streaming site after a one-week delay.
A message on Spotify said that A Head Full Of Dreams, Coldplay's seventh and possibly final album, will be available from Friday, one week after it was released.
Coldplay did not offer an explanation but waited four months before the band's last album, Ghost Stories, went on streaming sites in 2014 - an example of what the industry calls "windowing," to maximise sales in an initial period.
Heartbreaking moment a police officer comforts his dying horse goes viral
A touching photo of a Houston police officer comforting his dying horse has gone viral.
Charlotte, a six-year-old mounted patrol horse who had worked with the Houston Police Department for the last four years, was hit by a cement truck on Dec 3 and fatally injured.
The animal had apparently been spooked by traffic, causing her to buck her rider and step back into the path of the truck.
