Drilling began at 11.15am at the West Sussex site as demonstrations entered their ninth day

As if England and Australia won't have seen enough of each other over the previous two years with back-to-back Ashes tours, the old adversaries have been drawn in the same group for the next World Cup in 2015. They meet in Melbourne on the opening day, 14 February.

New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and two qualifying nations will join the Ashes rivals in Pool A of the 14-team tournament

The Spanish government has been criticised for “cutting and pasting” a message of condolence to the families of victims of the train crash in Garcia that has left at least 80 dead.

After one of the worst train crashes for decades, some residents in the Galicia region now wait anxiously for news of loved ones, whilst others grieve for those they have lost

Many are sceptical that government-led effort will make area habitable again

Councils no longer able to investigate issues such as seismic activity, venting and potential impact on ground water supplies

The quake hit near the city of Dingxi in Gansu province

Britons killed in helicopter crash

New Zealand's capital Wellington has been rattled by a 6.9 magnitude earthquake that ruptured water mains, smashed windows and downed power lines.

It’s easy to laugh, but Britain is making steady progress in the space race. And with £40bn up for grabs, we should take it seriously

SpaceX CEO described the system as “a cross between a Concorde, a rail gun, and an air hockey table”

Rescue workers have been called to the scene in a bid to find survivors

Masao Yoshida, who led the life-risking battle at Japan's crippled nuclear power plant when it was spiralling into meltdown following the 2011 tsunami, died yesterday of cancer of the oesophagus at the age of 58. Officials at the Tokyo Electric Power Company said his illness was unrelated to radioactive exposure.