More than 30 people are still missing in Quebec town after huge explosion caused by runaway oil train crash

German police are searching for thieves who may or may not be overweight and chocolate-mouthed after five tons of Nutella were stolen in the latest global food heist.

Two prisoners in Canada have made an audacious, but short-lived, bid for freedom after being hoisted away in a helicopter reportedly commandeered by their accomplices.

James DePreist, who died on 8 February aged 76, was one of the first African-American conductors and a National Medal of Arts winner.Director Emeritus of the Juilliard School's conducting programme in New York, he was the Oregon Symphony's Music Director from 1980 until 2003, transforming it from a small, part-time group into a full-time nationally recognised orchestra.

A shipment of maple syrup was given a police escort across Eastern Canada after being seized by detectives investigating the theft of about 10 per cent of Quebec's "strategic syrup reserve".

1. Memories wallpaper

The total now stands at 16 and this one was all his own work. Michael Phelps claimed his first individual gold of London 2012 last night with a devastating swim in the 200m individual medley that proved too much for a tiring Ryan Lochte. Phelps, the master of Beijing, has reasserted his authority in the pool.

A Canadian porn actor suspected of dismembering a Chinese student faced his first court hearing yesterday after returning to Canada on a military transport plane from Germany, where he was arrested.

Cyber-anarchist group Anonymous are threatening another attack on Formula One during next week's Canadian Grand Prix in support of protesting Quebec students.

Jenson Button set the pace on an inconclusive first day of practice for the Monaco Grand Prix yesterday, as rain during the afternoon session rendered lap times academic and frustrated attempts to find the elusive sweet spot on Pirelli's tyres. However, a shadow loomed as politics threatened to disrupt the Canadian Grand Prix next month.

Gordon Ramsay's first and only restaurant in Canada has severed its ties with the chef, ditching his name from its title and ripping up its contract after claiming he was not devoting enough time to the venture.

Jack Layton, a career politician, was the charismatic leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP), Canada's new opposition party. With his boundless energy and folksy yet feisty no-nonsense approach, he had battled cancer and a hip replacement to lead his left-of-centre party to an historic victory in last May's federal election. He had brought hope and optimism to federal politics and was arguably at the height of his political career.

Andy Murray was at a loss to explain why he was always on the back foot as he went down to a miserable 6-3 6-1 defeat to Kevin Anderson in the Rogers Cup in Montreal.

It's a good job the Duchess of Cambridge has been brushing up on her French. William and Catherine have been told to expect vocal protests from republicans and French-speaking separatists when their first overseas royal tour reaches Quebec this weekend.