David Cameron has warned Vladimir Putin to heed the "lessons" of Russia's aggression in Ukraine after the president vowed to keep defying the West.
The Prime Minister said Moscow's economy was in "serious" trouble after being hit by a slump in oil prices and sanctions from the EU and US. And he insisted the pressure would not be lifted until Mr Putin stopped flouting the basic rules of the international community.
The comments came at the conclusion of the European Council summit in Brussels, which saw fresh punitive measures imposed by members. With effect from Saturday, the ban on investment in Crimea is being widened to target Russian Black Sea oil and gas exploration.
Cameron migrant curbs 'red line'
A senior Polish minister has said proposals outlined by David Cameron to restrict welfare for EU migrants were a "red line" that should not be crossed.
Rafal Trzaskowski, the country's secretary of state for European affairs, opposed the Prime Minister's plans and said there was not the time to change the union's fundamental treaties and "no such change is needed".
Free movement rules have been at the heart of the debate over immigration in Britain and whether the country should remain a member of the EU and last month Mr Cameron promised tough new restrictions to stem the flow of EU citizens to Britain, including a block on EU migrants claiming welfare for the first four years after they arrive in the country.
100 daily attempts to sneak into UK
Immigrants have made around 100 bids a day to illegally enter Britain, official figures have revealed.
Border Force staff and other officials such as the French authorities recorded 11,920 attempts between April and July, according to the Home Office.
Its records show a steep increase in the number of times illegal immigrants were detected trying to make it into the country since the coalition took power in 2010, when just 10,916 were identified over the financial year.
Sex exploitation concerns revealed
Young girls at risk of sexual exploitation are falling through the gaps because youth offending teams do not have the support they need from police and social care to take action, an inspection has found.
Girls who offend are particularly vulnerable to sexual exploitation, according to a joint inspection by HM Inspectorate of Probation, HM Inspectorate of Prisons, HM Inspectorate of Constabulary, Ofsted, the Care Quality Commission, and Care and Social Service Inspectorate Wales.
In two areas, inspectors found youth offending teams (YOT) had suspicions that girls were at risk of sexual exploitation but no action was taken.
University offers at record high
Universities are making record levels of offers to would-be students amid intense competition to attract good candidates, official figures suggest.
Young people in England and Wales have never been more likely to win a degree place than they were in 2014, according to Ucas, which has published a detailed analysis of university admissions for this year.
The data shows a surge in the numbers of youngsters going to university, but also shows wide gaps between men and women and differences according to where applicants live.
Prisons hit by staffing crisis
More than 230 prison officers are being asked to work in other prisons in the run-up to Christmas as governors across England and Wales face a major staffing crisis, penal reform campaigners have claimed.
Official documents that outline measures to tackle staff shortages in prisons during November and December have been seen by the Howard League for Penal Rerform.
More than 50 prisons are to be asked to provide officers to plug gaps elsewhere in the system, the charity says.
12m cars to hit roads at Christmas
More than 12 million cars will be taking to the roads over the December 24-26 period, the RAC has predicted.
Before then, the big getaway is expected to start in earnest on Monday, with drivers taking advantage of some of the lowest petrol prices for four years.
With unsettled weather likely, the RAC urged drivers to prepare well for journeys.
Brain's internal compass revealed
Scientists believe they have found the part of the brain which acts as an "internal compass" and makes some people better at navigating than others.
Researchers from University College London (UCL) found "homing" signals in the brain which help determine a person's ability to work out which way they need to go in relation to the direction they are facing.
It builds on findings by UCL professor John O'Keefe and married couple May-Britt and Edvard Moser from Norway, who in October jointly won the Nobel prize in physiology or medicine for discovering the brain's "inner GPS" - cells which map the environment.
MP: Twitter must block racist words
Racist words should be blocked by Twitter, a Labour MP who was a victim of online anti-Semitism has said.
Luciana Berger, shadow minister for public health, said she received 2,500 hate messages at the height of an internet campaign against her.
In October, Garron Helm, from Litherland, north of Liverpool, was handed a four-week custodial sentence at Merseyside Magistrates Court for sending an anti-Semitic tweet to Miss Berger.
