Gardeners' World host Monty Don has suffered a stroke and will stand down from his TV presenting duties, the BBC has said.

The 52-year-old has been off the show for several weeks after suffering a "minor stroke".

In a statement the BBC said the presenter was making "a good recovery".

Don - who has presented the the popular BBC Two show since 2003 - said he was taking time off over the summer to make a full recovery.

'Sorely missed'

In a statement the BBC said: "Monty Don has decided to stand down as the main presenter of Gardeners' World.

"Monty has presented the series for the past five years but has been off our screens for the past six weeks as a result of a minor stroke.

"Although he is making a good recovery he feels unab

France's main trade unions have held a day of demonstrations and strikes to protest against government plans to change the state pension system.

Transport workers led the national stoppage, with only half of trains running across France.

Unions say 700,000 people attended protests in Paris and other cities, calling them an "undeniable success".

President Nicolas Sarkozy is seeking to increase the number of years worked to draw a full pension from 40 to 41.

Travel by train, bus and underground was disrupted across France.

However high-speed trains between Paris, London and Brussels were not affected, and flights to and from Paris were operating as normal.

Postal services were reduced, while state-run radio played music rather than

Two Newtownabbey men involved in a protection racket have been jailed for four-and-a-half years.

William McTaggart, 38, of Carmeen Drive and James Jameson, 46, Shore Road, admitted blackmailing a builder.

They demanded £15,000 from the building contractor, who was working at a site in the Rathcoole estate last year.

Jailing the pair, Belfast Crown Court judge Tom Burgess said there was the "implication of paramilitary involvement" in the case.

The judge said said that whether or not a paramilitary gang was involved, their victim, referred to as Witness A, "would have had the grounds and the feeling that such a group was involved".

Prosecution told the court that the building company Witness A worked for started work at a site near the Diamond in the Ra

Two civilians and a Nato soldier have been killed in Afghanistan during a demonstration over the shooting of the Koran by a US soldier in Iraq.

The protest by over 1,000 people in Chagcharan turned violent after the crowd tried to storm a Nato base.

President Bush apologised earlier this week for the Koran incident, in which a copy of the book was found riddled with bullets at a shooting range in Iraq.

He also promised the soldier would be prosecuted.

The shooting broke out during clashes between the police and demonstrators outside a Nato reconstruction team base commanded by Lithuanian soldiers in Chagcharan, the capital of Ghor province.

Protesters were chanting anti-US slogans and throwing rocks, and tried to enter the gates of the bas

Amy Winehouse has won a songwriting honour for her song Love Is A Losing Game at the Ivor Novello Awards.

She won the main honour for best song musically and lyrically, but lost out in the best-selling song category to Beyonce and Shakira's Beautiful Liar.

Winehouse was at the London ceremony, but the prize was collected by her father Mitch.

Take That's Shine was named most played song, while rock star Phil Collins won the international achievement award.

Cherry Ghost's People Help The People won the best contemporary song award, beating Kate Nash's Foundations and Golden Skans by The Klaxons.

'Best award'

In an acceptance speech on his daughter's behalf, Mitch Winehouse said: "Unfortunately Amy couldn't make it, but she is getting b