A city council is to review the case of a seven-year-old girl who may have starved to death.

Birmingham Perry Barr MP Khalid Mahmood earlier demanded an investigation into any contact social services had with the family of Khyra Ishaq.

Khyra was pronounced dead in hospital on Saturday. Two people have been charged in connection with her death.

The council said it has been granted an emergency protection order for her five siblings who were now in foster care.

Angela Gordon, 33, and Junaid Abuhamza, 29, have appeared before the city's magistrates charged with neglect.

The pair, believed to be Khyra's mother and stepfather, were remanded in custody until 28 May.

Birmingham Safeguarding Children Board will discuss Khyra's case on Friday, a council

A man has appeared in court charged with the assault and kidnap of British Army officer Robert Nairac.

Kevin Crilly, 57, from Lower Foughill Road, Jonesborough, denies the charges.

Captain Nairac, 29, originally from Gloucestershire, was abducted by the IRA from Dromintee, County Armagh, on 14 May, 1977. His body was never found.

Mr Crilly appeared at Banbridge Magistrates Court and spoke only to confirm his name and that he understood the charges. He was freed on bail.

The accused was secretly filmed by the BBC last year as part of a Spotlight programme examining Captain Nairac's murder.

Objecting to bail, a police officer confirmed that the programme had been the trigger for re-opening the investigation and that much of the evidence woul

An explosive device has detonated at a restaurant in Exeter.

One person was injured when the device exploded at about 1250 BST after a man walked into the Giraffe restaurant in the Princesshay shopping mall.

A large area of the city centre is being evacuated and firearms officers have been sent to the scene.

A police spokesman said one man is in custody with "slight injuries". He added the possibility of other devices in the area could not be ruled out.

Officers are currently evacuating the city's bus station and have extended an exclusion cordon to include the Princesshay centre, Bedford Square, High Street, Queen Street and Paris Street.

Bomb disposal experts have been sent to the restaurant.

'Three explosions'

Police have asked stores in

A city council is to review the case of a seven-year-old girl who may have starved to death.

Birmingham Perry Barr MP Khalid Mahmood earlier demanded an investigation into any contact social services had with the family of Khyra Ishaq.

Khyra was pronounced dead in hospital on Saturday. Two people have been charged in connection with her death.

The council said it has been granted an emergency protection order for her five siblings who are now in foster care.

Angela Gordon, 33, and Junaid Abuhamza, 29, have appeared before the city's magistrates charged with neglect.

The pair, believed to be Khyra's mother and stepfather, were remanded in custody until 28 May.

Birmingham Safeguarding Children Board will discuss Khyra's case on Friday, a council

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

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

Union leaders said they expected half a million people to attend marches and rallies in Paris and other cities.

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 is being disrupted across France.

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

Postal services are reduced, while state-run radio played music rather tha