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Volkswagen has overtaken Toyota to become the world's best-selling carmaker, the first time the German company has held the position. Japan's Toyota, which had topped sales for the past four years, sold 10.175 million vehicles globally in 2016. That fell short of the 10.31 million sales which VW reported last week. The milestone comes despite VW's scandal over emissions tests cheating, which sparked a global backlash and multiple lawsuits. Volkswagen, which makes the Audi, Porsche and Skoda brands, saw a 3.8% increase in sales buoyed by demand in China. And it has been making inroads in other markets too. In Sweden for example, the Volkswagen Golf was the most popular new car in 2016 - the first time in more than half a century that a Volvo hadn't topped the country's sales. Toyota's sales grew by 0.2% - though it appears to have suffered from a slowdown in the US car industry. General Motors reports its figures next week, but it is expected to lag

The crack that looks set to spawn a giant iceberg in the Antarctic has continued to spread. The rift in the Larsen C Ice Shelf has grown a further 10km since 1 January. If the fissure propagates just 20km more, it will free a tabular berg one-quarter the size of Wales. That would make it one of the biggest icebergs ever recorded, according to researchers at Swansea and Aberystwyth universities, and the British Antarctic Survey. News of the lengthening crack in the 350m-thick floating ice shelf on the eastern side of the Antarctic Peninsula comes from the EU’s Sentinel-1 satellite system. Comprising two spacecraft, this orbiting capability can continuously monitor Larsen C no matter what the weather is doing because its radar sensors see through cloud. Their data indicates the fissure now extends for some 195km. But just how long it will take before the 5,000 sq km block finally breaks free is anyone’s guess, says Swansea's Prof Adrian Luckman. "The rift tip

The figure is in line with Beijing's growth target of between 6.5% and 7%. But the data comes days after the leader of one Chinese province admitted GDP data was faked for several years. China is a key driver of the global economy and a growth slowdown is a major concern for investors around the world. 'Deception' Some analysts have taken heart from data showing growth in the last three months of 2016 was at an annual rate of 6.8% - a slightly faster pace than the rest of the year. But many observers have been saying for years that the country's growth was actually much weaker than the official data suggests. And those beliefs gained more support this week, when the governor of Liaoning, Chen Qiufa, said his province had been "involved in a large-scale financial deception" between 2011 and 2014, and that economic data had been doctored. Addressing reporters' questions about the Liaoning admission, the director of the National Bureau of S

Kanye West was not asked to perform at Donald Trump's inauguration, which will be a "traditionally American" event, the chief organiser has said. There has been speculation since the star told a concert crowd he would have voted for Mr Trump - if he had voted - and then turned up at Trump Tower. But Tom Barrack, the Presidential Inaugural Committee chair, told CNN the ceremony is "not the venue" for West. He said the rapper is "a great guy" but "we haven't asked him". Mr Barrack said: "He considers himself a friend of the president-elect, but it's not the venue. "The venue we have for entertainment is filled out, it's perfect, it's going to be typically and traditionally American, and Kanye is a great guy but we just haven't asked him to perform. We move on with our agenda."

At least 15 Indian children have been killed and 45 others injured after a school bus they were travelling in collided with a truck in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. The crash happened on Thursday morning in Etah, around 265km (164 miles) from the state's capital, Lucknow. A senior police officer told the BBC that 14 students "were in a critical condition". Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was "anguished by the tragic accident". Police spokesperson Rahul Srivastava said the exact cause of the accident was yet to be ascertained. But he added that visibility was poor because of dense fog at the time of the crash. The victims were aged between three and 12 years and were studying in a local school. India has the world's highest number of road deaths, with an accident taking place every four minutes. More t

The star has gone to a US court, seeking to regain the publishing rights to 267 of the band's classic songs. He's been trying to get them back since the 1980s, when Michael Jackson famously out-bid him for the rights. Jackson's debt-ridden estate sold the songs to Sony last year, along with others including New York, New York. Sir Paul's legal case, filed in a Manhattan court on Wednesday, is over what is known as copyright termination - the right of authors to reclaim ownership of their works from music publishers after a specific length of time has passed. It was part of the US 1976 Copyright Act and, in recent years, performers like Prince, Billy Joel and Blondie have used it to regain control of their work. However, Duran Duran recently lost a similar case - when the British High Court ruled that the contracts they signed in the UK took precedence over their rights in the US. Under UK law, music publishing companies can control the copyright until 70 y

Rescuers battled overnight to reach the Rigopiano hotel, with the first of them arriving on skis. Snow dislodged by the avalanche had blocked the roads in. One person has been pulled dead from the snow. At least three came out alive but most others appear still buried. One official said there were "many dead" in the hotel. The mountainous region of Central Italy was hit by a succession of four earthquakes on Wednesday and further tremors were reported overnight. The quakes have compounded problems resulting from recent storms, which have brought down power lines and cut off villages. Rescue operations are under way in other parts of the region as well. What happened? The roof on the four-star spa hotel, close to the Gran Sasso mountain in the Abruzzo region, partly collapsed on Wednesday night. Rescuers said at least 20 tourists and seven staff were inside at the time, among them children. Local residents in Farindola alerted emergency services. "There

Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure has turned down a £430,000-a-week offer from China. Toure, 33, was the subject of interest from the Chinese Super League last summer. He decided against moving then and gave the same response when he was contacted again to say the offer remained open during the current transfer window, which closes on 31 January. The Ivorian's contract at the Etihad expires in the summer. Toure's future appeared in doubt when he was left out of the City squad by Pep Guardiola at the start of the season. However, he has been a regular for the club since he was recalled in November and started his seventh consecutive game in the 4-0 defeat at Everton in the Premier League on 15 January. Toure has been free to sign pre-contract agreements with clubs overseas since 1 January but it is understood he still enjoys the English game. Guardiola has not given Toure any guarantees about his future beyond the summer. The Ivorian, who joined City in 2

Researchers have designed a lithium-ion battery that contains a fire-extinguishing material, which is released if the battery gets too hot. Flame retardant triphenyl phosphate (TPP) sits inside a shell within the electrolyte fluid. The shell melts when the temperature reaches 150C (302F), releasing the chemical compound. In tests, battery fires were extinguished in 0.4 seconds. Lithium-ion batteries power many devices but are a known fire hazard. The Stanford University research team's peer-reviewed paper has been published by the journal Science Advances. Previous attempts to incorporate TPP inside batteries without the shell have hampered their performance. If a lithium-ion battery cell charges too quickly or a tiny manufacturing error slips through the net it can result in a short circuit - which can lead to fire. In February 2016, the US National Transportation Safety Board issued a warning about lithium batteries in aeroplane cargo, describing them as "a fire an

Eight-year-old Habibu Barrow is reported to have died on the way to the hospital on Sunday in Manjai near the Gambian capital Banjul. Mr Barrow missed his son's funeral as he was advised to remain in Senegal for his safety. Mr Barrow won the election last year but outgoing President Yayah Jammeh does not accept the result.The regional body Ecowas had asked Mr Barrow to stay in Senegal until his inauguration planned for Thursday. Mr Jammeh applied to the Supreme Court to stop the inauguration but the Chief Justice refused to rule on the issue.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored a dramatic equaliser with six minutes remaining as Manchester United grabbed a 1-1 Premier League draw at home to Liverpool. Paul Pogba had looked like being the villain of the piece for United, but Ibrahimovic's header – his 10th goal in 10 top-flight games – prevented a damaging defeat. James Milner's 27th-minute penalty and sixth league goal of the season – awarded after a handball from Pogba – had looked like it would prove to be the winner at Old Trafford. Pogba missed a brilliant opportunity to put United ahead prior to Milner's strike, while Simon Mignolet had made key saves from Ibrahimovic and Henrikh Mkhitaryan in the first half, but had barely been troubled prior to the veteran Swede's intervention. United's nine-match winning streak in all competitions is now over, but they still sit within five points of second place after salvaging a draw. Liverpool, meanwhile, are winless in four matches and trail

The company behind the Star Wars franchise has laid to rest rumours that Carrie Fisher may be digitally recreated for future films after her sudden death last month. "Lucasfilm has no plans to digitally recreate Carrie Fisher's performance" as Princess Leia, it said. Fisher died, aged 60, just days after suffering a cardiac arrest last month. She had already finished filming for the next instalment, Star Wars: Episode VIII, due out at the end of the year. She was also expected to appear in Episode IX, which is still being scripted and scheduled for release in 2019. But Lucasfilm, which produces the franchise, says Episode VIII will be Fisher's last, adding: "Carrie Fisher was, is, and always will be a part of the Lucasfilm family. "She was our princess, our general, and more importantly, our friend. We are still hurting from her loss. We cherish her memory and legacy as Princess Leia, and will always strive to honour everything she gave to Sta

US President-elect Donald Trump says he is willing to work with Russia and China, providing they cooperate. Mr Trump told the Wall Street Journal that newly-imposed sanctions on Russia would remain "at least for a period of time" but could then be lifted. He also said the One China policy, in which the US no longer acknowledges Taiwan, was up for negotiation. Meanwhile, a US Senate committee will probe claims Russia attempted to meddle in the presidential election. In his interview, Mr Trump said sanctions on Russia could be lifted if Moscow helped Washington in the war against Islamic extremism and in other matters. "If you get along and if Russia is really helping us, why would anybody have sanctions if somebody's doing some really great things?" He said he hoped a meeting with President Vladimir Putin would be arranged. With regards to Beijing, Mr Trump said China had to allow US companies to compete by floating its currency. But he said h

A girl stolen as a newborn from a Florida hospital has been found alive after 18 years, police in South Carolina say. Kamiyah Mobley, who was taken in July 1998, was found after a tip. Authorities in Walterboro, South Carolina, arrested Gloria Williams, 51, in connection with the abduction. Ms Mobley was living under another name and believed Ms Williams to be her mother. The biological family have been notified of the news. Jacksonville Sherriff's Office said DNA tests had confirmed Ms Mobley's identity. She appeared in good health, a "normal 18-year-old woman", it said. The office said it had acted on 2,500 tips since the abduction and received one last year to @MissingKids that eventually broke the case. It showed the original composite images released at the time of the kidnapping, along with a photograph of Ms Williams, who was arrested at her home on Friday morning. Family 'elated' The baby was only eight hours old when she was taken b

A US secondary school has apologised after setting a maths questions that asked students about a girl being sexually abused by family members. The homework asked: "Angelou was sexually abused by her mother's _______ at age 8, which shaped her career choices and motivation for writing." Pupils in Perkasie, Pennsylvania, were given an algebra formula with the assignment to solve the problem. Parents complained to Pennridge High School officials about the homework. What children need to know about sex abuse A subsequent question in the same homework asked about a single mother who is trying to support her son by working as a pimp and a prostitute. It asked what was her other means of support, including another formula for the options, bookie, drug dealer and nightclub dancer. The questions were based on the life of the famed American poet Maya Angelou, but many parents complained the subject matter was not appropriate for young teenagers or a maths equation. The s

Fiat Chrysler has been accused of not telling authorities about software that regulates emissions in thousands of its diesel vehicles. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said the company broke the law by installing, but failing to disclose, the technology in more than 100,000 Jeeps and Dodge vehicles. The agency said the software caused higher nitrogen oxide levels. Fiat Chrysler boss Sergio Marchionne said the firm had done nothing illegal. "There was never any intent of creating conditions that were designed to defeat the testing process. This is absolute nonsense," he added. Shares in Fiat Chrysler ended the day 10.3% lower in New York and closed 16% lower in Milan. The EPA said Fiat Chrysler could be liable for fines of about $44,500 per vehicle, which would mean a total of about $4.6bn (£3.8bn). 'Serious violation' According to the EPA, the 104,000 vehicles affected were 2014, 2015 and 2016 model years of the Jeep Grand Cherokee S

The Environment Agency's severe flood warnings - its highest possible alert - are in place for coastal areas of Norfolk and Suffolk. It said high tide levels - due to spring tides and a tidal surge - combined with gale force winds will cause "large waves and sea spray resulting in potential damage to flood defences and flooding of property". The water peak is due in many areas at about 21:45 GMT. Dozens more flood warnings have been issued along the east coast. Environment Agency chief executive Sir James Bevan told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the first tide to hit the coast on Friday was "slightly under the height that we expected". "The second, due this evening, may come out slightly higher than has been anticipated," he added. "And so we will stay very active throughout the day on the ground, we will continue to warn and inform the communities that are at risk." Army on standby Ahead of the potential storm surge,

The angry response came after secretary of state nominee Rex Tillerson said the US should deny Beijing access to new islands in the South China Sea. Two state-run papers carry editorials strongly criticising his comments. The hawkish Global Times tabloid warned that any such action would lead to "a large-scale war". Beijing has been building artificial islands on reefs in waters also claimed by other nations. Images published late last year show military defences on some islands, a think-tank says. Speaking at his confirmation hearing on Wednesday, Mr Tillerson likened China's island-building to Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. "We're going to have to send China a clear signal that first, the island-building stops and second, your access to those islands also is not going to be allowed." China's official response, from foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang, was muted. China had the right to conduct "normal activities&q

Manchester United have triggered a clause in Marouane Fellaini's contract that will keep him at Old Trafford until 2018. Fellaini signed a four-year deal with the option of a further year when he joined from Everton for £27.5m in 2013. United boss Jose Mourinho has activated the option despite uncertainty over the 29-year-old midfielder's future. Fellaini was booed by his own fans last month but scored in the EFL Cup semi-final win against Hull on Tuesday. The Belgium international ran to Mourinho to celebrate his goal in what seemed to be a show of recognition for the faith shown in him after a difficult period, which included giving away a costly penalty at Everton on 4 December. Speaking after Tuesday's victory, Mourinho said: "He has a very strong mentality and has coped well. "He knows he is a very important player for me."

West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic says forward Dimitri Payet no longer wants to play for the club - but says they will not sell him. The 29-year-old France international has regularly been linked with a move away from West Ham. "We have said we don't want to sell our best players but Payet does not want to play for us," Bilic said. "We are not going to sell him." Payet joined West Ham from Marseille for £10.7m in June 2015. He excelled in his first season with the club, scoring 12 goals and earning a nomination for the PFA Players' Player of the Year award. In February 2016 he signed a new contract to tie him to the Hammers to the summer of 2021. However, even though he has scored on five occasions this season, Payet has failed to hit the same heights this season, and the Sun reported last week that Bilic had ordered the player to improve his attitude. "I expect from him to come back and to show commitment and determination to t

A statue of Argentine football star Lionel Messi has been vandalised in Buenos Aires. The bronze statue, unveiled last June, was broken in half and the torso, arms and head removed. The motive for the damage was not clear but city officials say repairs to the statue are already under way. It was unveiled just as the striker announced he was retiring from the national team - a decision he later reversed. The statue stood on Paseo de la Gloria (Glory Street), which also displays casts of other famous Argentine sports stars such as tennis player Gabriela Sabatini and basketball player Manuel Ginobili. Statues in the area have previously been targeted by vandals or thieves. "The statue of Lionel Messi... was victim of an act of vandalism that left the footballer's sculpture without its top half," the Buenos Aires municipal government said in a statement. "The city government is already working on its repair."

Icy temperatures across Europe have left more than 20 people dead and blanketed even the Greek islands and southern Italy in snow. Italy saw ferries and flights cancelled and schools in the south are expected to close on Monday. Turkey has also been badly affected. The Bosphorus was closed to shipping as a heavy snowstorm hit Istanbul. At least 10 people died of cold in Poland. Night temperatures in Russia plunged to minus 30C. Normally milder Greece has witnessed temperatures of minus 15C in the north where an Afghan migrant died of cold last week and roads were closed. In Athens, the temperature failed to rise above 0C and several of the islands were covered in snow. Some of the Greek islands are home to thousands of migrants and many are being moved to temporary housing and heated tents. Homeless hostels in Italy are opening their doors day and night as the weather was blamed for the deaths of seven people, five of them living out in the open.

McDonald's has agreed to sell 80% of its business in China and Hong Kong, as part of plans to franchise more of its restaurants worldwide. China's state-owned investment group Citic, and US private equity firm Carlyle Group, will take control of the operations in a deal valued at $2.1bn (£1.7bn). McDonald's owns and operates about 65% of its 2,000 China outlets. Franchising allows it to take a slice of sales while cutting operating costs. McDonald's is trying to streamline its global operations, and changing its ownership structure to revolve more around franchises is a major part of that revamp. In March last year, the firm said it was seeking partners to help it add more than 1,500 restaurants in China, Hong Kong and Korea over the next five years. Under the agreement signed Monday, the US fast food giant will keep a 20% stake in its China business. Citic will hold a 52% share in the partnership while Caryle takes 28% of the new business. Compet

Sixteen people have been arrested in connection with an armed robbery of Kim Kardashian West in Paris in October, officials say. Authorities said at the time that the American reality TV star was robbed at gunpoint by at least two men dressed as police officers. The men entered Kardashian West's luxury apartment before tying her up and locking her in the bathroom. They escaped with an estimated €10m (£8.7m; $10.5m) in jewellery. French police said that traces of DNA left at the scene led to the arrests. The men were detained in early morning raids in the Paris region. The 36-year-old mother-of-two, who is married to the rapper Kanye West, said she feared she was going to be killed at the time. The star was left badly shaken but unhurt. Kardashian West, who became a household name thanks to the reality series Keeping Up With The Kardashians, was in the French capital for Paris Fashion Week with her mother Kris Jenner and her sister Kendall Jenner. Kanye West w

France says it was the subject of 24,000 cyber-attacks against defence targets last year. Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said such attacks were doubling every year and this year's presidential elections could be targeted. He said it would "naive" to think that France was immune to the type of cyber-campaign that targeted the US election, which has been blamed on Russia. Mr Le Drian is overseeing an overhaul of France's cyber-security operations. Cyber-attacks in France have increased substantially in the last three years and have become a serious threat to the country's infrastructure, Mr Le Drian said. In an interview with Le Journal du Dimanche newspaper, Mr Le Drian said that France "should not be naive". He said that thousands of external attacks had been blocked, including attempts at disrupting France's drone systems. His warning comes in the wake of a US intelligence report alleging that Russia was involved in an attemp

The first Nokia-branded smartphone is to be released exclusively in China. The device will be marketed in partnership with the local internet retail giant JD.com. The team behind the Nokia 6 phone said it believed the handset's "premium design" would appeal to the local market. The announcement coincided with the final day of the CES tech show in Las Vegas, where other new mobile phones and gadgets have been launched. Nokia no longer manufactures phones that carry its name but has instead licensed its brand to another Finnish company, HMD Global. Until now, the only phones that had been released under the deal had been more basic "feature phone" models. The Android device had been highly anticipated and marks Nokia's return to the smartphone market after a series of Windows Phone models. Microsoft briefly used the brand for about a year after buying Nokia's mobile devices unit in 2014. Nokia once dominated the mobile phone market but

A car bomb in Iraq has struck a market in eastern Baghdad, killing at least 11 people and injuring dozens more. Interior ministry spokesman Saad Maan was quoted as saying a security guard fired on a suspicious vehicle and the driver then blew it up. So-called Islamic State (IS) said it was behind the blast, in a statement on its Amaq news agency. It is the latest of several targeting Shia Muslim districts of Baghdad. A similar attack on 2 January killed 35. The latest attack struck the main vegetable market in the primarily Shia Muslim Sadr City district. There has been an increase in IS bomb attacks on civilians since the group came under increasing pressure from government forces in the areas it controls in the north and west of Iraq. Iraqi special forces and their Shia militia allies have been trying to drive IS from its stronghold in the northern city of Mosul. They entered eastern districts in November but IS have since slowed their advance towards the centre. The

A suspected terrorist has been shot after ramming a lorry into a group of soldiers, injuring at least 15, Israeli police say. "It is a terrorist attack, a ramming attack," a police spokeswoman said on Israel Radio, which reported that bodies were "strewn on the street". Some local news reports said three soldiers had died. The attack occurred on a popular promenade overlooking the walled Old City of Jerusalem. Images shared on social media showed a lorry with several bullet holes across the windscreen. The attack comes weeks after 12 people where killed in a similar attack in Berlin.

Donald Trump has tweeted that Toyota will face hefty tariffs on cars built in Mexico for the US market if it builds Corollas south of the border. The president-elect said the Japanese company would be hit with a "big border tax" if such the plan went ahead. American car companies have faced harsh criticism from Mr Trump for building cars more cheaply outside the US. Toyota's President Akio Toyoda said the company had no immediate plans to curb production in Mexico. "We will consider our option as we see what policies the incoming president adopts," said Mr Toyoda, speaking in Japan on Thursday. The company's US arm issued a statement saying production and employment levels at Toyota in the US would not decrease as a result of the new plant in Mexico. The company has 10 manufacturing plants in the US. "Toyota looks forward to collaborating with the Trump Administration t

A long-running rift in the Larson C ice shelf grew suddenly in December and now just 20km of ice is keeping the 5,000 sq km piece from floating away. Larsen C is the most northern major ice shelf in Antarctica. Researchers based in Swansea say the loss of a piece a quarter of the size of Wales will leave the whole shelf vulnerable to future break-up. Larsen C is about 350m thick and floats on the seas at the edge of West Antarctica, holding back the flow of glaciers that feed into it. Researchers have been tracking the rift in Larsen C for many years, watching it with some trepidation after the collapse of Larsen A ice shelf in 1995 and the sudden break-up of the Larsen B shelf in 2002. Last year, researchers from the UK's Project Midas reported that the Larsen C rift was growing fast. But in December the speed of the rift went into overdrive, growing by a further 18km in just a couple of weeks. What will become a massive iceberg now hangs on to the shelf by a

Veteran Indian actor Om Puri, star of British hit East is East, has died aged 66, a family member told the BBC. Puri suffered a heart attack at his residence in Mumbai early on Friday, reports say. Om Puri, who acted in both mainstream and art films, was known for his gritty performances in a number of landmark Indian films in the 1980s. He also appeared in a number of British films, including a cameo in Richard Attenborough's epic on Mahatma Gandhi. A versatile actor, Puri was known for his roles in Indian, Pakistani, British and Hollywood films. He was awarded an honorary OBE for his contribution to the British film industry in 2004. He found international fame for his roles in American and British films, including the 1999 British comedy East is East about a Pakistani immigrant adjusting to life in the north of England. Puri also worked in City of Joy, The Reluctant Fundamentalist and most recently in The Hundred-Foot Journey. At home, Puri was best-known for

Apple has withdrawn the New York Times from its China App Store, following a request from Chinese authorities. The paper said the move was aimed at preventing readers in China "from accessing independent news coverage". Apple said they had been informed the app violated Chinese regulations but did not say what rules had been broken. Western media have long been facing difficulties making their content available in China with many outlets frequently or permanently blocked. According to the New York Times, Apple removed both the English-language and Chinese-language apps from the App Store in China on 23 December. The paper cited an Apple spokesperson as saying the firm had been "informed that the app is in violation of local regulations" which meant it had to be taken down. "When this situation changes, the app store will once again offer the New York Times app for download in China," the spokesman said. The New York Times said they

Oscar's €60 million transfer from Chelsea to Shanghai SIPG will be tough to top this winter, but there are still plenty of opportunities for clubs to drop some dollars. Here's a look at the biggest transfers already completed this January, with a minimum fee of €10 million. And keep an eye on this space, as more and more moves get added as the window rolls on. Axel Witsel Selling club: Zenit St. Petersburg Purchasing club: Tianjin Quanjian Fee: €20 million Carlos Tevez Selling club: Boca Juniors Purchasing club: Shanghai Shenhua Fee: €10.5 million Gabriel Jesus Selling club: Palmeiras Purchasing club: Manchester City Fee: €32 million Julian Draxler Selling club: Wolfsburg Purchasing club: Paris St. Germain Fee: €40 million