THE mother of a baby who died in a fire at their North-East home was last night charged with his murder. Single mother Danielle Wails was arrested on Wednesday by officers investigating Sunday's blaze at her home in Links Road, in the Cowgate area of Newcastle. The 21-year-old, who will appear before Newcastle magistrates today, was questioned over the death of her four-month-old son, Alexander Gallon, whose body was found on the sofa of the house. Miss Wails had told police that two intruders had forced their way into her home, tied her up and started a fire in the house. She claimed to have alerted emergency services by dialling 999 with her tongue. A second woman, in her 20s, has been arrested and bailed, and police say they have discovered closed-circuit television pictures that show two men close to the scene at the time of the fire.

PLANE SCARE: A plane carrying British holidaymakers made an emergency landing in France yesterday after a cabin pressure alert. The Boeing 737, which took off from Glasgow for Alicante, Spain, landed in Bordeaux shortly before 8am after an alarm activated in the cockpit.

DRIFTING DUTCHMAN: A sailor has been rescued from Weymouth Bay, about four miles off Lulworth Cove, after drifting in the English Channel for two days in his half-built boat with only beer to drink. The 52-year-old Dutchman, who lives in Southampton, took to sea after he had an argument with his wife.

BRITON KIDNAPPED: A British man has been kidnapped in Afghanistan after his convoy was ambushed by suspected Taliban rebels. The engineer and his local interpreter were seized by armed militants in an attack which left three policemen dead.

STRUCK OFF: A doctor who downloaded more than 11,000 child porn images was struck off yesterday by the General Medical Council. Nicholas Hill, 40, from Branston, Lincolnshire, was found guilty of serious professional misconduct at a hearing in Manchester.