The Pope has compared the Charlie Hebdo attack to feeling like he would punch someone who swore at his mother.

Travelling to the Philippines he was asked about the recent attacks in France that left 20 people dead.

He said that freedom of speech was a human rights but that there were limits to offending and ridiculing other people's beliefs.

He told a French journalist: "If [his aide] Dr Gasparri says a curse word against my mother, he can expect a punch.

"It's normal. You cannot provoke. You cannot insult the faith of others. You cannot make fun of the faith of others."

The Vatican and four top French imams have issued a statement denouncing the attacks while urging the media to treat religions with respect.

There are tailbacks on the A563 Lubbesthorpe Way near Meridian Park in Leicester after a crash.

Emergency services were called to the incident at about 5.30pm today. The collision left both carriageways of the road partially blocked.

The northbound lane between Fosse Park and Meridian Leisure Park was still congested at 8pm.

Several vehicles were involved in the crash but it is not believed there were any serious injuries.

New Leicester City signing Andrej Kramaric has been given the green light to make his Leicester City debut tomorrow.

The 23-year-old striker has been granted a work permit and has been given international clearance to complete his switch from HNK Rijeka in a deal that could be worth £9.5 million.

City have been given the all clear and his registration was lodged in time for him to be available to make his debut against Stoke City. Kramaric will wear the number 40 shirt.

"We've watched Andrej for a long time so we knew we were signing a player that could add great quality to English football and I'm delighted that the relevant authorities have seen the situation the same way," said City boss Nigel Pearson.

"He's an extremely talented young footballer and I'm delighted we've been able to finalise his signing. He is potentially a very important addition for us."

Kramaric agreed personal terms and passed his medical last week but City had to apply for special dispensation as he did not qualify for a work permit. Croatia has only recently joined the European Union and does not yet qualify for the freedom of movement for workers rights, and Kramaric had not played enough international games.

City attended a FA hearing on Monday and were given an endorsement for a work permit after successfully arguing that Kramaric, who has been capped four times by his country, is an exceptional talent who will enhance the Premier League.

Kramarić has scored 28 goals in 31 games for Rijeka this season, including a Europa League hat-trick against Feyenoord and five goals in one game against Lokomotiva Zagreb. 

The go-ahead for a £7.8million community hospital for Market Harborough is likely to given by the board of NHS Property Services on January 22.

The news was given to a meeting of Harborough district councillors on Thursday by Dr David Sharpe, director for

NHS England in Leicestershire.

He said: " I am delighted to confirm that the project is at the final stage in the approvals process.

"The board of NHS Property Services will consider the final business case next week and, subject to their approval, work is planned to start in March or April ."

He said if things go to schedule, the hospital on the St Luke's site in Leicester Road will open in mid 2016.

It  will provide more procedures and specialist clinics include services currently provided at the district hospital in Coventry Road.

Four schemes to try and cut emergency hospital admissions over the weekend are being tested in West Leicestershire.

In the north Charnwood area GPs are carrying out pre-weekend visits to care homes to check on patients.

In November 100 patients were visited and the scheme is backed by acute visiting service in which paramedics from East Midlands Ambulance Service make calls and carry out assessments to see if a patient needs to go to hospital.

In the Hinckley and Bosworth area a GP weekend visiting service has been introduced from 9am-4pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

A telephone advice service for patients referred by practices is operating from 9am to 12 noon at weekends in north west Leicestershire.

A similar scheme is also being used by GPs in the south Charnwood area.

The pilot schemes are being funded to the tune of £350,000 by the West Leicestershire clinical commissioning group (CCG) responsible for planning and paying for local health services and Leicestershire County Council's Better Care Fund.

Dr Nick Willmott, a GP and GP clinical lead for the CCG, said: "The development of seven day access to GPs is an important part of the CCG's goal to improve urgent care for our patients.

"Our pilot schemes seek to identify vulnerable patients at risk of hospital admission at weekends who would benefit from contact or support from a GP or emergency care practitioner to keep them in the community where ever possible."

He added: "We are currently running four separate pilots which have helped us to understand what works best for the community.

"We continue to monitor the outcomes closely, but are encouraged by the results so far."

Tim Sacks, chief operating officer for the East Leicestershire and Rutland CCG, said a number of schemes are running to provide more access to family doctors outside main surgery hours.

They include one being run by two surgeries in Oadby which provide a mix of telephone and personal appointments as well as home visits to some patients.

Mr Sacks said: "Early figures show this had already prevented admission to hospitals for these vulnerable patients."

We entertain Stoke tomorrow in another big game for us and, if we can follow up last week's win over Aston Villa with another victory, it would put the cat among the pigeons.

Although the scoreline didn't reflect it, I thought last week was a very convincing win for us.

If you can combine playing well and getting three points, that is the ultimate, but our priority now is just to make sure we get enough points to ensure we are in the Premier League next season.

Sometimes you have to grind out the results, but I think our performances this season have been generally very good. Regular readers will be thinking "Oh no, it is Stoke again so here comes Birchy's story about his debut."

But it does remind me that it is 50-odd years since I ran out at the Victoria Ground, and what a journey it has been since then.

It gives me a nice feeling thinking back to that day and I remember it all vividly. For any player, their debut is something to savour.

I have been badgered recently by some people who enjoyed my first book 'Bring Back the Birch' and I am thinking of adding to that as the last 15 years have been quite eventful for the club and myself, so I have a new set of stories.

People ask me if there has been any difference around the training ground during the good times and the bad, but the banter and confidence around the place is great and there is a nice, bouncy atmosphere.

Nigel Pearson makes sure people are on their toes in training and, while he makes sure it doesn't become cockiness, the banter is great and I make sure I join in.

The new lad, Andrej Kramaric, has been around the place this week and I am looking forward to him making his debut. He seems a nice lad, too, and I am sure he will make an impact.

When I look around the club since our owners arrived, there has been a remarkable transition.

They have injected finance on and off the field and we are now able to sign players like Kramaric.

Nigel and his staff have done a great job and he is in my top three of City's best managers in my time.

The day will come, as it does at every club, when managers, coaches and even owners move on, but I hope that day is a long way off.

If we can go into the second half of the season and get the points required, it would be deserved.

It is going to be difficult. But this is what we have been fighting forthe last 10 years and we won't give up lightly.

This week I was at the funeral of City fan David Withers. It made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up when I saw the hearse pull up and the coffin was draped in a City flag .People turned up with City scarves and shirts. I am proud to represent the club at these events, and it really does sum up the passion and dedication of our supporters.

A charity ball is being held to help raise money to send medical teams to India and Kashmir to help save children's lives.

The Leicestershire charity Healing Little Hearts sends volunteer medical teams to India every four to six weeks.

Each team comprises between six and eight doctors and nurses who operate on babies and young children born with heart defects.

It was founded by Dr Sanjiv Nichani, a consultant paediatrician at Leicester's hospitals seven years ago.

He said: "We have gone from strength to strength over the years.

"We now operate in six hospitals in India and by the end of last year we had completed 525 life saving operations."

Dr Nichani set up the charity to help some of the 60,000 children born in India with heart problems and who do not have access to medical care.

Children's heart specialists from across Britain volunteer to join the regular trips.

Healing Little Hearts pays for flights and accommodation is usually provided by the hospitals volunteers visit.

Each trip costs about £5,000 and lasts about two weeks in which time the visiting team operates on between 10 and 15 children.

Dr Nichani said: "We are now looking to send intensive care unit specialists to centres where there is a surgeon but not the intensive care unit expertise.

"We are also considering going to other parts of the world, one possibility is Africa where we can particularly help in teaching in intensive care."

Healing Little Hearts is hosting the Give with Love back tie ball on Saturday, February 14.

It will be held at the Platinum Suite, Cobden Street and will include a three course meal, provided by Sanjay Foods, and complimentary wine on each table.

Entertainment will be provided by the Michael Jackson tribute band Signature which featured on Britain's Got Talent and at the London 2012 Olympic Games opening ceremony.

The charity is opening that local businesses and industries will back the event either in sponsorship or donations for the charity auction and raffle.

To book tickets call 0116 229 0023 or e mail events@healinglittlehearts.org.uk

Two private companies expressed an interest in taking over Leicester's Western Park municipal golf course which is set to close in October, it has emerged.

City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby has revealed details of two bids to take over the course but said he rejected them both.

One was to run it as, unusually, a six-hole golf course and the other was to turn it into a foot golf course - where players kick footballs along the course into cups.

Sir Peter, who has faced stiff opposition the closure proposals, said he did not think the campaigners would have been happy with either offer.

In a recent council meeting he also rejected calls by councillors to allow members of Western Park Golf Club more time to draw up a business plan to take over the running of the course.

Two consultations were held on the future of Western Park and the city's other municipal course Humberstone Heights.

Both times the majority of people urged him not to shut the courses.

However he concluded the authority could no longer afford the £124,000 annual subsidy for Western Park.

Sir Peter said one of the unnamed interested parties had offered to invest £200,000 in the course but wanted the £40,000 annual rent lifted for the first five years.

Sir Peter said: "There have been no proposals from (club) members or anybody else suggesting they would wish to or are capable of taking on the course."

He said allowing more time to the club would only prolong the uncertainty and agony over the clubs future.

Western Park Golf club committee member Martin Cobb said: "Any arguments we have made to buy the course time have fallen on deaf ears."

Labour ward councillor Su Barton and Liberal Democrat member Nigel Porter were among the councillors who said the course should be preserved as green wedge.

Tory councillor Ross Grant said: "It's ludicrous to think we are going through all this to save £100,000. The mayor's got his eye on the capital receipt from selling land for housing."

Sir Peter said there had been no discussions with any developers over any schemes for the land though he has previously said their could be some development part of the course.

The matter will be debated again at a council meeting next Thursday.

The A&E department at Leicester Royal Infirmary has again missed its waiting time target as more than 2,347 patients sought treatment, according to the latest figures.

Health campaigners said too little has been done in time to support the city's hospitals.

NHS England figures for the week ending January 9 show that 71.6 per cent out of 2,347 patients were seen within the target time of four hours.

But this meant that some 660 people had to wait more than four hours.

Attendances were much the same as the previous week but the number of people needing to be admitted to hospital over the week increased by 36 to 1,666.

The figures also show there were 262 times when it took ambulance longer than 30 minutes to hand over their patients to A&E staff.

In a special video Dr Ffion Davies, an emergency medicine consultant, has told how the department how the department tackles its busiest moment.

She said: "In one of the busiest ED (emergency departments) in Europe the team takes an 'as-necessary' time out and form the Huddle.

"They take stock of their patients and ensure everyone is aware and kept abreast of the situation.

"This Huddle is fully active involving everyone involved with patients in the department to know what everybody is doing."

Richard Mitchell, chief operating officer at Leicester's hospitals described the pressure on A&E as "unprecedented."

He added it was likely to continue until the end of March and urged people with long term conditions to seek early help if they were feeling unwell.

Health campaigner Zuffar Haq said he was concerned that "too little, too late had been done to support the hospitals.

He said: "It's the same scenario every year where more should have been done in primary and social care to help support the hospitals deal with increasing demand.

"More services need to be available in the community."

He added: I know the Leicester City clinical commissioning group has opened some surgeries at weekends but these should have been open in December - well ahead of the winter.

"The hospital has no choice but to deal with patients, they cannot turn them away."

Everybody Counts - Ffion Davies - The success of the 'Huddle' in the Emergency Department from Leicester's Hospitals on Vimeo.

Leicester City striker David Nugent says he still feels he has something to prove in the Premier League.

The City striker said at the start of the campaign he wanted to demonstrate he could be a hit at the top level and he feels he has not done that yet.

Nugent, who has finished the last three seasons as City's top scorer, has been used mainly in a withdrawn No.10 role and, while he has been effective in that position, he would prefer to be leading the line.

While he may not be getting into the box as regularly as last season, he has demonstrated that he has not lost the knack of scoring spectacular goals, such as his volley at Liverpool on New Year's Day.

He almost added another last weekend against Aston Villa, only for his volley to strike the crossbar.

But Nugent is not satisfied. "I wouldn't say I have proved anyone wrong," he said.

"I know I have had a few little niggles and illnesses but I haven't scored as many goals as I wanted to.

"Maybe that is because I haven't been playing as a striker, I have been playing in that attacking midfielder role.

"It is my job to get into the holes and feed the strikers and the wingers. I think I have done that pretty well.

"I am a striker and I would like to be the main man up top, running in behind defences, and save my energy for the top half of the pitch.

"But I have done this job now for nearly all of last season with Jamie Vardy, and we swapped one in and one out.

"I am used to it now but I know I am not going to score as many goals as I want. But as long as I am doing a job for the team and the manager is happy then I am happy to do it.

"It is a lot harder to get forward in the Premier League when you are playing against big teams week in and week out.

"But I am just happy to be playing again and to be back in the Premier League.

"Hopefully I can get back to full fitness and start scoring a few more goals."

Stoke manager Mark Hughes is out for revenge at the King Power Stadium tomorrow afternoon.

City picked up a 1-0 victory at the Britannia Stadium earlier this season, courtesy of Leonardo Ulloa's winner, but Hughes believes Nigel Pearson's men pinched their pockets that day.

However, away from home Hughes believes the show will be on the other foot and his players will be able to pick off City in similar fashion.

"On the day we lost the game, I don't think we played particularly badly and Leicester had very few opportunities to have a strike on our goal and one of the few they did, they scored," said Hughes.

"They then shut up shop and we didn't have the where-with-all to break them down.

"Away from home, I would like to think there will be more opportunities for us going the other way as the away team.

"I think there will be more space for us to operate." Ironically, the week before that game, Stoke had done exactly the same to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium and Pearson said you have to take the rough with the smooth.

"We had a win there which was a really tough game," he said.

"They'd just been to Man City, did not have a great deal of attacking options and came away with a win.

"You look at it from a balanced perspective but not always easy when your pockets have been pinched."

Hughes knows with City showing they are up for the fight to avoid relegation following a return of seven points form a possible nine, Pearson's men will have their tails up.

"They needed positive results and they've been able to do that and they'll be looking to get more wins on the board because that's the only way you move from the bottom of the table," he said.

"Sometimes you can have a really encouraging performance but only get a draw which doesn't shift you from the bottom of the table.

"It's really important to get wins and I'm sure that's what their manager will be emphasising to them."

City will be without Kasper Schmeichel, (foot), Matt Upson (foot), Jeff Schlupp (knee) and Esteban Cambiasso (thigh), while Dean Hammond is described as a major doubt because of a calf problem. Matty James starts his three-game ban for his red card against Aston Villa last week.

Erik Pieters is a major doubt for Stoke after picking up a groin injury last week, but Steven Nzonzi has shaken off his groin injury and could be fit to face City, while Victor Moses could come back into the starting line-up.

Leicester City have been fined £20,000 by the FA for failing to control their players against Aston Villa.

Players from both sides became involved after Matty James and Villa's Ciaran Clark clashed in added time.

After both players were sent off the jostling continued in the technical area.

The FA said in a statement: "Leicester City have been find £20,000 after admitting an FA charge of failing to ensure their players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion and/or refrained from provocative behaviour.

"It follows an incident which occurred during time added at the end of the game against Aston Villa on January 10,2015

"Villa have admitted the same charge and their case will be heard by an Independent Regulatory Commission in due course."

Leicester City will be hoping new signing Andrej Kramaric will continue his fantastic record of scoring on debuts when he takes his bow tomorrow.

The Croatia international has scored on every debut for club and country and will be looking to add to his record against Stoke at the King Power Stadium (3.0).

He scored twice on his debut for Dinamo Zagreb against Medjimurje in 2009, two for Lokomotiva Zagreb against Zadar, one for HNK Rijeka against Slaven Belupo and he scored on his international debut against Malta in the 2012 European Championship qualifiers.

The 23-year-old striker has been granted a work permit and has been given international clearance to complete his switch from HNK Rijeka in a deal that could be worth £9.5million.

City were given the all-clear and his registration was lodged today in time for him to be available to make his debut against the Potters. 

Kramaric will wear the No.40 shirt.

"We've watched Andrej for a long time so we knew we were signing a player that could add great quality to English football, and I'm delighted that the relevant authorities have seen the situation the same way," said City boss Nigel Pearson.

"He's an extremely talented young footballer and I'm delighted we've been able to finalise his signing. He is potentially a very important addition for us."

Kramaric agreed personal terms and passed his medical last week, but City had to apply for special dispensation as he did not qualify for a work permit as Croatia has only recently joined the European Union and does not yet qualify for the freedom of movement for workers rights.

City attended a FA hearing on Monday and were given an endorsement for a work permit after successfully arguing that Kramaric, who has been capped four times by his country, is an exceptional talent who will enhance the Premier League.

Kramaric has scored 28 goals in 31 games for Rijeka this season, including a Europa League hat-trick against Feyenoord and five goals in one game against Lokomotiva Zagreb.

City are looking to bring in another striker but will pursue other targets after talks with Shaun Maloney broke down.

City had agreed a deal with Wigan, believed to be around £750,000, for the Scotland international and began talks with Maloney's representatives, but were unable to agree a package.

Cat owner Donald Dixon received a telephone call from southern Spain to tell him his missing pet had been found - one mile away from his Leicester home.

Mr Dixon, of Narborough Road South, Leicester, received the call from the former owners of Morse the cat, who had moved to Pliego 1,400 miles away in the Murcia region of Spain.

He said: "Me and my wife got a call from our friends who gave us Morse before they emigrated to Spain.

"They told us that Morse, who had been missing for three months, had been found down the road in Enderby.

"Sadly, Morse had got one of his legs caught in a trap but at least we knew he was alive and we could not wait to see him."

Morse, whose former owners were traced because he had been microchipped, was one of two cats who were found injured in traps in St Johns, Enderby.

Rose, a two and a half year old cat, had to have a front leg amputated after she was found in trap on December 7.

Five-year-old Morse, who may have to lose some toes on a paw, was found with a leg trapped on January 9.

Sharon Knight, an RSPCA animal collection officer, said Morse had been found hiding in the roof space of a bungalow in St Johns.

She said: "He had a leg caught in a trap. The woman heard a cat miaowing then found Morse."

Ms Knight said the microchip enabled them to call a vet in Preston, Lancashire, who e-mailed his former owners who had moved to Spain.

Mr Dixon said: "Morse went missing in October and we had only had him for a few weeks.

"Our friends moved and could not take him with them so we had him and their other cat Tilly.

"Morse has been traumatised by his horrific ordeal. We want the person who set the traps to be caught and brought to justice."

PANEL:

RSPCA officials are trying to trace the person who laid the illegal traps which snared both Morse and Rose.

Officers at the charity have launched a public appeal for help after the cats were caught in two separate traps in St John's, Enderby.

RSPCA Inspector Sheona (CORRECT) Morley said the pets were lucky to be alive after being caught in the "gin traps".

She said: "It is illegal to use these traps and they are dangerous.

"A child or even an adult could lose a finger in of these traps."

She said they had dropped notes through the doors of homes in the area of St Johns.

A 'gin trap' is a mechanised trap which was used to catch foxes or rabbits.

Insp Morley asked anyone who may have information about who set the traps to call the RSPCA on 0300 123 4999.

Network Rail says it will inspect Narborough rail crossing after being told that the quality of the road surface is poor.

Scott Ball, who works in Narborough, wrote to Network Rail twice to complain about the bumpy road surface at the crossing.

He said: "I have sent Network Rail two e-mails in regards the state of the road surface on the crossing.

"The problem is that you have to drive over the crossing very slowly as its so bumpy and uneven.

"I drive over the crossing every day and would never jump it, but I was driving over it very slowly the other day and the yellow light started to flash. Luckily, I got over it before the barriers came down.

"I work in Narborough and speak to a lot of people around there and they all say the same - the crossing surface is poor."

Scott got in touch with the Mercury following a story featuring footage of a driver stuck between the barriers at Narborough crossing.

It shows a black Vauxhall Corsa drive over the railway line as the red lights flash and get stuck between the barriers.

Network Rail told the Mercury that it would inspect the road surface of the crossing, but Scott said he not yet had a response to his complaints.

"I wanted to put my point across that Network Rail may moan in regards people jumping the crossing but they seem to be ignorant in regards complaints from people."

However, Network Rail said it had not received any complains about Narborough recently.

A spokesperson for Network Rail said: "We haven't received any complaints to our 24 hour helpline about the road surface at Narborough Road crossing recently.

"We shall send one of our inspection teams out to have a look and if there is an issue we can decide what action needs to be taken. Any member of the public can call our helpline to report any issues with the rail infrastructure – that number is 08457 11 41 41."

To see the video of the car getting stuck on Narborough crossing click HERE. 

Marks and Spencer is pulling out of a warehousing contract with a company in Leicester.

The high street chain said it will not be renewing a contract to store clothes in a warehouse operated by LF Logistics in Sunningdale Business Park, on the Braunstone Frith Industrial Estate.

It is not known if any jobs will go as a result, although 150 jobs are at risk in Coventry after M&S announced it is ending operations at a warehouse run by DHL.

LF Logistics operates a 1,180,000 sq ft warehouse on the Leicester trading estate which, its website states, receives around 83 million boxed and hanging pieces of clothing each year.

A spokesman for Marks and Spencer said the decision to pull out of the Leicester and Coventry warehouses was part of a process of centralising its operations.

Since 2009 it has been moving away from 110 smaller warehouses to six big national distribution centres – including a vast new warehouse which deals with online orders in Castle Donington.

The current contract with LF Logistics in Leicester, which has been running since 2007, ends in the summer.

He said: "We've taken the decision to transfer our operations at the LFL site to other distribution centres within the M&S network.

"It is no reflection of the site's performance or its employees, it has been made as part of our long-term supply chain transformation programme to deliver a more efficient M&S."

He added: "We're working closely with our partner DHL on the future of the Coventry site. We understand that it will be an unsettling time for those involved and we will do all we can to support."

Marks & Spencer opened its 900,000 sq ft distribution centre in Castle Donington in 2013, which will eventually create up to 1,200 jobs.

A spokesperson from LFL would not say how big an impact it would have on their Leicester operation.

She said "Yes, we can confirm the Marks & Spencer have indicated their future plans in relation to their logistics network and that they will no longer use the LFL Holding Centre in Leicester.

"We are currently in discussions with M&S regarding its proposed transition plan and associated time scales."

M&S has another Leicestershire operation in Leicestershire run by CML.

Sheffield Sharks (16, 32, 53, 78) 86

 Tuck 19, Holmes 18, Lewis 16, Gachette 12, Cook 10, Babalola 6, Barber 2, E Brownell, G Brownell, Backovic, Horstmann, Sing.

Leicester Riders (27, 48, 60, 78) 89

Hassan 35, Bernardini 19, Watson 12, Wright 8, Rowe 6, Anderson 4, Gamble 3, Washington 2, Williams, Noel, Lamble.

Leicester Riders claimed a dramatic 89-86 overtime success at Sheffield Sharks in one of the most thrilling games of the season.

A stunning 35-point, 6-rebound performance from Rashad Hassan saw Riders lead by as many as 22 points in the first half, but they still needed to recover from a six point deficit in the closing minutes of a pulsating game.

Even then 40 minutes weren't enough to separate the sides as both had a chance to win the game in the last 10 seconds of regulation time.

Riders flew out of the blocks with five Tyler Bernardini points and a three pointer from TrayVonn Wright registered in the first 90 seconds. Hassan made it 10-0 in a sign of what was to come from the American big man.

He had ten points on the board before the Sharks did, making all five of his shot attempts as Riders led 22-8 after only six minutes.

Hassan continued that in the second period, scoring Riders' first three baskets, which was followed by a Harrison Gamble triple as Leicester held the home side to just one score in the first six minutes.

Leicester were 38-18 ahead at that point and it wasn't until three minutes from half-time that Hassan missed his first shot, at the tenth attempt, though moments later he took his personal tally to 20 and the Riders lead to 42-20.

A spell of nine unanswered points by the home side meant Riders lead was down to 46-32 at the break. Sheffield followed that up with a 9-2 run early in the third quarter to cut Riders lead to seven and then a spell of eight unanswered points made it 60-57.

Early in the final quarter the Sharks rattled in 11 straight points to lead 68-62, but Riders immediately responded with nine of the next 12 points to lead by two points with two minutes to play.

Riders twice edged in front, but BJ Holmes was calm from the free throw line on both occasions to level the match and send it into overtime.

Tyler Bernardini and Neil Watson both hit three-pointers in the first minute of the extra period as Riders moved 83-77 in front, but again the Sharks replied to narrow the gap to two.

With 16 seconds to go Watson edged the Riders 87-83 clear from the free throw line and Antony Rowe then made the game safe with two more foul shots six seconds later.