One big move on Merseyside went through today as Brazilian midfielder Philippe Coutinho completed an £8.5million switch to Liverpool, but Everton’s signing of FC Twente star Leroy Fer fell through.

Two groups who thought they had been dropped from 'The X Factor' found themselves through to the judges’ houses as the 25 acts who had made it to that stage of the contest were revealed.

An Olympic athlete has walked into a police station in Leeds and asked for asylum in the UK.

Ed Miliband today urged border staff not to strike on the eve of the Olympics.

Ulster’s former Natal Sharks and Springbok full-back, Stefan Terblanche believes the Irish provinces will remain an attractive proposition for overseas players even if the IRFU sticks to its plan to squeeze the influx of non-Irish qualified talent.

Radical cleric Abu Qatada was arrested today as the British government prepared to set out its next steps in sending him back to Jordan.

Up to 50,000 migrants may have used flaws in the student visa system to come to the UK for work in its first year, the country's public spending watchdog said today.

High-tech eye scanners designed to reduce the time taken for passengers to enter the UK have been scrapped at Birmingham and Manchester airports and closed to anyone who has not already registered, the UK Border Agency (UKBA) said.

A Filipino worker was tied to a chair by a racist colleague in the North while another was locked in a freezer, a community representative has claimed.

Heathrow Airport has announced it is building a special terminal just for Olympic athletes.

A man has been deported to the US after being arrested close to the home of singer Kate Bush in England.

Closer co-operation between the UK and Ireland will help crack down on illegal immigration, ministers said today.

Plane arrivals and take-offs at Britain's two biggest airports were largely unaffected by today's strike.

A NATIONWIDE public sector strike in Britain next Wednesday threatens to paralyse operations at Heathrow, Europe’s busiest airport.

Next week’s public sector pensions strike in Britain could lead to “very long delays of up to 12 hours” for passengers arriving at Heathrow airport and “mass cancellations of departing aircraft”, airlines have been warned.

Ulster have confirmed the signing of former South Africa international Stefan Terblanche on a three-month contract.

Ulster Rugby have this evening confirmed that Stefan Terblanche will join the club on a 3 month contract.

Singer Kelis has accused Britain of being "racially decades behind progression" after she was allegedly subjected to abuse at an airport because of her skin colour.

A 26-year-old man has been charged with smuggling heroin estimated to be worth £3m (€3.44m) after being stopped at the Channel Tunnel entrance.

A RECORD £300 million (€344m) haul of cocaine has been seized and six alleged members of an international drugs gang arrested.

A Pakistani man arrested at a Ballycastle takeaway is set to be deported, it was confirmed today.

PSNI officers were left red-faced after they ruined a wedding in the false belief that it was a sham.

Celtic have won their case for Victor Wanyama to be awarded a work permit following an appeal to the Scottish Football Association.

An illegal immigrant slashed his throat today as he was being deported from Britain on a plane.

A PAKISTANI national convicted of child sex offences in Britain has been deported, the Home Office said yesterday.

American jockey Mike Smith has been forced to give up his rides at Lingfield on Tuesday due to the conditions of his visa.

Up to 181,000 migrants who should have gone home over the past two years alone could still be in the UK illegally, figures showed today.

BRITAIN has seized €117 million of Libyan currency found on a Libya-bound ship after escorting the vessel to an English port.

AN Irish man has been charged in Britain over an alleged attempt to bring drugs through the Channel Tunnel.

COMPLIMENTS of the season from festive Heathrow where the annual snow crisis has arrived a little earlier this year.

Eleven people have been arrested by UK police investigating a criminal gang suspected of running “a modern-day slavery operation” involving migrant workers.

Five live crabs have been found inside a Chinese woman’s suitcase at Belfast International Airport.

Simon Cowell has thrown his weight behind the campaign to save snubbed X Factor star Gamu Nhengu from deportation to Zimbabwe, it has been revealed.

'X Factor' reject Gamu Nhengu is set to fight her deportation from the UK.

The mother of 'X Factor' reject Gamu Nhengu did not wrongly claim tax credits, the family’s solicitor said today as the budding singer faced deportation to Zimbabwe.

A British Government minister was urged today to intervene in the case of an 'X Factor' reject who faces removal from the UK.

Rejected 'X Factor' hopeful Gamu Nhengu must leave the UK voluntarily, the UK Border Agency said today.

A suspected fake bride and groom were marched through a busy city centre after they were arrested on suspicion of taking part in a sham marriage ceremony, officials in Britain confirmed today.

Cocaine with a street value of £8.25m (€9.91m) was found hidden in machinery at one of the UK’s biggest ports, investigators said today.

A VICAR was yesterday found guilty of conducting sham marriages to allow illegal immigrants to stay in Britain.

IMMIGRANTS entering Britain to marry or join their partner will soon be asked to take an English language test first, the British government announced yesterday.

THREE men were arrested on suspicion of importing drugs into Britain after suspect packages were found attached to lobster pots off the coast.

Border officials seized €26,000 stuffed inside the bra of a woman as she arrived on a ferry from Ireland.

Extra security to prevent child trafficking could be introduced at Belfast airports if it becomes a problem, a British Home Office minister warned today.