Real life has ended up beating fiction for British author Frederick Forsyth, who jetted into Guinea-Bissau this week for book research.

Police were today investigating claims that back-from-the-dead canoeist John Darwin stole the identity of a dead month-old boy to get a false passport.

FRANCE’S best-known mercenary Bob Denard, who had a hand in numerous African wars and coups d’etat over 30 years, has died at the age of 78.

Sebastian Faulks has written a new James Bond novel to be published 42 years after Ian Fleming’s last superspy adventure, it was announced today.

A new James Bond novel is being written – 40 years after the superspy’s last outing.

The Queen today showed off her linguistic skills before filing a news report at the official opening of the new Reuters building in Canary Wharf, London.

Frederick Forsyth wrote it up as The Dogs of War, and set it in Equatorial Guinea: A rag-tag band of mercenaries, recruited by a British elite, tries to seize control of a mineral-rich, African backwater.

Industrial scenes by artist L S Lowry collected by best-selling author Frederick Forsyth raised a total of more than £1.7m at auction today.