Joe Pesci claims the makers of a biopic on the Gotti family have made him an offer he can refuse - a lesser part in the movie and a $2m (€1.39m) salary cut.

Albert “The Old Man” Facchiano, a 97-year-old whose life of crime in the US dates to the days of Lucky Luciano and Bugsy Siegel, was sentenced today to six months of house arrest and 18 months of probation on racketeering charges.

The bodies thought to be those of four dead journalists are to be flown out of Afghanistan by the Red Cross, according to reports.

Italy has pulled out of a European programme to build a large military aircraft, the Airbus A400M - a move some say creates uncertainty over the country’s commitment to an integrated European defence industry.