PM LEADS PARLIAMENT IN SHOW OF DEFIANCE AFTER WESTMINSTER TERROR RAMPAGE

Parliament will put on a show of stoic defiance when MPs attempt to go about their daily duties, less than 24 hours after a terror attack brought death and destruction to the heart of London.

Both the House of Commons and the House of Lords will sit at their normal times on Thursday, despite Westminster playing unwilling host to the massacre the previous day.

Pc Keith Palmer, a member of the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Squad, was killed as he tried to stop the attacker at around 2.30pm on Wednesday, while three members of the public were also fatally injured.

THOUSANDS EXPECTED AT MARTIN MCGUINNESS'S FUNERAL IN LONDONDERRY

Thousands of mourners are expected at the funeral of Martin McGuinness as the ex-IRA commander turned Stormont deputy first minister is laid to rest in his native Londonderry.

Former US President Bill Clinton and ex-Northern Ireland first minister Peter Robinson are set to attend. Irish president Michael D Higgins and his predecessor Mary McAleese will also be at the requiem mass for the Sinn Fein veteran, as will Taoiseach Enda Kenny.

Mr McGuinness's beloved Bogside neighbourhood will come to a standstill during this afternoon's service at the Long Tower church.

FUNERAL OF DERRY CITY'S CAPTAIN RYAN MCBRIDE TO BE HELD

The funeral of Derry City football captain Ryan McBride will be held later.

He was found dead at home on Sunday night aged 27. The cause of death is unknown.

Hundreds are expected to attend the service at St Columba's Church Longtower in the city. He will be interred in the City Cemetery.

'SUPER-OBESITY' REQUIRED FACTOR IN SOME CASES BEFORE WEIGHT LOSS OP, SAYS REPORT

Rationing of surgery to treat clinically obese people means that some need to become "super-obese" before they are allowed a weight loss operation, a new report suggests.

Some regions in England are demanding that patients must have a body mass index (BMI) score of over 50 before they qualify for bariatric surgery.

Health experts are concerned that the message sent to obese patients is to get fatter so they can access surgery.

MODERATE DRINKERS LESS LIKELY TO SUFFER FROM HEART PROBLEMS, STUDY SUGGESTS

Moderate drinking can cut the risk of suffering a heart attack, angina or heart failure, though taking up exercise is better for you, experts say.

A new study on 1.93 million people in the UK suggests drinking in moderation, classed as having no more than 14 units of alcohol per week, offers a protective effect for the heart compared with not drinking.

Previous studies have suggested that alcohol has a positive effect on the levels of "good" cholesterol in the blood as well as proteins associated with blood clotting.

STATE PENSION AGE SHOULD BE INCREASED TO 68 BY 2039, REVIEW SAYS

The state pension age should increase to 68 by 2039 and the triple lock guarantee should be scrapped during the next Parliament, an independent review recommends.

Former CBI director general John Cridland, who was appointed as the Government's independent reviewer of state pension age last year, said the state pension age should increase from 67 to 68 between 2037 and 2039.

Pension experts said if the recommendations are taken up, people in their 40s face their state pension age being pushed back a year. They warned those in their 30s and younger may eventually face the possibility of drawing their pension at 70.

HOLYROOD PARTIES TO DECIDE WHEN INDEPENDENCE BALLOT VOTE WILL TAKE PLACE

Party business managers will meet to decide when a suspended vote on a possible second Scottish independence referendum will take place.

MSPs had been expected to vote to give Nicola Sturgeon the authority to seek talks with the UK Government over a fresh ballot.

But business at the Scottish Parliament was suspended on Wednesday afternoon, part way through the debate, following the terror attack at the Houses of Parliament.

MORE THAN 150,000 CARS BUILT IN FEBRUARY WITH OUTPUT DRIVEN BY OVERSEAS DEMAND

More than 150,000 cars were built in the UK last month, the biggest February figure for 17 years, new data has revealed.

Demand from overseas drove output, offsetting a 7.4% fall in production for the home market, said the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.

A car came off the production line every 16 seconds last month, taking total output to 153,041.

MAN ACCUSED OF MURDERING TODDLER AND ATTEMPTING TO KILL TWIN SISTER DUE IN COURT

The man accused of murdering a one-year-old boy and trying to kill his twin sister will appear before the Old Bailey later.

Bidhya Sagar Das, 33, allegedly attacked the toddlers at a flat in Wilberforce Road, near Finsbury Park, north London, on Saturday night.

The boy, Gabriel Bibekdas Sonu, died in the early hours of Sunday morning while the little girl remains in a critical condition in hospital.

BALLOON AND SKY LANTERN BANS URGED ON COUNCILS BY CONSERVATION GROUP

Local councils are being urged to ban releases of balloons and sky lanterns on their land after balloon litter on beaches rose by more than half in a year.

Volunteers taking apart in the Marine Conservation Society's annual Great British Beach Clean last September found litter such as latex or foil balloons and strings was up 53% from 2015 to 2016.

On beaches and in the sea, balloons, strings, lanterns and frames can have long-lasting effects on wildlife, choking or entangling creatures with harmful or even fatal consequences at the coasts and in the water.