| Bookies slash the odds on a white Christmas after Arctic winds bring four-inch snowfall [15 mins][Cumbernauld] Thousands of schoolchildren have swapped lessons for sledging as the cold snap brought a blanket of snow to parts of Britain. Hundreds of schools closed as overnight falls of four inches brought much of Northern England and North East Scotland to a standstill. | Why China Keeps Picking on Sarkozy [18 mins][Beijing] Beijing keeps beating up on the French president. But it may be because China wants to divide and conquer in Europe -- and France is the weakest link |