It's only a small grave, a rectangle of cheap concrete marking it out, blessed by a flourish of wild yellow lilies. Inside are the powdered bones and skulls and bits of femur of up to 300 children, Armenian orphans of the great 1915 genocide who died of cholera and starvation as the Turkish authorities tried to "Turkify" them in a converted Catholic college high above Beirut. But for once, it is the almost unknown story of the surviving 1,200 children – between three and 15 years old – who lived in the crowded dormitory of this ironically beautiful cut-stone school that proves that the Turks did indeed commit genocide against the Armenians in 1915.

When David Paterson, the Governor of New York, for whom the prefix "embattled" doesn't nearly suffice, made an emotional pledge over the weekend to "fulfill the mission in which God placed me", he did so at a Baptist church in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. He didn't do it in Harlem.

A powerful earthquake struck in a remote part of eastern Turkey yesterday, killing at least 51 people from five villages.

French students are deserting the Sorbonne because of the once élite university's reputation for militancy, strikes and abandoned lectures. They are also increasingly snubbing the country's prestigious Grandes Ecoles system for a new educational El Dorado – Britain.

They arrived from every corner of the country. They were from men women and children, of every race, age, class and calling. Half a century on, they have come to life again, expressing Americans' grief, shock and collective sense of bereavement at the news of John F Kennedy's assassination.

Soldiers were out in force last night in the troubled Nigerian city of Jos where aid workers were still counting the dead after a sectarian massacre in which hundreds of villagers were hacked to death or burned in their homes.

David Beckham returns to Old Trafford to play his old team for the first time since he left the club seven years ago.

Portsmouth face the prospect of chasing FA Cup glory without the prize of European football after it emerged they have not applied for a UEFA club licence.

England officials have been warned to sweep team venues for listening devices on a regular basis to avoid being bugged.

Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted news the England team has been bugged was a concern.

Manchester United have confirmed defender Wes Brown will miss the next four to six weeks through injury.

Lewis Moody has been dropped for England's Calcutta Cup game against Scotland on Saturday.

So, the northern hemisphere is going to have to embrace the new interpretations of some crucial laws of the game during the course of the next 16 months leading up to the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

Wayne Rooney has provided Manchester United with a timely Champions League boost by taking part in training ahead of tomorrow's encounter with AC Milan.

Spurred on by the enthusiastic arrival of Fernando Alonso and a disastrous 2009, Ferrari will head into the Formula One season as the championship favorite with a bit of a chip on its shoulder.

England flanker James Haskell last night attempted to set the record straight after he was caught in the middle of a club-versus-country row.

England drew their pre-Test warm-up against Bangladesh A but another failure for Kevin Pietersen meant they left with the same major problem they arrived with three days ago.

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez vowed to carry on fighting in the club's battle for Champions League football despite suffering a significant blow in the 1-0 defeat at Wigan last night.

Paul Scholes has admitted his match-changing equaliser against AC Milan three weeks ago is probably the worst goal he has ever scored.

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard could face an FA investigation after he appeared to flash a V-sign at referee Andre Marriner during his side's 1-0 defeat at Wigan last night.

Arsene Wenger has every confidence in Nicklas Bendtner - and hopes the young Denmark striker can help fire Arsenal into the quarter-finals of the Champions League with victory over Porto tonight.

Stuttgart goalkeeper Jens Lehmann is likely to retire in the summer after confirming he won't be extending his contract at the Mercedes-Benz Arena.

Ashley Young wants Aston Villa to learn from last season's fade-out as they chase FA Cup glory and a Champions League spot in the final two months of this campaign.