Evening Standard/London

The inquest of murdered teenager Alice Gross will examine whether failures by the police and Government contributed to her death, a coroner ruled.
The 14-year-old was believed to have been killed by Latvian builder Arnis Zalkalns in a sexually motivated attack in August last year before he hung himself.
The schoolgirl’s body was found dumped in the River Brent at Boston Manor Park on September 30 last year and Zalkalns was found hanged four days later.
Police later said Zalkalns – who was a convicted murderer – would have been charged with Alice’s murder if he was still alive.
Alice’s family requested that her inquest examine how Zalkalns was allowed to live unchecked in Britain, despite having served a prison sentence for murdering his wife in his home country.
Zalkans was sentenced to 12 years in prison for murder in 1998 and served seven years before he was released.
 Arnis Zalkans was found hanged a week after the schoolgirl’s body was found.
He moved to the UK in 2007 and was arrested in 2009 on suspicion of sexual assault on a teenage girl. No charges were ever brought against him.
Rajeev Thacker, lawyer for the Gross family, asked at a pre-hearing in October for the full inquest to probe whether her death was the result of any failure by authorities to implement statutory safeguards to protect the public under Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights - the right to life.
Coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox ruled at the high court on Friday the line of investigation would be allowed when the jury inquest starts in June 2016.
She said: “I have had the opportunity to consider at length the submissions of Thacker and I accept them.
Christmas is empty without Alice, says mother of murdered schoolgirl
“I judge that now I have had the opportunity to consider the papers properly that on its face this is an Article 2 case.”
The full inquest will take place before a jury in June and Dr Wilcox said witnesses would be called to determine “how he (Zalkalns) came to be in the country in the first place, given his convictions for murder and firearms offences”.
The inquest will also look at “the systems that were in place at the time, and whether appropriate checks were carried out”.
Wilcox added evidence would be heard about “what shout have happened, what did happen”.
Zalkans’ girlfriend, Katerina Laiblova, could be called to give evidence to the inquest about his mental state prior to his death, Dr Wilcox confirmed.
Details of Zalkans’ death will not be considered, as it has already been covered in a separate inquest.
Another pre-inquest hearing will take place in April.
 l A man is fighting for his life after being attacked in the street in north-east London.
The man, thought to be in his 30s, was reportedly punched after a fight broke out in George Lane, South Woodford, in the early hours yesterday.
He suffered critical head injuries and is being treated in an east London hospital.
A large police presence remained in George Lane on Saturday morning with a number of restaurants sealed off behind police tape.
Officers were initially called to the scene at about 1.30am.
A Met Police spokesman said: “The man, believed aged in his 30s, was taken to an east London hospital for treatment to head injuries - he remains there in a critical condition.
“Enquiries into the circumstances continue.”
No arrests have been made.