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Mon, 21 May 2012 14:50:42 GMT

The business secretary condemns proposals to make it easier for firms to sack under-performing staff as "the wrong approach" to boosting the economy.

Widow 'disgusted' at sentence

Mon, 21 May 2012 17:01:37 GMT

Two men will serve minimum sentences of 25 and 14 years before being considered for release for the murder of Constable Stephen Carroll in Craigavon in 2009.

Parkinson's man walks with torch

Mon, 21 May 2012 18:39:25 GMT

The Olympic torch has been carried by a man with Parkinson's Disease, who managed to get out of his wheelchair and walk the last few paces.

Stars pay tribute to Robin Gibb

Mon, 21 May 2012 17:16:28 GMT

Sir Cliff Richard, Ringo Starr and Dionne Warwick lead the tributes to Bee Gee Robin Gibb, who has died aged 62.

Wife stabbed Alzheimer's husband

Mon, 21 May 2012 17:49:06 GMT

A "devoted" 79-year-old woman who was shot by police with a Taser gun after stabbing her husband 17 times is spared jail.

Kidnap boy police 'flew to Paris'

Mon, 21 May 2012 16:11:49 GMT

A specialist team of British police officers oversaw the exchange of a £110,000 ransom for a five-year old British hostage kidnapped in Pakistan, a Spanish court hears.

Boyfriend guilty of model's death

Mon, 21 May 2012 18:13:06 GMT

The boyfriend of an aspiring model from New Zealand is found guilty of killing her in a jealous rage at his home in Dorset.

Hunt investigated over donations

Mon, 21 May 2012 13:27:37 GMT

Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt is to be investigated over claims he failed to register donations from media firms while an opposition MP.

Worker dies on heritage railway

Mon, 21 May 2012 14:58:01 GMT

A rail worker dies after becoming trapped between two trains on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.

Girl 'saw parents murder sister'

Mon, 21 May 2012 18:44:33 GMT

The sister of a Cheshire schoolgirl who was last seen alive in 2003 saw their parents kill her, a court is told.

Police blamed by Morgan report

Mon, 21 May 2012 16:48:30 GMT

The collapse of a trial of three men charged with committing one of Britain's most notorious unsolved murders has been blamed on failures by police and prosecution.

Mandelson: 'No pact with Murdoch'

Mon, 21 May 2012 16:59:38 GMT

There was no "Faustian pact" between Labour and News International before the 1997 general election, Lord Mandelson tells the Leveson Inquiry.

Body parts kept by police forces

Mon, 21 May 2012 17:36:09 GMT

Police forces in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have stored almost 500 body parts and human organs, a report says.

Lockerbie bomber's funeral held

Mon, 21 May 2012 13:52:32 GMT

Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi has been buried in a private ceremony in the Libyan capital, Tripoli.

Fire officer cleared over deaths

Mon, 21 May 2012 12:05:57 GMT

A fire service officer is acquitted of the manslaughter of four of his colleagues who were killed in a blaze in 2007.

Singer survives stage electric shock

Mon, 21 May 2012 14:27:43 GMT

Dave Okumu, singer with Mercury-nominated band The Invisible, is recovering in hospital after suffering "a life-threatening" electric shock on stage.

Olympic ticket design unveiled

Mon, 21 May 2012 17:30:17 GMT

Pictograms of sporting events - including cycling, swimming and equestrianism - form the basis of the design of the London 2012 Olympic tickets.

Big bird reunited with its owner

Mon, 21 May 2012 15:48:11 GMT

A big bird - thought to be an emu or a rhea - is reunited with its owner after it was found roaming a south Wales valleys golf course.

Man remanded over fatal shooting

Mon, 21 May 2012 10:57:39 GMT

A 26-year-old man is remanded in custody charged with murdering his ex-partner's sister and attempting to murder her.

Doctor 'could have caused injury'

Mon, 21 May 2012 16:18:23 GMT

A consultant gynaecologist accepts that the injuries to Rebecca McKeown could have been caused by a doctor who examined her.

Man denies phone call confession

Mon, 21 May 2012 17:06:55 GMT

A man denies confessing to the murder of a takeaway food delivery driver in a telephone call to his girlfriend, a court hears.

Firms' expansion creates 120 jobs

Mon, 21 May 2012 16:08:19 GMT

The expansion of a supermarket and a haulage company in Deeside, Flintshire, will create 120 jobs, with the help of Welsh government financial backing.

Woman raped in Glasgow's west end

Mon, 21 May 2012 16:09:44 GMT

An investigation is under way after a 19-year-old woman was raped in Glasgow's busy west end at the weekend.

Newco Gers could avoid sanctions

Mon, 21 May 2012 17:49:35 GMT

Rangers could play in next season's Scottish Premier League without sanctions even if they form a new company.

Four people hurt in gas explosion

Mon, 21 May 2012 18:28:16 GMT

Three police officers and a gas engineer are taken to hospital after a gas explosion in Gateshead.

Lucan witness reveals identity

Mon, 21 May 2012 13:42:16 GMT

A woman who claimed she helped Lord Lucan live a secret life abroad in an interview with the BBC reveals her identity.

England v West Indies as it happened

Mon, 21 May 2012 09:27:53 GMT

Alastair Cook and Ian Bell steer England to a five-wicket victory over West Indies in the opening Test of the summer at Lord's.

Unhappy Torres considers future

Mon, 21 May 2012 06:54:44 GMT

Chelsea striker Fernando Torres wants talks with the club about his future after suffering the 'worst moments' of his career.

Dyer signs one-year QPR contract

Mon, 21 May 2012 14:55:03 GMT

Kieron Dyer signs a new one-year deal at QPR, who also offer contracts to Radek Cerny, Clint Hill and Akos Buzsaky.

A Point of View: The European dream has become a nightmare

Fri, 18 May 2012 16:56:32 GMT

It may be time to give up on the European project in its current form, laments Will Self.

How do you insult someone legally?

Fri, 18 May 2012 11:07:22 GMT

Campaigners want to overturn laws targeting "insulting words and behaviour". Just how safe is it to scorn others?

Quiz of the week's news

Fri, 18 May 2012 02:32:04 GMT

The Magazine's weekly quiz of the news, 7 days 7 questions.

Clegg warns of Europe 'extremism'

Mon, 21 May 2012 12:08:13 GMT

A collapse in the eurozone would create the "ideal recipe for an increase in extremism and xenophobia", the UK deputy PM says.

MPs to debate ex-NI executives

Mon, 21 May 2012 15:08:11 GMT

MPs will decide on Tuesday whether to refer three former News International executives to the standards commissioner for allegedly misleading a Commons committee.

UK plans pre-visa TB screening

Mon, 21 May 2012 15:31:34 GMT

The UK announces that people coming to the UK from countries with a high incidence of TB will be screened before being granted a visa of more than six months.

VIDEO: House of Commons

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 11:54:18 GMT

MPs are debating the Local Government Finance Bill, which gives local authorities the power to keep some of the money they raise from business rates in their area.

VIDEO: How to broadcast a torch relay

Mon, 21 May 2012 09:52:38 GMT

Covering a continuously moving object is no easy task and involves some new broadcasting ideas, as technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones has been finding out.

VIDEO: Skipper frees 40ft humpback whale

Mon, 21 May 2012 11:10:20 GMT

The skipper of a sight-seeing boat in Orkney is being hailed for his bravery after jumping into the water to save a humpback whale.

VIDEO: Widow 'disgusted' at sentence

Mon, 21 May 2012 17:41:32 GMT

Two dissident republicans have been jailed for the murder of the police officer Stephen Carroll in County Armagh. Constable Carroll's widow likened the sentences to a rap over the knuckles, as Mark Simpson reports.

VIDEO: Chopper bike was designer's 'favourite'

Mon, 21 May 2012 10:47:34 GMT

The widow of the creator of the Raleigh Chopper has said the bike was one of his favourite designs for the Nottingham company.

VIDEO: North-west 'poorest' area of England

Mon, 21 May 2012 08:53:45 GMT

A church charity has found that the ten poorest parishes in England are all in the North, and nine of them are in the North West.

VIDEO: 'Like wrestling with a crocodile'

Mon, 21 May 2012 15:14:06 GMT

Former PM Tony Blair believed the press made people feel cynical and negative about politics according to Lord Mandelson, who has been giving evidence to the Leveson Inquiry.

AUDIO: 'We had to fight our way out'

Mon, 21 May 2012 09:01:16 GMT

Former British Army Captain David Blakeley discusses his new book about a secret mission to Iraq in 2003.

VIDEO: What cuts can the police forces take?

Mon, 21 May 2012 10:36:30 GMT

The head of the Police Federation accused the Home Secretary of being "on the precipice of destroying" the service, but some claim it should take its share of public sector cuts.

Bee Gees 'on a par with Beatles'

Mon, 21 May 2012 15:36:29 GMT

Bee Gees 'on a par with The Beatles', songwriters say

Is it OK to celebrate next to a losing fan?

Mon, 21 May 2012 14:14:57 GMT

Is it OK to celebrate next to the defeated?

Spaghetti Junction's 40th birthday

Mon, 21 May 2012 05:14:19 GMT

People speak of living and working by the famous M6 junction

In pictures: Chelsea Flower Show

Mon, 21 May 2012 14:40:52 GMT

Country's most prestigious flower show opens to public on Tuesday