Tax boss: 'No need to say sorry'
The UK's top tax man says he has no need to apologise after taking the wrong amount of tax from six million people.

Obama pleads for Koran row calm
President Obama makes a plea for religious tolerance, as a church threatening to burn the Koran demands contact with a New York imam.

Dowling wins Ultimate Big Brother
Former air steward Brian Dowling has been crowned the winner of Ultimate Big Brother as the Channel 4 reality show comes to an end.

Royal Mail sell-off is confirmed
The government confirms it is to press ahead with a complete sale of Royal Mail, following an updated review of the postal service.

MPs 'held back' on phone inquiry
MPs held back in an inquiry into phone-hacking allegations for fear that their own private lives could be targeted, a former MP claims.

Sex victims meet before Pope tour
Men and women who say they were sexually abused as children by Catholic priests are to hold a conference ahead of the Pope's British visit.

Musharraf 'to return' to Pakistan
Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf tells the BBC he wants to start a new political party and run for president.

Wayne Rooney requesting privacy
Wayne Rooney and his wife Coleen ask the media to respect their privacy while they discuss newspaper allegations about the footballer.

40,000 police jobs 'threatened'
As many as 40,000 front-line police jobs may be at risk across England and Wales if funding cuts of 25% go ahead, the Police Federation says.

DR Congo bans 'conflict mining'
President Kabila bans mining in three provinces of DR Congo to allow the government to tackle a "mafia" controlling the trade.

Several die in California blast
At least four people have been killed in an explosion which tore through a town near San Francisco, officials say.

Huge fire at construction site
More than 100 firefighters tackle a major fire at a timber-framed block of flats under construction in Hampshire.

Lifeboat crew rescues man and wheelie bin
Lifeboat crews made a most unusual rescue off the coast of Anglesey - an 81-year-old man and his wheelie bin.

Culloden battle map to go on public display
A plan of the Battle of Culloden drawn two years after Bonnie Prince Charlie's defeat is to go on display in Inverness.

Ferguson brushes off Rooney talk
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson and Everton manager David Moyes refuse to be drawn on Wayne Rooney's off-field problems as the troubled striker returns to face his former club on Saturday.

Clijsters sets up Zvonareva final
Defending champion Kim Clijsters beats Venus Williams to reach the US Open final, where she will meet Vera Zvonareva after she shocked top seed Caroline Wozniacki.

England defeat spirited Pakistan
England compound Pakistan's off-field problems with a deserved 24-run win to take a 1-0 lead in the five-game one-day series.

Vettel heads Ferrari duo at Monza
Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel steals Ferrari's thunder to set the pace in practice at the Italian Grand Prix.

St Helens 28-12 Warrington
Jamie Foster kicks six goals as St Helens stun Warrington with a 28-12 play-off derby win at Knowsley Road.

Three jailed over 'filmed' rape
Three men are jailed for a sex attack on a woman which only came to light when the victim saw footage of it on a mobile phone.

Two men jailed for hammer attack
Two men are jailed over a hammer attack which left a teenager from Leicester brain damaged.

Fire union warning over job cuts
The Fire Brigades Union warns any further cuts to frontline provision would be dangerous for the public and crews.

Games industry 'lost 18% of jobs'
Scotland has lost nearly a fifth of the jobs in its computer games industry so far this year, an industry body warns.

Murderer appeals guilty verdict
A man convicted of battering and strangling a vulnerable young woman in County Antrim is to appeal the guilty verdict.

Bomb suspect priest 'flamboyant'
Denis Bradley says he met Father James Chesney but at the time was not aware the priest was suspected of involvement in the Claudy bombings.

Jones wants to be first minister
Plaid Cymru leader Ieuan Wyn Jones tells his party conference that after next year's assembly elections he wants to be first minister of Wales.

Cases of Legionnaires' rise to 17
Three more cases of Legionnaires' disease are identified as health officials close a cooling tower in Merthyr Tydfil until it is cleaned and disinfected.

Guinea poll head guilty of fraud
The head of Guinea's election commission and another senior official are sentenced to a year in prison for fraud during June's first round presidential vote.

Air Zimbabwe strikers 'face sack'
Air Zimbabwe has warned striking pilots that they could lose their jobs unless they return to work, according to state media.

China postpones talks with Japan
Beijing postpones planned talks with Tokyo after Japan's court extends the detention of a Chinese captain over a collision in disputed waters.

Japan uncovers centenarian 'scam'
More than 230,000 elderly people in Japan who are listed as being aged 100 or over are unaccounted for, officials said following a nationwide inquiry.

Church abuse detailed in Belgium
Harrowing details of alleged sex abuse by Roman Catholic clergy in Belgium are released by an official Church investigator.

Man held after Danish hotel blast
Danish police hold a man injured by a small blast at a Copenhagen hotel amid reports he was a would-be suicide bomber.

Castro quote 'was misinterpreted'
Fidel Castro says he was misinterpreted when he was quoted by a US reporter as saying that the Cuban economic model no longer worked.

Colombia rebels kill six police
Colombia's Farc rebels kill six policemen, in the latest in a surge of attacks that have killed more than 30 security personnel since President Juan Manuel Santos took office a month ago.

Iran 'delays US hiker's release'
Iran delays the release of Sarah Shourd, one of three US hikers arrested last year on suspicion of espionage, officials say.

Iran denies 'secret atomic plant'
Iran rejects claims by dissident groups that it has almost completed a secret uranium-enrichment facility near Tehran.

Pakistan trio set to return home
The three Pakistan cricketers questioned by police over alleged spot fixing are to fly home.

Manipur police on murder charges
A court in India's Manipur state issues warrants for the arrest of nine policemen charged with killing an unarmed man.

US jobs recovery 'painfully slow'
US President Barack Obama has said that progress in pulling the American economy out of recession has been "painfully slow".

US officials try to stop spy book
The US Department of Defense is trying to stop the distribution of a book by a former intelligence officer.

Economic forecast gloomy says IMF
The International Monetary Fund says recent growth in the global economy is likely to slow towards the end of the year.

IMF releases new loan for Greece
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) formally approves the second installment of a rescue loan to Greece.

Connaught sale saves 2,500 jobs
About 2,500 jobs are saved after administrators KPMG agree to sell most of Connaught's failed social housing group.

Minister defends using detectives
A justice minister says he paid private detectives to investigate his colleagues because he was upset about "malicious" newspaper stories.

Boris Johnson to seek re-election
Mayor of London Boris Johnson announces he will stand for re-election in 2012.

Green leader woos Lib Dem rebels
Green Party leader Caroline Lucas appeals to Lib Dem supporters disillusioned with the coalition's policies to join her party.

Stem cell medic misconduct ruling
A doctor who offered controversial stem cell treatments to multiple sclerosis patients faces being struck off by the General Medical Council.

Plea to save MS respite centres
Volunteers are calling on the MS Society not to abandon four respite care centres in York, Surrey, Warwickshire and East Lothian

Stress hormone heart death link
High levels of the stress hormone cortisol are closely linked to death from cardiovascular disease, a Dutch study has found.

Academies 'may be risky strategy'
The government spending watchdog warns the expansion of the academies programme could risk being poor value for money.

Push for choice on special needs
The children's minister says parents should have more choice over special educational needs provision in England, as she seeks input for a Green Paper.

Call to merge education services
Education authorities are facing a call to merge so classrooms may be spared the worst of the cuts in public spending.

Boxing game to aid health fight
A boxing game is spearheading attempts to get middle-aged men in Teesside to get more regular exercise.

Broadband switch 'too difficult'
Telecoms watchdog Ofcom aims to address the fact that switching broadband providers is viewed as "too much hassle".

Sex movie worm spreads worldwide
A malicious program that falsely promises free access to sex movies is racking up victims around the world, warn security firms.

Freshwater turtles 'in decline'
More than a third of freshwater turtle species are now threatened with extinction, Conservation International says.

Ancient Greeks saw Halley's comet
A celestial event seen by the ancient Greeks may be the earliest sighting of Halley's comet, new evidence suggests.

Scan to 'track brain development'
Scientists say they can quickly and accurately map a child's brain development using an MRI machine and a maths programme.

Hirst joins arts funding campaign
Leading artists including Tracey Emin, David Hockney and Damien Hirst join a campaign against proposed government cuts to arts funding.

Cyrus Cylinder is loaned to Iran
The British Museum settles a dispute with Iran's national museum over the loan of ancient Persian treasure the Cyrus Cylinder.

Record deal for Smith's daughter
Will Smith's daughter, Willow, nine, signs a record deal with rapper Jay-Z's label Roc Nation and releases debut single Whip My Hair.

Quiz of the week's news
The Magazine's weekly quiz of the news, 7 days 7 questions - plus the Weekly Bonus Question.

What became of Mercury Communications?
Its name lives on in the form of a prestigious music prize but whatever happened to Mercury Communications?

Britain's only gay Mass
Some gay people will protest at the Pope's UK visit next week - but one London Catholic church is hosting a "gay Mass".

Committee to examine MP phone-hacking claims
MPs have decided to hold a new inquiry into allegations that some of their phones were hacked by journalists at the News of the World.

Mudslide engulfs Italian village
In Italy the town of Antrani on the Amalfi coast has been hit by flash flooding and mudslides.

The world's first Klingon opera
The first ever Klingon opera is underway in The Hague

Cyclist's long hunt for missing son
An Australian man who cycled round Europe for three months looking for his missing son is to be reunited with him after two-and-a-half years.

Injured marine's epic US run
Royal Marine Mark Ormrod is a triple amputee who is setting out to run 3,500 miles across the US.

Bomb scare toy pony blown up
A child's toy sparked a bomb scare in Orlando after it was left unattended in a cul-de-sac.

Blaze engulfs San Francisco homes
Dozens of homes have been set ablaze near San Francisco International Airport, after a reported explosion.

US marines rescue ship from pirates
US Marines have boarded and seized a vessel hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia, navy officials say.

Ben Brown boogies - it's Odd Box
Presenters dancing, lessons in how to fall over and the man who drives a dining room table. It's the week's weird and wonderful video stories in Newsbeat's Odd Box with Dominic Byrne.

Seeing into space
Stunning images captured by earthbound astronomers

Swap and pop
What happened to Saturday morning children's TV?

What's 27x43?
How 'the grid method' has replaced long multiplication

Legal weapon 2
Cowboy car park clampers turn to tickets

Rally for peace
The tennis players with a message at US Open

Party time
Greens celebrate first MP but will their success continue?

The family Smith
The achievements of Will Smith and his talented brood

Going the distance
Drew Barrymore has become a Hollywood force