Police failed over hack warnings
Police should have warned people whose phones were hacked by the News of the World, a judicial review - pushed for by Lord Prescott - rules.

Gulf states fuel Syria isolation
Gulf Arab states expel Syria's ambassadors, accusing Damascus of shunning Arab efforts to end months of bloodshed, as Russian officials visit President Assad.

Abu Qatada ruling 'unacceptable'
It is "not acceptable" that the UK cannot deport Abu Qatada to Jordan, Home Secretary Theresa May tells MPs, after the radical cleric was granted bail.

Call for Paisley support prayers
Northern Ireland's first and deputy first minister urge people to pray for Ian Paisley, who is being treated in hospital for a heart condition.

Press watchdog 'made a scapegoat'
The Press Complaints Commission was made a scapegoat over phone-hacking at the News of the World, its former chairman tells the Leveson Inquiry.

RBS boss: 'Prove critics wrong'
RBS boss Stephen Hester breaks his silence on the controversy surrounding his bonus, saying the attention had been "discomforting, to say the least".

Milly Dowler killer seeks appeal
Former bouncer Levi Bellfield is due to seek permission to appeal against his conviction for the kidnap and murder of teenager Milly Dowler.

Lansley 'has PM's full support'
Andrew Lansley has David Cameron's "full support", despite a Downing Street source reportedly saying the health secretary "should be taken out and shot".

Iranian president summoned by MPs
Iran's parliament summons the country's president for questioning - the first time this has happened since the 1979 revolution.

Times editor in hacking apology
The editor of the Times publicly apologises at the Leveson Inquiry for a reporter who hacked into an email account to write a story.

California court backs gay unions
A California court rules that a bar on same-sex unions is unconstitutional, in the latest stage of a long-running battle over the issue in the US state.

'Last' WWI service veteran dies
A woman thought to be the world's last known surviving service member of World War I dies aged 110.

'Oldest living twins' aged 102
Two 102-year-old sisters are recognised as the world's oldest living twins by Guinness World Records.

Jubilee gig line-up is announced
Dame Shirley Bassey, Sir Elton John and Sir Paul McCartney are among the artists who will play at The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Concert in London in June.

Glencore-Xstrata in $90bn merger
Anglo-Swiss mining group Xstrata unveils a $90bn merger with commodity trader Glencore, a move opposed by some major shareholders.

Euro 'could survive Greece exit'
Pressure is rising on Greece's national unity government to agree tough reforms as one European offical said that it was "no man overboard" if Greece left the euro.

'Gobsmacking' tax and NHS costs
Estimates showing £10.9bn in unpaid tax was written off and medical negligence could cost £15.7bn are examined by the Commons spending watchdog.

'More openness' over arms sales
Ministers say they plan to open up the licensing process for arms exports to more public scrutiny, saying it must be seen to be "working properly".

Hundreds seek NHS implant advice
Almost 1,000 private patients with PIP breast implants have contacted the NHS. The figure was given by Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, NHS Medical Director, in evidence to the Commons Health Select Committee.

Spoon-fed babies 'end up fatter'
Babies weaned on pureed food tend to end up fatter than infants whose first tastes are finger food, researchers believe.

University access boss stand-off
The dispute over appointing the next university access watchdog is going to be resolved - as a committee of MPs prepares to announce its verdict.

Teacher's Facebook drinking posts
A teacher is reprimanded after comments about drinking and parties appeared on her Facebook site and were viewed by pupils.

Internet cams video feeds exposed
Thousands of Trendnet security camera webfeeds have been breached and shared on the internet, including live video from children's rooms.

Symantec code 'extortion' claim
Hackers demanded money in return for keeping stolen source code a secret, security firm Symantec says.

'Invader' drives ladybird decline
Fast declines in some UK and European ladybirds are being caused by the spread of the invasive harlequin species, scientists show.

Antarctic lake success 'uncertain'
It is not yet clear whether Russian scientists have succeeded in their quest to drill into an Antarctic sub-glacial lake, reports suggest.

Underground design for Serpentine
Beijing Olympics designers Herzog & de Meuron and Ai Weiwei will create this year's Serpentine Gallery pavilion.

Royals celebrate Dickens' legacy
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall are leading global celebrations marking the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens's birth.

The moment a princess became a queen
Princess Elizabeth was enjoying a brief break from her royal duties in Kenya when she learnt that her father, George VI, had suddenly died, and she was now Queen Elizabeth II.

Living outside the hearing world
Cochlear implants offer some deaf people the chance to have a "sensation of sound". So why would deaf teenagers choose not to have it?

Parks stands down from Scotland
Scotland stand-off Dan Parks announces his retirement from international rugby with immediate effect.

Terry not ready to quit England
John Terry still wants to play for England despite being stripped of the captaincy for the second time, BBC Sport understands.

Raikkonen sets fastest test time
Lotus racer Kimi Raikkonen sets the fastest time on the first day of Formula 1 pre-season testing in Jerez, Spain.

Lloyds Group to shed 1,000 jobs
Lloyds Banking Group announces it is to shed nearly 1,000 jobs and close three of its administration sites.

Woman held over Tube 'race rant'
A suspect is arrested after video footage emerges of a woman apparently abusing ethnic minority passengers on a Tube.

Orkney murder case appeal begins
A man jailed for the murder of a waiter on Orkney begins an appeal against his conviction.

Hearts face action over tax bill
Heart of Midlothian Football Club is given eight days by tax officials to pay an outstanding bill or face liquidation.

Belfast plane emergency landing
A plane makes an emergency landing at Belfast International Airport after it develops technical problems taking off.

McLaughlin to leave Ulster post
Ulster coach Brian McLaughlin will leave the job at the end of the season and take up a role in the club's Academy.

Ministers warned on Awema in 2004
The Welsh government was warned to stop new public funding for an under-fire race equality body in 2004, BBC Wales can reveal.

Plaid MP leads stalking law call
A Plaid Cymru MP leads calls for a new law making stalking a specific offence in England and Wales to stop harassment resulting in violence.

Uganda MP revives anti-gay bill
The Anti-Homosexuality Bill is reintroduced to Uganda's parliament - without the death penalty but still calling for life in prison for some offences.

'Suicide attack' on Nigeria army
A man in military uniform blows himself up outside a Nigerian army barracks in the city of Kaduna, which is also rocked by other blasts, officials say.

New Maldives leader pledges order
New Maldives President Mohammed Waheed Hassan vows to uphold the rule of law following the dramatic resignation of his predecessor Mohamed Nasheed.

Chinese workers released in Sudan
A group of Chinese workers kidnapped by rebels in Sudan last month has been freed and flown to Kenya, officials from both countries say.

'Syria spies' arrested in Berlin
A Syrian and a German-Lebanese man are arrested in Germany on suspicion of spying on opponents of President Bashar al-Assad's government.

Freeze prompts Europe emergencies
As freezing weather grips much of Europe, Italy takes steps to conserve gas while emergency situations have been declared in other countries.

Brazil police stand-off continues
Brazilian authorities say they are hopeful of a negotiated end to a police strike that has led to a stand-off between officers and troops in Salvador.

Brazil sues Twitter over alerts
The Brazilian government files a lawsuit against Twitter, demanding it block material that helps motorists evade drink-driving traps.

Bahrain releases jailed activists
The authorities in Bahrain free two imprisoned human rights activists ahead of the first anniversary of the start of mass pro-democracy protests.

Iraq bloc ends boycott of cabinet
Ministers from Iraq's Sunni-backed Iraqiyya bloc end their boycott of the cabinet, reducing fears that the national unity government might fall.

LA abuse school removes all staff
The whole staff of a Los Angeles school is to be replaced amid a probe into allegations of sex abuse against two long-serving teachers, officials say.

Obama to give back campaign funds
US President Barack Obama's election campaign is to return some $200,000 of funding linked to the family of a Mexican fugitive.

In pictures: Maldives unrest as president quits
Protests lead to the resignation of President

In pictures: Snowy Sunday
Much of UK with several inches of snow

Super Bowl photos
New York Giants beat New England Patriots

Day in pictures: 6 February 2012
24 hours of news photos: 6 February 2012

In pictures: Making charcoal from Liberian rubber trees
Making make use of old rubber trees in Liberia

Week in pictures: 28 January-3 February
News photos from around the world: 28 January-3 February

The Queen: 60 photographs for 60 years
Sixty photographs for 60 years on the throne

In pictures: Venice in Solitude
Haunting views of Venice's waterways

VIDEO: House of Commons
MPs are taking part in an opposition day debate on responsibility and reform of British banks.

VIDEO: Barlow on 'massive' Jubilee concert
Gary Barlow says he wants to represent "the whole world" at the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Concert in June.

VIDEO: Skydiver: My mum's still scared
An Austrian adventurer planning the highest skydive in history has announced he will make the attempt later this year.

VIDEO: Children flee artillery attack on Homs
As the Syrian army launched a fresh assault on Homs, pounding the city with mortars and artillery fire, footage has been released showing the impact on civilians and children in particular.

VIDEO: Woman found alive in Lahore rubble
Rescue workers in Pakistan have found a 65-year-old woman alive in the rubble of a Lahore factory, 31 hours after the building collapsed.

VIDEO: How plants warn each other of danger
Professor Iain Smith shows how researchers have captured the process by which plants alert each other to potential threat.

VIDEO: Portsmouth marks Dickens's birth
Events are taking place in the UK and across the world to mark the 200th birthday of Charles Dickens.

VIDEO: MPs debate new stalking law
A report is being launched calling for a new law against stalking in England and Wales, to try to prevent harassment and intimidation turning to violence.

AUDIO: Barton tweets 'did not amount to risk'
Attorney General Dominic Grieve comments on the decision to release the radical Muslim cleric, Abu Qatada, and the issue of Joey Barton's tweets on the John Terry case.

Did Dickens really save poor children and clean up the slums?
Did Dickens save poor children and clean up the slums?

Fall from grace for Maldives' democratic crusader
How the Maldives' President Nasheed fell from grace

When did the middle finger become offensive?
When did the middle finger become offensive?

Moving from penguins to profiles
How do we keep our web-savvy children safe online?

Day in pictures: 7 February 2012
24 hours of news photos from around the world

Why spend 15 hours a week cutting coupons?
Why spend 15 hours a week cutting up newspapers?

Gabon: Surfing hippos, lacking tourists
So why has Gabon failed to become tourist hot-spot?