Environmental campaigners say that a draft plan to respond to an oil spill in the Arctic ocean is inadequate and vague.

A skeleton found beneath a Leicester car park has been confirmed as that of English king Richard III.

At least 19 people are killed in a suicide bomb attack in central Iraq aimed at pro-government militia, officials say.

Lewis Hamilton unveils the new Mercedes car that will carry his hopes in Formula 1 this season.

Britain's biggest ever lottery winners set up a £5m charitable trust with the aim of improving quality of life in Scotland.

Searches for names typically associated with black people are more likely to offer ads relating to criminal records, a study finds.

Somalia's militant Islamist group al-Shabab opens a new Twitter account in English, less than two weeks after its previous account was suspended.

A UN-backed court overturns the genocide convictions of two Rwandan ex-ministers and orders their immediate release.

Prototype software uses two decades of news headlines and other data to try to predict future events

Energy company Centrica pulls out of plans to invest in the UK's nuclear re-building programme because of increasing costs and delays.

A Champions League tie played in England is one of 680 matches investigators believe was fixed by a crime syndicate.

Tuberculosis vaccine trial ends in failure, Fergus Walsh reports

Fleetwood Mac are set to perform new material on their forthcoming tour, Mick Fleetwood reveals.

Pictures of Cambodians paying last respects to King Sihanouk

Twenty four hours of news photos: 4 February

The EU resumes tough negotiations on its multi-year budget, with leaders warning that big differences remain ahead of a Brussels summit this week.

A court in Vietnam's Phu Yen province jails 22 people for trying to overthrow the government, the latest move in a crackdown on dissent.

Israeli forces in the West Bank arrest at least 20 members of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, including three members of parliament.

The estate of late British painter Lucian Freud bequeaths a portrait by Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot to the nation, under the government's acceptance in lieu scheme.

Children are increasingly being groomed over the internet for the sole purpose of online sexual abuse, research by a child protection watchdog suggests.