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Don't scare workers, urges Cable
05/21/2012
Business Secretary Vince Cable says proposals to make it easier to sack under-performing staff are "the wrong approach" to boosting the economy.
Nato endorses Afghan timetable
05/21/2012
Nato leaders endorse plans to hand combat command in Afghanistan to local forces by mid-2013 and withdraw fighting troops by 2014.
Six people hurt in gas explosion
05/21/2012
Three police officers, a paramedic, a gas engineer and an elderly man are seriously injured in a gas explosion in Gateshead.
UN condemns Yemen suicide bombing
05/22/2012
The UN condemns as "heinous" a suicide attack in Yemen that killed more than 90 soldiers, which al-Qaeda said it carried out.
Girl 'saw parents murder sister'
05/21/2012
The sister of a Cheshire schoolgirl who was last seen alive in 2003 saw their parents kill her, a court is told.
Facebook closes below float price
05/21/2012
Shares in Facebook close 11% below Friday's initial flotation price, sparking debate that one of the world's biggest stock market listings may have been over-valued.
Lockerbie bomber's funeral held
05/21/2012
Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi has been buried in a private ceremony in the Libyan capital, Tripoli.
Widow 'disgusted' at sentence
05/21/2012
Two men will serve minimum sentences of 25 and 14 years before being considered for release for the murder of Constable Stephen Carroll in 2009.
Bank of England's role examined
05/21/2012
The Bank of England's supervisory court commissions three independent reviews into its performance during the financial crisis.
Wife stabbed Alzheimer's husband
05/21/2012
A "devoted" 79-year-old woman who was shot by police with a Taser gun after stabbing her husband 17 times is spared jail.
Stars pay tribute to Robin Gibb
05/21/2012
Sir Cliff Richard, Ringo Starr and Dionne Warwick lead the tributes to Bee Gee Robin Gibb, who has died aged 62.
SpaceX to attempt second lift-off
05/21/2012
The US firm SpaceX will try again on Tuesday to launch its re-supply mission to the space station.
Parkinson's man walks with torch
05/21/2012
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.
Olympic ticket design unveiled
05/21/2012
Pictograms of sporting events - including cycling, swimming and equestrianism - form the basis of the design of the London 2012 Olympic tickets.
Windies were stern test - Strauss
05/21/2012
Captain Andrew Strauss admits England were forced to "dig deep" before sealing a five-wicket victory over West Indies.
Unhappy Torres considers future
05/21/2012
Chelsea striker Fernando Torres wants talks with the club about his future after suffering the 'worst moments' of his career.
Leeds 18-31 St Helens
05/21/2012
Jonny Lomax weighs in with a 13-point haul as St Helens outplay Leeds to earn a deserved Super League win at Headingley.
Williams ready after fire drama
05/21/2012
Chief engineer says the team is ready for the Monaco GP despite having their preparations "hampered" by Spanish GP fire.
Jonathan Agnew column
05/21/2012
"When Trott and Pietersen were out that was looking pretty dangerous, but England will be pleased they were challenged"
Energy bill to boost renewables
05/22/2012
The government will publish its long-awaited draft energy bill later, designed to encourage major investment in clean energy generation.
Man City 'best value for fans'
05/22/2012
Manchester City has won the Premier League title, and is also top of the league when it comes to value for fans, according to ING.
We won't desert Afghans - Cameron
05/21/2012
Britain will not desert the people of Afghanistan when troops end their combat role there in 2014, David Cameron says at a Nato summit in Chicago.
Clegg warns of Europe 'extremism'
05/21/2012
A collapse in the eurozone would create the "ideal recipe for an increase in extremism and xenophobia", the UK deputy PM says.
Book GP visit online 'by 2015'
05/21/2012
Patients in England will be able to book GP appointments and get test results online within three years, ministers are promising.
Calls to mental health lines rise
05/21/2012
Mental health charities say they have seen a surge in calls to their helplines since the start of the recession.
UK childcare 'needs an overhaul'
05/21/2012
Childcare in the UK needs to be overhauled to make it more affordable, a report by MP Elizabeth Truss, for the CentreForum think tank, suggests.
'Minority language data is key'
05/19/2012
Schools should keep detailed records of the languages spoken by ethnic minority pupils urges a report.
Google must answer trust concerns
05/21/2012
The European Commission tells Google it has a "matter of weeks" to allay fears it is abusing its position as the world's dominant search engine.
SIM card to fight phone bullying
05/21/2012
Parents will now be able to control their child's mobile phone thanks to a SIM card remotely managed from a computer.
Modified wheat trial vandalised
05/21/2012
A man has been charged with criminal damage following a break-in at the Rothamsted Research centre where a trial of GM wheat is being held.
Offshore gas leak plug 'success'
05/21/2012
The operation to plug the gas leak on the Elgin Platform in the North Sea has been a success, oil firm Total says.
Coldplay to play at Paralympics
05/21/2012
Coldplay are chosen to perform at the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
Stone Roses give blessing to film
05/21/2012
A film based on the Stone Roses' legendary Spike Island gig is being made with the band's co-operation, its writer Chris Coghill says.
A Point of View: The European dream has become a nightmare
05/18/2012
It may be time to give up on the European project in its current form, laments Will Self.
How do you insult someone legally?
05/18/2012
Campaigners want to overturn laws targeting "insulting words and behaviour". Just how safe is it to scorn others?
Boyfriend guilty of model's death
05/21/2012
The boyfriend of an aspiring model from New Zealand is found guilty of killing her in a jealous rage at his home in Dorset.
VIDEO: Will.i.am carries Olympic torch
05/21/2012
Will.i.am, a judge on the programme The Voice, has carried the Olympic torch in Taunton.
Woman raped in Glasgow's west end
05/21/2012
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
05/21/2012
Rangers could play in next season's Scottish Premier League without sanctions even if they form a new company.
Man remanded over fatal shooting
05/21/2012
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'
05/21/2012
A consultant gynaecologist accepts that the injuries to Rebecca McKeown could have been caused by a doctor who examined her.
Police blamed by Morgan report
05/21/2012
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.
Man denies phone call confession
05/21/2012
A man denies confessing to the murder of a takeaway food delivery driver in a telephone call to his girlfriend, a court hears.
Protesters attack Mali president
05/21/2012
Interim Mali President Dioncounda Traore is briefly hospitalised with a head wound after being attacked in his office by demonstrators, officials say.
Ex-Gaddafi spy chief 'charged'
05/21/2012
Muammar Gaddafi's ex-spy chief Abdallah al-Senussi - wanted by Libya and the ICC - is charged with illegal entry into Mauritania, officials say.
Three climbers die on Mt Everest
05/21/2012
Three climbers have died and two others are missing as they returned from the summit of Mount Everest, officials in Nepal say.
Sri Lanka ex-army chief freed
05/21/2012
The former Sri Lankan army chief, Sarath Fonseka, is released after more than two years in jail.
Italians count high cost of quake
05/21/2012
A day after seven people were killed in a 6.0 magnitude earthquake, Italians assess the damage to one of their most historic regions.
Germany restates eurobond unease
05/21/2012
Germany restates its opposition to so-called eurobonds as the new French finance minister prepares to meet his German counterpart for the first time.
Farc kills 12 Colombian soldiers
05/21/2012
Colombian officials say left-wing Farc rebels have killed 12 soldiers during a patrol in a remote rural area near the sensitive border with Venezuela.
Medina declares in Dominican vote
05/21/2012
Governing party candidate Danilo Medina declares victory in the Dominican Republic presidential race, but the opposition complains of fraud and rejects the result.
Iran sacks 'pool abuse' diplomat
05/21/2012
The Iranian Foreign Ministry announces it had dismissed a diplomat accused of molesting girls at a swimming pool in Brasilia.
Kuwaiti denies Twitter blasphemy
05/21/2012
A Kuwaiti man pleads not guilty to charges that he insulted the Prophet Muhammad and the rulers of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain in messages on Twitter.
Nato Chicago protests hit Boeing
05/21/2012
Protesters in Chicago rally at the HQ of defence giant Boeing, one day after violent clashes and arrests as Nato leaders hold a summit in the city.
Jail for US webcam spy student
05/21/2012
A US student who used a webcam to secretly film his room-mate in a gay encounter is sentenced to 30 days in prison by a judge.
VIDEO: House of Commons
05/21/2012
MPs have clashed over whether proposals in a recent report on employment law would "help more people get back into work" or have a "huge detrimental impact on consumer confidence".
VIDEO: The original celebrity gossip mag
05/22/2012
Historian Dr Lucy Worsley looks through writer Samuel Pepys' scrapbook from the 17th Century, an early example of popular print culture.
VIDEO: Team that keeps torch relay moving
05/21/2012
What keeps the Olympic torch relay on the road?
VIDEO: Jordan treating victims of Mid-East violence
05/21/2012
Six years ago a group of surgeons opened a temporary clinic in Jordan to operate on Iraqis with injuries untreatable in their home country, but recent violence in Libya, Yemen and Syria has led to the project being extended and expanded
VIDEO: Should it be easier to fire staff?
05/21/2012
Business Secretary Vince Cable has attacked a plan being considered by fellow ministers to make it easier for companies to sack workers.
VIDEO: Lockerbie bomber's funeral held
05/21/2012
Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi has been buried in a private ceremony in a western suburb of the Libyan capital, Tripoli.
VIDEO: Facebook drops below float price
05/21/2012
Facebook has plunged in value to well below its offer price, two days after its shares were floated in New York. So what does this mean for the social networking site?
VIDEO: Sir Cliff remembers Robin Gibb
05/21/2012
Robin Gibb, whose career with the Bee Gees spanned five decades, had died from cancer aged 62
VIDEO: Nato to quit Afghan combat role in 2013
05/21/2012
Nato leaders have formalised an agreement to hand control of Afghanistan to its own security forces in 2013. The summit also confirmed its timetable for a full combat pullout by 2014. Mark Mardell reports.
In pictures: Chelsea Flower Show
05/21/2012
Country's most prestigious flower show opens to public on Tuesday
Spaghetti Junction's 40th birthday
05/21/2012
People speak of living and working by famous M6 junction
Fixing bodies broken in years of Arab world violence
05/21/2012
Fixing bones after years of Arab world violence
