Current Articles from BBC News

Welfare bill 'to be cut by extra £4bn'
The government is planning to reduce the annual welfare bill by a further £4bn, Chancellor George Osborne tells the BBC.
Obama condemns Koran burning plan
President Obama calls a small church's plan to burn the Koran a "recruitment bonanza" for al-Qaeda, while Interpol warns a violent response is likely.
Soldiers 'kept Afghan body parts'
A group of US soldiers murdered a number of Afghan civilians and took body parts as trophies, documents released by military officials suggest.
MPs back new phone hacking probe
MPs back calls for a fresh parliamentary investigation into phone hacking claims after criticism of News of the World journalists.
Defence firm BAE cuts 1,000 jobs
BAE Systems announces it is to axe almost 1,000 jobs across the UK, with 740 to go from five sites in England.
Iran to release captured US hiker
Iran is set to release on Saturday one of three detained American hikers held since last July and accused of espionage, officials say.
Second death linked to Legionnaires'
Health officials are investigating a second death which is being linked to a Legionnaires' disease outbreak in south Wales.
MPs vote to stay in Afghanistan
MPs overwhelmingly back keeping UK troops in Afghanistan - the first time they have voted on the issue.
British hostage freed in Pakistan
A British journalist held captive by militants in north-west Pakistan since March is released.
Euro MPs condemn France over Roma
Euro MPs call on France to suspend its deportations of Roma (Gypsies), as Paris seeks co-operation from Romania.
Alien 'killer' shrimp found in UK
An invasive species of predatory shrimp has been found in the UK for the first time.
Rodney King tying the knot with his juror
Nineteen years after his brutal beating by four LA police officers, Rodney King is marrying a juror from the case.
Victoria Wood to star in Morecambe and Wise film
Comedians Victoria Wood and Vic Reeves sign up to star in a feature-length film about the comic duo Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise.
Toshack departs as Wales manager
John Toshack departs as Wales manager after a six-year reign with immediate effect by "mutual consent".
Live text - Wawrinka v Youzhny
Stanislas Wawrinka and Mikhail Youzhny battle for a US Open semi-final spot, with Rafael Nadal and Fernando Verdasco in action later.
Riaz to face police questioning
Pakistan bowler Wahab Riaz will be questioned by Scotland Yard on 14 September in relation to allegations of corruption.
Redknapp eyes England manager job
Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp would find it "hard to turn down" the England job if asked to replace manager Fabio Capello.
Alonso faces team orders grilling
Fernando Alonso tries to put the team orders controversy behind Ferrari after the FIA decided against further punishment for the Italian team.
Wife murdered by cheating husband
A man who texted two lovers with messages of affection on the day he killed his wife of nearly 26 years is jailed for life.
Two seriously hurt in plane crash
Two men are seriously injured when they become trapped when their light aircraft crashes into a garden in Hampshire.
Parties unite over carriers fears
Scottish ministers and opposition politicians join forces in a bid to ensure the future of two Royal Navy aircraft carriers.
MSPs' allowances hit record high
MSPs claimed a record amount of expenses last year, with payments totalling almost £11.7m.
Victim would not meet McGuinness
The son of a man killed in the Claudy bombings in 1972 says he does not believe Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness has told the whole truth.
Social worker 'did nothing wrong'
A social worker involved in a County Fermanagh child sex abuse case did not do anything wrong, her employer says.
£10,000 reward on teenager murder
Police are offering a £10,000 reward in their search for a man wanted in connection with the murder of a teenager in Cardiff.
Coroner opposes closure of unit
A decision to shut a pathology department will lead to a delay in post-mortems and the downgrading of a general hospital, claims a coroner.
Suicide raid hits Somalia airport
A carload of suspected Islamist suicide bombers attack Mogadishu airport, killing soldiers and civilians, officials say.
US marines recapture pirated ship
US Marines have boarded and seized a vessel hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia, navy officials say.
China U-turn on enforced blackout
Thousands of people in China are to have their electricity restored after the reversal of an order for enforced power cuts to meet energy-saving goals.
Japan-China boat spat escalates
China warns Japan that their wider relationship will suffer if Tokyo mishandles a dispute about a Chinese fishing boat seized in disputed waters.
Race-row German banker quits post
A German banker at the centre of a row over comments he made about Jews and Muslims agrees to leave his post, the Bundesbank says.
Belgium church raids are illegal
Belgium's court rules that recent raids by police probing alleged child sex abuse by Catholic priests were illegal, throwing the investigation into doubt.
Gang strike paralyses El Salvador
El Salvador is semi-paralysed by a 72-hour transport strike called by street gangs in protest against a new law targeting them.
Mexico crime 'like an insurgency'
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says Mexican drug violence is looking increasingly like an insurgency, a comment strongly rejected by Mexico.
Saudi website for fatwas closes
The popular Islam Today website, run by the Saudi cleric Salman al-Awdah, has closed its section offering thousands of Islamic religious rulings.
Yemeni soldier killed in ambush
Gunmen open fire on soldiers in southern Yemen, killing at least one and wounding others.
Indian caste census due in 2011
India's first caste-based census since 1931 will take place next year, the cabinet announces.
Taliban chief says victory close
Taliban leader Mullah Omar says his fighters are on the verge of victory in Afghanistan and the Nato-led campaign has been "a complete failure".
Reprieve for US stem cell funding
A court says federal funding for US stem cell research can continue until a final legal decision on the matter.
US exports near to two-year high
The US trade gap in July narrowed thanks to increased exports of large US-made items such as aircraft.
UK interest rates remain at 0.5%
The Bank of England keeps UK interest rates on hold at a record low of 0.5% for the 18th consecutive month.
North East 'least resilient' area
Industrial areas in the North East and Midlands are least resilient to economic shocks, BBC-commissioned research suggests.
Global economy slowing, says OECD
The global economic recovery is slowing faster than forecast, but a return to recession is unlikely, an economic group says.
Clegg seeks to calm cuts anxiety
Nick Clegg has sought to calm fears over the impact of spending cuts, insisting they will be spread over four years not implemented immediately.
Chote set to head Budget office
Economist and former journalist Robert Chote is to become the new head of the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR).
Cameron tribute to 'amazing dad'
David Cameron and his family pay tribute to their late father, saying he had "touched a lot of lives".
Vitamin B 'puts off Alzheimer's'
High doses of B vitamins may slow the rate of brain shrinkage in older people experiencing warning signs of Alzheimer's disease, a study says.
Hospital boss summoned to inquest
The chief executive of an NHS trust appears at an inquest into an elderly patient's death after she was summoned by the coroner.
NHS IT costs to be cut by £700m
The government has announced £700m of savings in the national IT programme for the NHS in England, cutting the overall cost to £11.4bn.
Door ajar on private universities
The Universities Minister suggests an increased role for private universities as he signals graduates will have to pay more for their degrees.
Gove to change vocational courses
Education Secretary Michael Gove announces a review of vocational education in England, which he says "lost its way" under Labour.
University research focus 'wrong'
Science Minister David Willetts says the research-teaching balance in universities has 'gone wrong', after defending cuts to science research.
Apple lays App Store rules bare
Apple says that it will publish the guidelines it uses to determine which programs it sells in its App Store to appease critical developers.
Google unveils 'instant' searches
Google speeds up its internet search engine by launching a new product called Instant that displays results as soon as users type in queries.
Smartphone chip battle heats up
Intel is to launch its first chip with built-in graphics, while established phone chipmaker ARM releases a fast new chip.
New evidence for rare black hole
Researchers say they may have found further evidence for the existence of an unusual type of black hole.
Dino clue to 'earliest feathers'
Palaeontologists uncover a new dinosaur with what may be the earliest evidence of feathers.
Fungus threatening film history
A fungus that 'eats' cine film threatens to irreversibly damage important film archive and record of British social history.
UK 'blind' to black female acts
The chair of the Mercury Prize claims that black British female artists are being ignored by the British public.
Explosive end for EastEnders star
An explosive EastEnders storyline which will lead to the departure of Peggy Mitchell, played by Barbara Windsor, has begun.
Most expensive book up for sale
A rare copy of John James Audubon's Birds of America, billed as the world's most expensive book, is to go on sale at Sotheby's.
What became of Mercury Communications?
Its name lives on in the form of a prestigious music prize but whatever happened to Mercury Communications?
Is it bad taste to have a 'shortest man' record?
The world has a new shortest man - a 27in-tall person from Colombia. but is the title itself in poor taste?
Did the Blitz really unify Britain?
Seventy years ago Britain endured eight months of nightly German bombing. Does this tale of national unity tell the whole story?
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.
Google revamps search system
Google launches a system for web links to appear and refresh as soon as characters are typed
Living under fire in a US Army outpost
Captain Henry Hansen of the US Army's 101st Airborne shows Quentin Sommerville around their combat outpost near Afghanistan's border with Pakistan.
Media barons "have no predators"
The Labour MP for West Bromwich, Tom Watson, used the Commons debate on phone hacking to accuse fellow members of cowardice in the face of Britain's tabloid newspapers.
Meet the Strictly Stars
Meet the Strictly Come Dancing Stars of 2010.
Colorado fire destroys homes
A forest fire in the US state of Colorado has destroyed at least 136 homes, according to officials.
Merlin series takes 'darker tone'
Newsbeat visits the cast of Merlin on location in a soggy Puzzlewood and speaks to the actors who play Merlin and Morgana.
Lion lunges at Las Vegas trainer
A lion lunged at a trainer as stunned onlookers watched in horror, at Las Vegas's MGM Grand Hotel and Casino.
Plus size debut at NY Fashion Week
For the first time at New York Fashion Week there will be a runway show featuring plus size models.
Vulnerable to public sector cuts?
Find out how resilient areas of England might be
Talk of The Town
Rebecca Hall is fast becoming one of Britain's leading actresses
Critical mass
How does the Catholic church endorse Britain’s only gay Mass?
Model politician
British-born ex-Miss Bolivia on why she has gone into politics
Altered image
Pictures reveal new side to life in trend-setting Soweto
Magnificent Mary
India's top woman boxer dreams of Olympic glory