Audit Commission chairman Michael O'Higgins rejects claims by the government that he has overseen a regime of extravagance.

A woman critically injured in a road accident in the County Down village of Cloughey on Sunday dies in hospital.

US food safety regulators predict more recalls as they investigate the source of salmonella-tainted eggs that have sickened as many as 2,000.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg tells Fifa inspectors that England's bid to host the 2018 World Cup is "unbeatable".

Seven Chinese tourists have been killed after a bus was hijacked in the Philippines capital Manila. A former policeman who seized the bus was also killed

Fertiliser producer Potash Corporation urges its shareholders to reject a hostile takeover bid from BHP Billiton.

Police shoot and kill a disgruntled former officer who hijacked a bus in the Philippine capital and killed seven Chinese tourists.

A doctor admits cutting the lip of Harlequins rugby player Tom Williams to make it look as if he was injured during a Heineken Cup game.

A skydiver dies in hospital after landing badly during a display at a family fundraising event in Bridlington.

Police make 12 arrests after climate change protests at the RBS headquarters in Edinburgh spread to different parts of the city.

Comedian Tim Vine revealed the backdrop of the BBC's Edinburgh studio live on air, while appearing on the BBC's News Channel.

Some two tonnes of ivory and five rhino horns are seized in Kenya's main airport in boxes labelled as avocados for export to Malaysia.

Will tale about cockroaches put kids off drugs?

Publisher HarperCollins is in a legal dispute with the BBC over a book that reveals the identity of Top Gear's The Stig, BBC News understands.

A Somerset couple have been travelling the country in an attempt to kiss at the end of every seaside pier in Britain before they marry in October.

Fifa inspectors have begun a four-day visit as part of England's bid to host the 2018 World Cup. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg addressed them in Downing Street.

Technology developed for space missions to Mars enables terrestrial solar panels to self-clean and stay dust free.

An 8ft (2.4m) statue of engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel is stolen from a quayside in Pembrokeshire.

A woman and man admit killing a 28-year-old man who was found dead at a flat in Peterhead.

Two Spanish aid workers kidnapped nine months ago by al-Qaeda's North African offshoot have been released in Mali, the Spanish government confirms.