Three MPs and a peer tell a court they are not guilty of charges of false accounting in relation to their expenses claims.

Plans for a new high-speed rail line between London and Birmingham are announced by Transport Secretary Lord Adonis.

A man with learning difficulties dies outside his Greater Manchester home after suffering years of abuse from youths.

Justice Secretary Jack Straw meets the mother of murdered toddler James Bulger to discuss the return to prison of one of her son's killers.

Chancellor Alistair Darling warns people not to expect a "giveaway" when he unveils his Budget later this month.

Sebastian Pinera is sworn in as president of quake-hit Chile, as a 6.9-magnitude aftershock strikes the centre of the country.

Relatives of kidnapped five-year-old Sahil Saeed speak of their anguish as reports of his release turn out to be false.

Britain should apologise to ex-Bosnian president for "mistreating" him in prison, says chairman of the joint presidency of Bosnia-Herzegovina.

The mechanism by which thalidomide causes malformed limbs is revealed by scientists.

Pink Floyd tracks may be removed from digital music services like iTunes after a High Court ruling.