Drop independence plan, SNP urged
Labour urges Alex Salmond to shelve his plans for a Scottish referendum and concentrate on fighting the recession.

Pirates jailed for yacht murder
Two Burmese fishermen and a 17-year-old boy are jailed in Thailand for murdering a yachtsman from East Sussex.

Brown warns Pakistan on al-Qaeda
Gordon Brown has told the BBC that Pakistan must do more to "break" al-Qaeda and find Osama Bin Laden.

Calls for checks on hairdressers
Hairdressers should regulated to help prevent injuries, say lawyers who represent people who have been harmed at the salon.

Child migrant detention attacked
MPs attack the practice of holding children in immigration detention centres, saying many are kept in them for too long.

Rwanda 'admitted to Commonwealth'
Rwanda becomes the 54th member of the Commonwealth group of nations.

Fatal flat blaze probe under way
Detectives investigate the cause of a fire at a flat in south-west London that killed a mother and her young daughter.

Tribute concert for singer Gately
A memorial concert will be held later in London to celebrate the life of Boyzone singer Stephen Gately, who died last month.

Prescott in tears about dark family secret
John Prescott is moved to tears when he discovers one of his ancestors fathered children by his own daughter.

Town centre erupts into giant pillow fight in flashmob event
Hundreds of people takee part in a pillow fight organised through social networking sites.

Live - South Africa v England
James Anderson takes his first five-wicket haul in one-day internationals as England dominate South Africa in Port Elizabeth.

Bent says mother 'racially abused'
Darren Bent's mother was racially abused by a Sunderland fan during their match at Wigan, the England striker has told his Twitter feed.

Cole knee worry for West Ham boss
Striker Carlton Cole is taken to hospital for a scan on a knee injury after the Hammers' 5-3 win over Burnley at Upton Park.

Brown hails Bullard celebration
Hull City manager Phil Brown laughs off Jimmy Bullard's celebration after the midfielder's equaliser in the Tigers' 1-1 draw away at Manchester City.

Auschwitz witness
The British soldier who smuggled himself into camp

Forceful tone
Brown injects urgency into Afghan handover effort

Study struggles
Hard-up foreign students seek charity handouts

Not so special
The changing fortunes of the US-UK relationship

Depression aid
'I felt so alone and needed someone to help'

People rescued as floods strike
Motorists are rescued from their vehicles and homes are damaged after torrential rain causes flooding in Devon.

Commonwealth backs climate fund
Commonwealth leaders pledge backing for a multi-billion-dollar fund to help developing nations cope with climate change

Cassidy eliminated from Strictly
Ricky Whittle dances on BBC One's Strictly a day after his arrest and beats Natalie Cassidy in the show's dance-off.

'More pain' for Scottish economy
A forecast uncovers "disturbing weaknesses" in Scotland's economy and says growth will continue to lag behind the UK.

Vigil after Muslim graves damaged
A vigil is to be held at Manchester's Southern Cemetery after Muslim graves were desecrated for the third time in two months.

Figures show Scottish 'obesity epidemic'
Figures suggesting two-thirds of men and more than half of women in Scotland are overweight have been branded "appalling".

Theft arrest for chief inspector
A senior police officer is arrested and bailed on suspicion of shoplifting make-up from a supermarket.

Hands on ball
If a sport has bad rules, then it reaps what it sows

7 days quiz
Jedward, X Factor's tuneless twins. Which is which?

Cash in colour
Can pretty pictures help us understand complex issues?

NHS targets under fire in papers
The NHS comes under fire in several of Sunday's newspapers, as a report says 12 hospital trusts are "underperforming".

Woman, 60, dies after river fall
A 60-year-old woman has died after falling into a river in south-east Cornwall.

Man charged over fatal stabbing
A man is charged with murder after a 38-year-old man was fatally stabbed outside a house in Merseyside.

Parishes told of abuse 'distress'
A reading expressing distress at clerical child abuse in Dublin is circulated at masses in Northern Ireland's largest diocese.

Sinn Fein want justice 'date set'
A date for the transfer of policing powers to Northern Ireland must be set before Christmas, Martin McGuinness says.

Creche closed for police inquiry
The creche at a council-owned sports centre in Glasgow is shut during a police investigation involving child protection.

City street reopens for Christmas
Edinburgh's Princes Street reopens to traffic two-and-half-hours later than scheduled due to torrential overnight rain.

Expert calls for a 'greener' Hajj
An Islamic studies expert says steps to cut the environmental cost of the pilgrimage to Mecca by Muslims should be taken.

Business support 'bureaucratic'
Three businessmen set up a not-for-profit business support service, saying the assembly government's is too bureaucratic.