UN considers Syria crisis action The UN Security Council is considering a draft resolution against Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, amid an upsurge in violence.
Hamid Karzai in Britain for talks The Afghan President, Hamid Karzai, is in Britain to meet David Cameron following France's decision to speed up the withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan.
Bank scraps charity credit cards Halifax and Bank of Scotland charity credit cards which have helped to raise millions of pounds will be withdrawn, Lloyds Banking Group announces
Paisley in pulpit for last time There was standing-room only at Martyrs' Memorial Church in Belfast at a farewell service for the Rev Ian Paisley.
Demi Moore 911 call tape released Demi Moore suffered convulsions after smoking an undisclosed substance, according to a tape of an emergency call made on Monday.
Fines threat for credit messages Firms face raids and fines of up to £500,000 for sending unsolicited text messages about credit or compensation.
Sentamu attacks same-sex marriage David Cameron would be acting like a "dictator" if he allowed same-sex unions to be called marriages, says the Archbishop of York.
Arrests at new Occupy London site Three people are arrested after protesters from the economic justice movement, Occupy London, take over a new building in London's financial district.
Olympic security test at football Security for the 2012 Olympics will be tested at a Scottish football match at Hampden Park stadium this weekend.
Brothers face decapitation charge Two brothers are charged with the murder of a man who was found shot, decapitated and burnt in Stockport.
Doreen Lawrence attacks coalition The mother of murdered black teenager Stephen Lawrence says the government is not doing enough to tackle racism.
'Bullet' sent to QPR in the post Police are investigating after a "malicious communication" - reportedly containing a bullet - was sent to Queens Park Rangers' training ground.
VIDEO: Raised spirits on demolition site A team of demolition workers has discovered a ghostly image while knocking down a former boarding house.
Asteroid makes near-miss fly-by An 11m-wide asteroid passed within 60,000km of Earth on Friday, making it one of the 20 closest recorded approaches to our planet.
Outrage at RBS boss's bonus deal A £963,000 bonus in shares awarded to Royal Bank of Scotland boss Stephen Hester is strongly criticised by politicians and unions.
US economic growth rate picks up The pace of US economic growth quickened to a 2.8% annualised rate in the three months to December, the Commerce Department says.
Parties clash over RBS boss bonus Ministers and Labour clash over who is responsible for RBS chief executive Stephen Hester's contract, amid anger about a £963,000 share bonus offer.
Osborne unveils UK financial bill The Chancellor George Osborne has revealed details about the new Financial Services Bill that will overhaul regulation of the sector.
Right-to-die case wins first step A man who is almost completely paralysed has won the first step in his legal bid to pursue his right-to-die.
Babies' brains 'show autism risk' It may be possible to detect autism at a much earlier age than previously thought, say researchers.
Tuition fees commission set up An independent commission has been set up to examine the impact of increased tuition fees in England.
Lagging pupils 'don't catch up' Just one in 15 pupils in England starting secondary school "behind" for their age, gets five good GCSEs, official data shows.
Facebook clickjacking legal row The social network and Washington State sue a marketing firm over claims that it deceived users by hiding 'Like' buttons. The firm denies the charge.
Top Euro MP quits in piracy row A European Parliament rapporteur has stood down in protest as a controversial anti-piracy agreement is signed by several countries.
'Microplastic' threat to shores Microscopic plastic debris from washing clothes is accumulating in the marine environment and could be entering the food chain, a study warns.
More uses for 'miracle material' Graphene, often described as a "miracle material", can be used to distil alcohol, according to a new study in the Science journal.
Olympic ceremony 'Wonder' theme Europe's largest bell will ring to start a £27m Olympic opening ceremony inspired by Shakespeare and featuring NHS nurses and 900 local pupils.
War Horse film boosts book sales Michael Morpurgo's novel War Horse has now sold more copies in the UK in a fortnight than it did worldwide in 25 years.
The silence over gay footballers Amal Fashanu's uncle was Britain's only openly gay footballer. She tries to find the reasons behind 25 years of silence.
The alternative map for 2012 visitors Tourism in the UK faces a massive year. Readers from outside the UK offer their alternative must-see spots.
Gap closing on top three - Murray Andy Murray believes he is closing the gap on the world's best players despite losing an epic five-set Australian Open semi-final to Novak Djokovic.
AC Milan pull out of Tevez chase AC Milan drop out of the running to sign Argentina striker Carlos Tevez from Manchester City.
Watford 0-1 Tottenham Watford dominate but Rafael van der Vaart's long-range strike ensures a happy end to the week for Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp.
Everton 2-1 Fulham Marouane Fellaini scores a second-half header as Everton come from behind to beat Fulham and earn their spot in the fifth round.
QPR v Chelsea Preview followed by live coverage of Saturday's game between QPR and Chelsea in the FA Cup.
Man jailed over ricin recipe find A Bolton man is jailed for possessing a recipe for the deadly poison ricin and documents about how to make bombs.
'Horrific' cruelty farmer jailed A Nottingham farmer is jailed for a year after "horrific" scenes of animal cruelty were found on his property.
Accused 'can't remember killing' The teenager accused of murdering Jack Frew tells a court he did "not recall stabbing him 20 times and slitting his throat".
Communities to 'appraise' nature Communities could be encouraged to make their own assessments of the direct benefits they get from nature.
O'Hagan accused 'to help police' A man previously accused of murdering journalist Martin O'Hagan has agreed to co-operate with police investigating the LVF killing, a court hears.
McNarry leaves UUP assembly group The Ulster Unionist MLA David McNarry resigns from the Ulster Unionist assembly group.
Warnings for pursuit death police Five South Wales Police officers receive written warnings for disobeying orders to stop pursuing a man who went on to crash into a wall and later died.
Prop Thomas has heart operation Wales prop Rhys Thomas undergoes heart surgery after being taken ill during training with the Scarlets.
Clashes after Senegal Wade ruling Clashes erupt in Senegal's capital Dakar, after the top court rules that President Abdoulaye Wade can run for a third term in next month's poll.
South Sudan 'nears oil shutdown' South Sudan says it will complete its threatened shutdown of oil production on Saturday after no deal was reached with Sudan over pipeline use.
Tibetan 'dies in Sichuan unrest' Chinese security forces have shot dead a young Tibetan in Sichuan province, campaign groups say, in what would be the third such killing this week.
Musharraf delays Pakistan return Pakistan's former military leader Pervez Musharraf has decided to postpone his return to the country, one of his aides says.
Spain jobless passes five million Spain's unemployment figure rose above the five million mark in the last quarter of 2011, official figures show.
Italian cruise firm offers payout The Italian firm that owns the stricken cruise ship Costa Concordia reaches an agreement on compensation with several Italian consumer groups.
Nobel plea for Mexico journalists A host of international writers including several Nobel laureates issue a joint statement condemning attacks on journalists in Mexico.
Funeral for Rio collapse victim The funeral is held for the first of 14 confirmed victims of Wednesday's building collapse in Rio de Janeiro, as the search continues for about 12 missing people.
Car bomb kills Baghdad mourners A suicide car bomber kills at least 32 people in a Shia district of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, with a funeral procession caught in the blast.
Bahrain criticised over tear gas Amnesty International has called for an investigation into what it says is the misuse of tear gas by Bahraini security forces.
Romney back into lead in Florida Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney pulls away from nearest rival Newt Gingrich in Florida opinion polls, although his national lead slips.
Barefoot Bandit sentenced again The notorious 20-year-old former fugitive known as the Barefoot Bandit is sentenced by a federal judge to six-and-a-half years in prison.
Day in pictures: 27 January 2012 24 hours of news photos: 27 January 2012
In pictures: Rio de Janeiro building collapse Buildings fall in city centre
Your pictures: Frozen Readers pictures on the theme frozen
In pictures: Alabama storms Severe storm hits the US state of Alabama
In pictures: Norman Parkinson Vintage prints of fashion photographer on show
Day in pictures: 26 January 2012 24 hours of news pictures: 26 January
Day in pictures: 25 January 2012 24 hours of news photos: 25 January 2012
In pictures: Brazil police move in to evict squatters Brazilian officers storm an illegal settlement
VIDEO: House of Commons The government has said it will not allow any more time to debate a bill on moving UK time forward by an hour, despite calls from MPs on all sides of the House for it to do so.
AUDIO: Demi Moore 911 tape is released A tape recording of the 911 call made by friends of Demi Moore, after she suffered convulsions having smoked an undisclosed substance, has been released.
VIDEO: Child's toy launched into space While America is running down its manned space programme - further north - two Canadian students have shown that flying into space does not always have to be rocket science.
VIDEO: Bats find shelter in Israeli bunkers Bats are finding a surprising haven in abandoned Israeli bunkers, researchers say.
VIDEO: Inside the 2012 Olympic apartments BBC Breakfast's Tim Muffett has had a look around the athletes' apartments in the 2012 Olympic Village.
VIDEO: Homes for families of injured troops The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham is joining with a US charity to offer accommodation on site for the relatives of injured servicemen.
VIDEO: Michael Jackson honoured in Hollywood The late Michael Jackson has been honoured at a ceremony in Hollywood attended by his family and a host of celebrities, including Justin Bieber.
VIDEO: CCTV cameras catch fish poachers New technology is being used in Ireland to try to prevent one of the oldest crimes of fish poaching.
VIDEO: Cricketer D'Oliveira remembered A memorial service for the Worcestershire and England cricketer Basil D'Oliveira has been held at Worcester Cathedral.
Virtual warfare Photographer John Cantlie's conflict pictures re-imagined in the virtual landscape.
Are garden birds leaving home? Where have the garden birds gone?
'I used to cry with pain at work' 'The operation that saved me from enduring pain'
ReRAM and the memory chip contest The race to make RAM that survives a power cut
Escaping the Gestapo Betrayal and escape in the French Resistance
Week in pictures: 21-27 January 2012 News photos from around the world
Shakespeare shaping London 2012 Shakespeare's Tempest shapes the 2012 ceremonies