BBC News Headlines

Six million facing new tax bills

HM Revenue and Customs says some 1.4 million people each owe about £1,500 in tax, while 4.3 million will get an average rebate of £418.

Overnight curfew after NZ quake

Police declare an overnight curfew in Christchurch, New Zealand, after a powerful earthquake causes considerable damage but no fatalities.

Tory defects over schools scheme

A Tory councillor defects to Labour over cuts to the government's schools building programme, saying she was "ashamed to be a Conservative".

Blair pelted with eggs in Dublin

Shoes, eggs and plastic bottles are thrown at Tony Blair as he arrives at a book-shop in Dublin to sign copies of his memoirs.

France protests over Roma policy

More than 100 demonstrations are planned across France to protest against the government's policy of deporting Roma people.

Nine die in New Zealand air crash

Nine people, including four tourists, are killed when a light aircraft crashes after taking off from Fox Glacier in New Zealand, say reports.

Coulson 'safe' over phone claims

Downing Street's head of communications, Andy Coulson, is safe in his job despite phone hacking claims surrounding the News of the World newspaper, says a senior government source.

Taxpayers 'should not fund Pope'

Some 77% of Britons think taxpayers should not help pay for Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Scotland and England, a survey suggests.

Afghan violence 'will get worse'

Violence in Afghanistan will get worse before it gets better, the UK's most senior military commander in the country tells the BBC.

Bank customers in 'dire poverty'

Banks are accused of leaving some customers in "dire poverty" after taking money out of their accounts without permission.

Pakistan trio keen to see row end

A lawyer for the three Pakistan players at the centre of allegations of corruption says they are keen for a "timely and satisfactory outcome" to the affair.

Robbie Williams turns on Blackpool lights

Thousands of people watch Robbie Williams switch on Blackpool's illuminations.

Why reading Arabic is particularly hard for brain.

Israeli scientists believe they have identified why Arabic is particularly hard to learn to read.

Dawson out of Switzerland match

England and Tottenham defender Michael Dawson is ruled out of Tuesday's game against Switzerland because of an injury suffered against Bulgaria.

Murray sees off flamboyant Brown

Britain's Andy Murray overcomes the unorthodox style of Jamaica's Dustin Brown to reach the third round of the US Open.

England boss happy with Mushtaq

England coach Andy Flower says he is satisfied with spin bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed's role within the team despite previous links with illegal bookmakers.

Chandhok impressed by Korea track

Hispania Racing's Karun Chandhok gives the Korean Grand Prix venue the thumbs-up after being the first F1 driver to drive it.

Toshack fears over Wales future

John Toshack says Wales' October clash with Bulgaria is a must-win after the Montenegro loss as his managerial future is queried.

Officers could face crash charges

Two police officers who crashed a sports car seized from a suspected drink-driver could face prosecution.

Girl hurt in barbecue explosion

A 13-year-old girl and her uncle suffer serious burns when a gas cylinder explodes during her birthday barbecue in Wiltshire.

Council could cut over 1,000 jobs

One of Scotland's largest councils - North Lanarkshire - warns that it may have to cut more than 1,000 jobs.

Father and son die in bike crash

A father and his 15-year-old son are killed in a motorbike accident outside Galashiels in the Scottish Borders.

Irish tourist dies in plane crash

An Irish tourist is among nine people killed in a plane crash in New Zealand.

Name released after city death

Police release the name of a man who was found dead at his apartment in Armagh city on Friday.

Council head stays in £270k job

The interim managing director brought in to run a crisis-hit authority is to stay on for the forseeable future.

Village £550,000 broadband quote

Villagers told by BT it will cost £550,000 for a broadband connection receive an estimate from another company of £50,000.

Mozambique police fire at rioters

Police in Mozambique's capital fire rubber bullets on the third day of riots, as the violence spreads to the central city of Chimoio.

UN calls special food price talks

The United Nations' food agency calls a special meeting of policy makers to discuss the recent rapid rises in food prices.

South Korea FM offers to resign

The South Korean Foreign Minister, Yu Myung-hwan, offers to resign after it was revealed that his daughter was offered a job in his ministry.

Japan imposes new Iran sanctions

Japan imposes new sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme but maintains its oil import schedule.

Netherlands coalition talks fail

Talks to form a coalition government in the Netherlands collapse as the leader of the far-right Freedom Party Geert Wilders walks out.

Six men jailed for Portugal abuse

Six Portuguese men are sentenced to up to 18 years in jail after being found guilty of multiple charges of sexual abuse at a state-run children's home.

Chile miners advised to exercise

Scientists from the US space agency Nasa advise the trapped Chilean miners to exercise and regulate their day and night sleep patterns.

Castro addresses rally in Havana

Fidel Castro addresses a rally for the first time since handing the Cuban presidency to his brother Raul in 2006.

Blair in 'radical Islam' warning

Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair tells the BBC that radical Islam is the greatest threat facing the world.

Clinton warns on Mid-East talks

The US secretary of state warns the current round of Mid-East peace talks may be "the last chance for a very long time".

Karzai sets up Taliban talks body

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has formed a committee to seek peace talks with the Taliban, his office has said.

Pakistan rally bomb kills dozens

A bomb kills at least 50 people at a Shia Muslim rally in the south-western city of Quetta, the second attack on Pakistan's religious minority in days.

US sees 54,000 jobs go in August

The US economy shed another 54,000 jobs in August, the third month in a row that jobs have been lost, official figures show.

BP blowout preventer 'removed'

BP replaces the blowout preventer that failed to stem the leaking Gulf of Mexico oil well and says it has paid $8bn (£5.2bn) in damage costs.

HSBC threatens to quit London HQ

HSBC may quit its London headquarters if the UK government decides to break up big banks, a senior executive says.

Petrobras files $65bn share offer

The Brazilian state oil company, Petrobras, unveils plans to sell up to $64.5bn of new stock, in one of the world's largest share offers.

BP says oil spill cost up to $8bn

BP says the cost of its Gulf of Mexico oil spill has risen to $8bn - a rise of more than $2bn in the last month alone.

Poll 'backs move from New Labour'

A poll commissioned by Ed Miliband's leadership campaign finds voters are less likely to vote Labour if there is not a shift from New Labour policies.

Lib Dem veteran Cyril Smith dies

The former Liberal Democrat MP Sir Cyril Smith has died aged 82, his family and party confirm.

Fox rules out French 'ship share'

Defence Secretary Liam Fox rules out the UK sharing aircraft carriers with France as part of closer defence co-operation.

'No evidence' implants are toxic

Tests on a type of breast implant filled with an unapproved gel have shown no evidence they are unsafe, UK experts say.

Compost sparks Legionnaire's fear

Gardeners are being warned about the risk of Legionnaire's disease from compost after a pensioner developed the disease after handling compost.

Clue to egg flaws in older women

British scientists say they are closer to knowing why older women trying to fall pregnant are more likely to produce abnormal eggs.

Men in short supply in primaries

One in four state primary schools in England has no male teacher, statistics show.

Music tuition falling, poll says

Fewer children are learning to play a musical instrument than in their parents' generation, a survey suggests.

School lottery 'failed in aim'

England's first city-wide lottery system aimed at solving the problem of allocating places at over-subscribed schools failed to give poorer children equal access to top schools, academics say.

PS3 hack escapes court challenge

Sony has won a permanent ban in Australia of a hack for its PS3, but the code behind it has been released for free on the web.

Memristor revolution backed by HP

A potentially revolutionary circuit component, once a laboratory curiosity, is to be mass-produced for the first time.

Global broadband divide revealed

The global disparity in access to broadband around the world and the cost of a connection is revealed by UN figures.

Plans for solar 'close encounter'

Nasa is aiming to get closer to the Sun than ever before, with plans to plunge a car-sized unmanned spacecraft into the star's outer atmosphere.

Wolves fail to halt aspen decline

The re-introduction of wolves to a US National Park has not helped re-establish quaking aspens, as many researchers had hoped.

Method to trace persistent CFCs

Ultrafine measurements of atmospheric gases could help scientists track down the last sources of CFCs thought to be slowing the recovery of the ozone layer.

DJs unite for Love Parade track

Three of the world's most successful club DJs join forces to pay tribute to those who died at the Love Parade festival in Germany in July.

Sarah Kennedy leaves BBC Radio 2

Veteran broadcaster Sarah Kennedy is leaving BBC Radio 2's Dawn Patrol show - 34 years after joining the station

Cheryl and Ashley granted divorce

Cheryl and Ashley Cole are granted a divorce at the High Court after four years of marriage.

Don't let the bed bugs bite

The world is on the verge of a bed-bug pandemic, according to a report - how did the tiny biting insects come to pose such a threat?

Autobiographies of the rich and famous

Tony Blair's memoirs has become the fastest selling autobiography in Britain. But what are the biggest overall sellers?

Propping up a prime minister

Tony Blair used alcohol as a 'prop' during his time in power but how many of us do the same?

Blair pelted with eggs in Dublin

Eggs and shoes have been thrown by anti-war protestors at former Prime Minister Tony Blair as he arrived at a book signing in Dublin.

Imran Khan on corruption in cricket

The former Pakistan cricket captain, Imran Khan, has said that if players are found guilty of spot fixing, they should not be given a life ban, which some officials are demanding.

Making music from children's old toys

The Modified Toy Orchestra is a band made up of five musicians - and 48 tweaked toy instruments.

‘We were woken by the earthquake’

A 7.0-magnitude earthquake strikes New Zealand's South Island, causing widespread minor damage and power cuts.

What does the future hold for television?

Rory Cellan-Jones tries out 3D video equipment and looks at the latest ultra thin and bright OLED TVs.

Panda twins delight Japanese zoo

New-born twin giant pandas made their first public appearance at a zoo in Japan on Friday in Shirahama.

Canine Cinema gets audience howling

In an attempt to reach people who do not normally go to the cinema, Shetland film festival is targeting their pets.

Sharks swarm off Australian coast

Hundreds of sharks have been spotted off the Queensland coast.

Star Chamber secrets

The spending review's political arm-wrestling contest

Five Minutes

Author Ian McEwan on writing, walking and quantum mechanics

Eddie who?

The most famous comic you've never heard of

Behind the scenes

Israeli and Palestinian talks seen from the inside

The real deal

Questions over halal meat as market booms in France

Obituary: Sir Cyril Smith

The life and times of Rochdale's larger-than-life MP