BBC World News

Syria opposition head 'to resign'
The head of Syria's main opposition umbrella body, the Syrian National Council, says he will resign amid growing criticism and rifts within the group.

More households in fuel poverty
Gas and electricity price rises at the end of last year are expected to have pushed 400,000 more households in England into fuel poverty.

UK retains strict animal test law
The UK says it will retain stricter animal testing standards than required by a new European Union Directive.

Court quashes murder conviction
A 24-year-old man who has served more than seven years in jail for a murder in central London has his conviction quashed.

Man who changed legal system free
A man whose appeal changed the Scottish legal system walks free from court after a re-trial collapses.

Concern for yogurt maker's future
An AM raises concerns about the future of an organic yogurt maker in Aberystwyth after its owners revealed a number of jobs were at risk.

Cameron defends his euro warning
David Cameron says it was "more dangerous to stay silent than to speak out" - and insists there will be no retreat on deficit reduction.

Owen wants to extend his career
Michael Owen says he does not plan to retire, despite Manchester United confirming he will not be offered a new contract.

Schools 'fail to teach swimming'
A third of children in England cannot swim by the time they leave primary school, according to research from the Amateur Swimming Association.

Drone hits al-Qaeda cell in Yemen
A drone strike in eastern Yemen has killed two suspected al-Qaeda militants, a Yemeni security official says.

VIDEO: UK's oldest living kidney donor
An 83-year-old man has become the oldest person in the UK to donate a kidney while still being alive, the NHS Blood and Transplant service has said.

MP defies 58,000/1 odds in ballot
John McDonnell defies odds of 58,000 to 1 to again top the ballot to allow MPs to bring in a Private Member's Bill.

Israel 'violates' Turkey airspace
Turkey says it scrambled two military jets to chase away an Israeli plane which allegedly violated the airspace of Turkish-held northern Cyprus.

Arrests in beaten pensioner case
Two arrests are made after an attack that left a 93-year-old woman in a critical condition in hospital.

VIDEO: Princess on pressure of Olympics
The Princess Royal has expressed her sympathy for athletes preparing for the London 2012 Olympic Games.

'Robbers' killed in Nigeria blast
At least two suspected armed robbers are killed in an explosion in a minibus in Nigeria's oil capital, Port Harcourt, police say.

Private police roles put on hold
Plans to use private firms in police roles in Surrey are put on hold.

Liverpool 'need to move quickly'
Alan Hansen says his old club Liverpool will need to move quickly to fill the void left by the sacking of manager Kenny Dalglish.

Man admits rape and sex assault
A man admits raping one woman and seriously sexually assaulting another in Glasgow city centre on a Christmas night out.

Trial told of Srebrenica chaos
Prosecutors describe the chaos leading to the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, on the second day of Bosnian Serb ex-army chief Ratko Mladic's war crimes trial.

Bankia shares continue to slide
Shares in Spanish bank Bankia continue to dive as the government denies reports of a rush of withdrawals from the troubled group.

What does 're-moding' actually mean?
What does the word 're-mode' actually mean?

Limbless man starts world swim
Philippe Croizon, a limbless Frenchman, completes the first part of his challenge to swim between five continents.

VIDEO: Innocent man on seven years in jail
A 24-year-old man who has served more than seven years in jail for murder has had his conviction quashed.

Plans to make whiskey in old jail
Lottery millionaire Peter Lavery hopes to turn part of the former Crumlin Road Prison in north Belfast into a distillery.

EU seeks fresh start with Turkey
The EU's enlargement commissioner visits Turkey in an attempt to kick-start Ankara's stalled bid to join the bloc.

Greece names caretaker cabinet
A cabinet of professors and diplomats is sworn in in Greece to steer the debt-ridden eurozone state into repeat elections on 17 June

Media win Dale Farm footage fight
Media organisations win a High Court battle over police orders to hand over copies of film of the evictions from the Dale Farm traveller site.

Lobbying 'to be reformed by 2015'
The government is "determined" to introduce a register of lobbyists before 2015, constitutional reform minister Mark Harper tells a Commons committee.

Pinterest to get $100m investment
Social networking service Pinterest is to receive $100m in funding, prompting analysts to value the two-year-old firm at up to $1.5bn.

Case against Hain not proceeding
Controversial comments in Labour MP Peter Hain's autobiography were never intended to undermine the administration of justice in Northern Ireland, the High Court in Belfast hears.

Q&A: The debate over statins
Could the proposal to protect all over-50s from heart attacks work?

Privacy watchdog to meet Google
The French privacy watchdog, acting on behalf of the EU, is to meet with Google to scrutinise its controversial privacy policy changes.

Jobs boost as UK gets Astra deal
Vauxhall's Ellesmere Port car plant will build a new Astra car in a deal that means huge investment and the creation and support of thousands of jobs.

US golf fans 'less knowledgeable'
Colin Montgomerie says golf fans in the United States are "not as knowledgeable" as their British counterparts.

'Suicidal' man in £25,000 payout
A man with mental health issues pursued for council tax arrears will receive an apology and £25,000 from Torbay Council.

Royal events: Britain and the box
Watching the big events - from the Coronation to the Jubilee

Day in pictures: 17 May 2012
24 hours of news photos: 17 May 2012

Children died from 'suffocation'
Two young children allegedly murdered by their mother in their London home were suffocated, an inquest hears.

Rio hotels agree summit price cut
The Brazilian government reaches a deal with Rio de Janeiro hotel owners to cut spiralling room prices ahead of a major UN summit in the city.

Diamond medal for Diamond sailor
A Royal Navy engineer called Brian Diamond serving onboard HMS Diamond receives a Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal.

Is social media changing how we complain?
Has social media shifted balance when making complaints?

The baby time-lapse trend
The people who record every single day of a child's life

Death penalty for Somaliland raid
A group of 17 civilians are sentenced to death, the day after carrying out an attack on a military base in the self-proclaimed republic of Somaliland.

How to grow a four-metre moustache
The man with the world's longest moustache gives his grooming tips

White births now minority in US
Children from racial and ethnic minorities now account for more than half the births in the US, estimates from the latest census data say.

'Go-go' musician Chuck Brown dies
Guitarist and singer Chuck Brown, who mixed funk, soul and Latin styles to help create the "go-go" scene in Washington DC in the 1970s, dies at the age of 75.

VIDEO: Mladic Srebrenica footage shown
The war crimes trial of former Bosnian Serb army commander Ratko Mladic has resumed, with the prosecution focusing on the Srebrenica massacre in 1995.

Stars shine on Cannes red carpet
Famous faces join the stars of Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom at the opening night gala of this year's Cannes Film Festival.

The rise of 'green on blue' deaths
How safe are UK soldiers working with Afghan forces?

North Koreans 'hold Chinese crew'
Unidentified North Koreans holding 29 Chinese fishermen and three boats seized in the Yellow Sea demand payment for their release, Chinese media reports.

Passport boost for activist Chen
Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng says he and his family have completed passport applications and officials say they should be ready in 15 days.

Black armbands to mark tragedy
The Football Assocation of Ireland (FAI) has said its players will wear black armbands during the Italy match at Euro 2012 to mark the 18th anniversary of the Loughinisland tragedy.

Olympic flame to be handed over
The Olympic flame is to be officially handed over to organisers of the London Games at a ceremony in Athens.

AUDIO: Simon Cowell: 'I'm lucky and weird'
Simon Cowell speaks to Jim Naughtie from his home in West London in a wide-ranging exclusive broadcast interview.

VIDEO: A look at 'wind turbines' of the deep
The latest device to harness the power of the tides is being tested in the stormy waters off Orkney in the far north of Scotland.

Gold buttons for Queen's banner
Half a million gold buttons decorate Royal Barge

Papers discuss eurozone warnings
Papers discuss eurozone warnings

Councils 'must lower emissions'
Local authorities across the UK should have a statutory duty to combat climate change, government advisors recommend.

Cowell is 'puzzled' by The Voice
The X Factor's Simon Cowell says he is "puzzled" about why BBC One's The Voice is not on the radio instead of TV.

Social work cuts 'risking lives'
Some 88% of social workers think cuts are putting vulnerable children's lives at risk, a survey five years after the death of baby Peter Connolly suggests.

VIDEO: Adrenaline sports on dangerous volcano
A team of speed flyers have become the world's first to successfully descend Italy's Mount Etna.

In Pictures: Carlos Fuentes' wake
Mexicans pay their last respects to Carlos Fuentes

VIDEO: Eurozone was 'very close to collapse'
Benoit Coueure, from the European Central Bank, has been speaking about their decision to provide a loan of more than a trillion euros to hundreds of banks.

Fees rise 'didn't boost teaching'
Higher university tuition fees have not boosted teaching time at England's universities, research suggests.

Oldest living kidney donor at 83
An 83-year-old man becomes the oldest person in the UK to donate a kidney while still alive, the NHS Blood and Transplant service says.

Statins 'benefit healthy people'
Thousands of heart attacks and strokes could be prevented if the cholesterol-lowering drugs, statins, were more widely prescribed, research suggests.

Government to miss cookie cut-off
Most government websites will miss the UK's deadline for complying with EU regulations over cookies, the Cabinet Office tells the BBC.

Mexico generals face drugs probe
Two Mexican generals are detained and questioned on suspicion of having links to a Mexican drug cartel.

Robotic arm controlled by thought
Two patients who are paralysed from the neck down are able to control a robotic arm using their thoughts.

In pictures: Royal visit to Lancashire
The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh visit Lancashire

Day in pictures: 16 May 2012
24 hours of news photos: 16 May 2012

Viewpoint: Is it time to get rid of traffic lights?
We rely on traffic lights to tell us when to go. And when to stop. We should replace that with common sense, argues traffic campaigner Martin Cassini.

7 questions on sandwiches
The Kent seaside town of Sandwich is celebrating the 250th anniversary of the sandwich. Test yourself on the humble snack.

Day in pictures: 15 May 2012
24 hours of news photos: 15 May 2012

In Pictures: Jubilee pageant
The Diamond Jubilee Pageant at Windsor Castle

Dinosaurs launch city festival
Norwich Festival of music and art

VIDEO: House of Commons
MPs are debating the programme of laws for the new session proposed in the Queen's Speech focusing on jobs and growth.