BBC News - Home

• Lockerbie bomber Megrahi is dead May 20th 2012 17:32

  Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi dies at home in Tripoli, nearly three years after he was controversially freed from a Scottish prison.

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• Deadly quake hits northern Italy May 20th 2012 18:59

  A magnitude-6.0 earthquake in northern Italy kills at least seven people, causing "significant damage" to the region's cultural heritage.

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• Thousands cheer winners Chelsea May 20th 2012 17:22

  Thousands of Chelsea fans cheer on the squad during a parade to celebrate their team's Champions League victory in Munich.

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• Nato to discuss Afghan withdrawal May 20th 2012 19:23

  Nato leaders hold a summit dominated by Afghanistan, as the alliance prepares to hand over security duties to Afghans by the end of 2014.

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• Falklands War memorial unveiled May 20th 2012 15:59

  A service has taken place to dedicate a new memorial at Britain's National Memorial Arboretum to the Britons who died in the Falklands War.

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• Balls warns of cuts 'catastrophe' May 20th 2012 10:21

  Labour's Ed Balls warns the world economy faces a "catastrophe" unless Germany abandons pressure on eurozone countries to cut public spending.

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• Chemical weapon 'risk' at Kinloss May 20th 2012 14:42

  RAF Kinloss authorities knew the public could be at risk from chemical weapons buried near the base, according to documents obtained by BBC Scotland.

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• Syria town shelling 'kills 34' May 20th 2012 18:35

  Shelling by Syrian forces kills 34 people, according to the British-based group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

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• Chopper designer dies from cancer May 20th 2012 11:16

  The designer of the iconic Raleigh Chopper bike dies after a battle with cancer.

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• Muse carry Olympic flame in Devon May 20th 2012 19:44

  Thousands turn out to see rock band Muse carry the Olympic flame in their home town of Teignmouth, on day two of the Olympic torch relay.

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• Pakistan restores Twitter access May 20th 2012 19:27

  Pakistani authorities restore access to the social media website Twitter after a brief ban for what officials called "offensive" content".

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• 'Ring of fire' eclipse to begin May 20th 2012 19:11

  An annular eclipse, in which the Moon does not fully block out the light from the Sun, is set to take place across east Asia and the western US on Monday.

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• Clarke: PM has right to 'chillax' May 20th 2012 13:52

  A senior cabinet colleague defends David Cameron's work ethic after a book outlined weekend relaxations including tennis, karaoke and drinking wine.

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• 'Ali G' town Staines changes name May 20th 2012 13:13

  The Surrey town of Staines officially changes its name to Staines-upon-Thames in an attempt to boost its riverside image.

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• West Indies raise victory hopes May 20th 2012 18:01

  West Indies mount a stirring fightback to raise their hopes of pulling off an unlikely victory over England in the first Test at Lord's.

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• Hodgson warns players to behave May 20th 2012 07:32

  England boss Roy Hodgson warns his players to behave responsibly at their city-centre base during Euro 2012.

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• Lorenzo eases to win at Le Mans May 20th 2012 15:32

  Jorge Lorenzo beats Valentino Rossi in France on a wet Le Mans track to go top of the MotoGP standings ahead of Casey Stoner.

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• Mix-up denies Ennis a hurdles PB May 20th 2012 16:46

  An organisational mistake at the Great CityGames in Manchester costs Jessica Ennis a personal best in the 100m hurdles.

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• McDowell loses Match Play final May 20th 2012 17:57

  Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell is narrowly beaten by Nicolas Colsaerts in the final of the World Match Play in Andalucia.

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• Obama: EU 'must focus on growth' May 20th 2012 06:09

  US President Obama wraps up a G8 summit saying that leaders agree economies must focus on jobs and growth to boost recovery.

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• Report 'to urge cutting red tape' May 20th 2012 15:22

  The prime minister is this week expected to back a plan to help boost growth by cutting employment red tape.

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• Cameron: Megrahi release 'wrong' May 20th 2012 18:54

  David Cameron says Lockerbie bomer Abdelbaset al-Megrahi should never have been released from prison, while Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond says the investigation will continue.

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• Euro banks 'in tatters' - Clarke May 20th 2012 13:23

  Former chancellor Ken Clarke says Europe's banking system is "in tatters" and warns the UK is "heavily exposed" to potential problems.

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• Cheap dysentery drug 'promising' May 20th 2012 18:26

  A cheap drug, which is already prescribed for arthritis, could fight amoebic dysentery, according to researchers in the US.

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• 'Debt deterring would-be doctors' May 19th 2012 12:12

  The prospect of high student debt and increased pension contributions could discourage young people from entering medicine, a senior doctor warns.

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• 'Minority language data is key' May 19th 2012 00:53

  Schools should keep detailed records of the languages spoken by ethnic minority pupils urges a report.

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• £9k fees 'to push debt up £100bn' May 18th 2012 11:38

  A study suggests public sector debt will be pushed up by £100bn over next two decades by higher university fees.

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• Met Police to extract phone data May 17th 2012 17:20

  Mobile phone data of suspects in police custody is to be extracted and retained, regardless of whether charges are brought, the BBC has learned.

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• Silicon trick for next-gen memory May 18th 2012 11:09

  Researchers reveal details of a promising way to make a fundamentally different kind of computer memory chip.

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• Arctic melt releasing ancient gas May 20th 2012 16:54

  Scientists identify thousands of sites in the Arctic where methane stored for millennia is bubbling out, potentially accelerating global warming.

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• SpaceX aborts launch at lift-off May 19th 2012 10:58

  The US firm SpaceX aborts the lift-off of its Falcon rocket and Dragon ship to the International Space Station.

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• Crowded House drummer Jones dies May 20th 2012 11:07

  Crowded House drummer Peter Jones dies at the age of 45.

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• Moffat to receive special Bafta May 19th 2012 00:13

  Doctor Who producer and Sherlock co-creator Steven Moffat is to receive a special prize at this year's Bafta TV awards, organisers announce.

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• How do you insult someone legally? May 18th 2012 11:07

  Campaigners want to overturn laws targeting "insulting words and behaviour". Just how safe is it to scorn others?

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• Quiz of the week's news May 18th 2012 02:32

  The Magazine's weekly quiz of the news, 7 days 7 questions.

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• 'No hope' of finding crew alive May 20th 2012 12:32

  Portland Coastguard say there is no hope that two fishermen missing off the Dorset coast since Thursday will be found alive.

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• 'Killer had put gun to my head' May 20th 2012 14:13

  The ex-wife of a man who murdered his ex-partner and toddler daughter in Essex tells the BBC he had put a gun to her head.

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• Salmond: Remember Lockerbie dead May 20th 2012 17:29

  First Minister Alex Salmond says the victims of the Lockerbie bombing should be remembered, after the death of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi.

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• Referendum battle 'gearing up' May 20th 2012 11:15

  Campaigns urging voters to back either Scottish independence or the United Kingdom are set to be launched within weeks.

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• Teenager died 'protecting sister' May 20th 2012 15:45

  Bellaghy parish priest Fr Andrew Dolan says teenager Lauren O'Neill died trying to protect her sister.

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• Youth, 16, critical after attack May 20th 2012 15:16

  A 16-year-old youth assaulted on the outskirts of north Belfast on Saturday remains in a critical condition in hospital.

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• War of words over police job cuts May 20th 2012 07:44

  The Home Office disputes claims that 1,600 police officers will be lost in Wales due to spending cuts.

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• Melding reveals think-tank plan May 20th 2012 09:51

  Members from opposition parties in Wales and non-party activists are set to join forces for a policy think-tank, says Conservative assembly member David Melding.

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• Sudan releases foreign nationals May 20th 2012 13:57

  Sudan releases four foreigners detained last month near in the disputed area near the border with South Sudan, officials say.

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• Bombs kill soldiers in Mogadishu May 19th 2012 18:37

  Somali government soldiers are among five people killed in two bomb attacks in the capital Mogadishu blamed on al-Shabab Islamist fighters.

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• Sri Lanka general to be released May 20th 2012 03:41

  Sri Lanka's President Rajapaksa has signed papers to free his political rival General Sarath Fonseka from prison - three years after the civil war ended.

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• China activist Chen lands in US May 20th 2012 03:49

  Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng arrives in New York, after his escape to the US embassy in Beijing last month sparked a diplomatic crisis.

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• Nationalist Nikolic in Serbia win May 20th 2012 20:19

  Nationalist Tomislav Nikolic is elected president of Serbia beating incumbent Boris Tadic in a run-off vote, and vowing to stay on the EU path.

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• Lone bomber sought in Italy blast May 20th 2012 15:05

  A bomb that killed a girl outside a school in southern Italy was probably planted by a single person rather than the mafia, a prosecutor says.

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• Dominicans voting for president May 20th 2012 18:14

  People in the Dominican Republic vote for a new president, in a tight contest between two old political rivals and a campaign dominated by inflation concerns.

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• Fourth Mexican officer detained May 19th 2012 18:18

  A fourth senior Mexican officer is detained as part of an investigation into links between the army and drug trafficking cartels.

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• Benghazi votes in local elections May 19th 2012 21:48

  Residents in the Libyan city of Benghazi vote in local council elections, the first polls held in the city since the 1960s.

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• Protesters angered by Gulf union May 18th 2012 16:54

  Thousands of Bahrainis protest outside the capital against a plan to create a union of Gulf Arab countries, with similar demonstrations in Tehran.

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• Facebook boss in surprise wedding May 20th 2012 02:16

  Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg ends a hectic week by getting married to long -time girlfriend Priscilla Chan in a surprise ceremony at his home.

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• Maryland allows same-sex divorce May 18th 2012 21:10

  The highest court in Maryland allows gay couples to divorce, even though same-sex marriage is not yet allowed in that US state.

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• Week in pictures: 12-18 May 2012 May 18th 2012 16:40

  News photos from around the world

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• Day in pictures: 18 May 2012 May 18th 2012 12:08

  24 hours of news photos: 18 May

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• In pictures: Monarchs at Windsor May 18th 2012 16:12

  The world's monarchs gather at Windsor Castle

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• Hackney's 'beauty and ugliness' May 18th 2012 05:09

  A photographer's view of Hackney

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• In pictures: Royals in North West May 17th 2012 15:17

  Queen's visit to Cheshire and Merseyside

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• In pictures: Olympic flame tours Greece May 16th 2012 11:32

  Olympic flame tours Greece

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• Your pictures: Sailing May 17th 2012 13:54

  Readers' photos on the theme sailing

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• Day in pictures: 17 May 2012 May 17th 2012 10:44

  24 hours of news photos: 17 May 2012

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• VIDEO: House of Commons May 17th 2012 11:18

  MPs have put questions to Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Davey and his ministerial team.

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• VIDEO: How world leaders watched Chelsea win May 20th 2012 17:08

  Millions of football fans around the world watched Chelsea's dramatic Champions League triumph over Bayern Munich on Saturday night, including world leaders gathered for the G8 Summit at Camp David.

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• VIDEO: Maldives' 'apocalyptic' waste island May 19th 2012 23:14

  Although the Maldives are known as an unspoilt tourist paradise, the islands struggle with managing their waste, as the BBC discovered on a visit to an 'apocalyptic' island waste dump.

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• VIDEO: Deadly earthquake in northern Italy May 20th 2012 09:42

  A magnitude 6.0 earthquake in northern Italy kills at least six people, causing serious damage to buildings in several towns.

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• VIDEO: Party for victorious Chelsea team May 20th 2012 18:55

  Tens of thousands of fans have taken to the streets of west London to welcome home Chelsea's Champions League-winning squad.

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• VIDEO: Facebook founder's new status May 20th 2012 13:25

  The founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, updates his status on his own Facebook page to announce he has married long-time girlfriend Priscilla Chan.

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• VIDEO: Banksy 'marks Queen's Jubilee' May 20th 2012 10:00

  Andrew Marr and experts ask if the graffiti artist Banksy's latest offering ahead of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee means he is as radical as ever.

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• VIDEO: Military parade for Queen's Jubilee May 19th 2012 16:43

  Thousands of members of the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force have taken part in a parade and flypast to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

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• VIDEO: Huge crowds greet Olympic torch May 19th 2012 08:08

  Sailing champion Ben Ainslie starts the London 2012 Olympic torch relay from Land's End amid tight security.

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• In pictures: Falklands War Memorial unveiled May 20th 2012 15:04

  Families at service for new Falklands War Memorial

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• What next if Greece quits the euro? May 20th 2012 16:34

  What happens if Greece quits the euro?

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• Cannes 2012: Reporter's Diary May 20th 2012 17:54

  How did Pete Doherty's acting debut go down at the festival?

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• A Point of View: The European Dream Has Become A Nightmare May 18th 2012 16:56

  The European dream has become a nightmare, laments Will Self

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• The Queen as seen from the Commonwealth May 20th 2012 10:42

  'No-one visits Zambia, so waiting to see the Queen felt surreal'

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• Lloyd Webber on Jesus and Profumo May 20th 2012 00:12

  Andrew Lloyd Webber on Jesus and Profumo

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• In pictures: Olympic torch relay day 2 May 20th 2012 18:59

  Crowds and cheers as Olympic torch heads for Exeter

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• Facebook: How the others fared May 20th 2012 00:20

  How have other high-flying internet stocks performed?

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