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Royal Bank of Scotland's chairman says he is "profoundly sorry" for the financial and human cost that the bank's troubles have caused. Full story >>>

Oil prices have fallen below $50 a barrel amid growing fears over a global recession and lower demand for oil. Full story >>>

Singer Madonna and film director Guy Ritchie are to be divorced at the High Court on Friday, according to court lists. Full story >>>

The man accused of kidnapping Shannon Matthews told police he was threatened into keeping her by her mother, a court hears. Full story >>>

Somalia must be helped by the international community to stop it becoming a "magnet for pirates," a senior Egyptian official has said. Full story >>>

The mother of barrister who wrote a book detailing childhood abuse brands her daughter a "wicked thief and a liar". Full story >>>

The government says it is "right to increase borrowing" as figures show public debt rose by £1.4bn last month. Full story >>>

The UN Security Council votes to send 3,000 more troops to DR Congo following renewed fighting in the east of the country. Full story >>>

Michael Jackson will appear at London's High Court in person next week to counter allegations that he breached a contract. Full story >>>

Top of the Pops returns to the BBC for two shows over Christmas, despite earlier promises it would stay off the airwaves. Full story >>>

The UN Security Council votes to send 3,000 more troops to DR Congo following renewed fighting in the east of the country. Full story >>>

China has increased computer espionage attacks on US government and business interests, Congress is warned. Full story >>>

Talks between Somali pirates and owners of a Saudi tanker are being conducted by specialists, shipping sources tell the BBC. Full story >>>

Four US senators reach a bipartisan agreement on a deal to help the struggling US car industry. Full story >>>

Jewish settlers protesting against an eviction order in Hebron spray an insult to the Prophet Muhammad on a mosque wall. Full story >>>

Five Algerians held at Guantanamo Bay for almost seven years must be freed, a US judge rules. Full story >>>

Panama extradites a Colombian suspected of running the country's biggest pyramid finance scheme. Full story >>>

The Palestinian Authority has placed a full-page advert in Israel's Hebrew newspapers to promote an Arab peace plan. Full story >>>

US environmentalists accuse President Bush of trying to rush through changes to the Endangered Species Act. Full story >>>

Underwear model Karolina Kurkova has no belly button. Is a barely-there navel for cosmetic or medical reasons? Full story >>>

Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) chairman, Sir Tom McKillop, says he is "profoundly sorry" for the bank's financial difficulties. Full story >>>

The UK rules out paying ransoms to hostage-takers as two Britons remain on board an oil tanker seized by Somali pirates. Full story >>>

Four Army training instructors face courts martial after a BBC investigation into bullying claims at Britain's biggest base. Full story >>>

The father of a man accused of a terrorist bomb plot says the allegations have "blackened" his family's name. Full story >>>

Sales on the High Street fell for a second month in a row in October, but at a much lower rate than expected. Full story >>>

The executive confirms water charges will be deferred for another year, as it meets for the first time in five months. Full story >>>

The recruitment of ethnic minority police officers in England and Wales is "well below target", a study finds. Full story >>>

A woman claims that she and others were with a man on the night he was said to have shot a waiter in Orkney. Full story >>>

Singer Madonna and her film director husband Guy Ritchie are to be divorced at the High Court, according to court lists. Full story >>>

Welsh is used officially in a European Union meeting for the first time after years of campaigning. Full story >>>

The government says it is "right to increase borrowing" as figures show public debt rose by £1.4bn last month. Full story >>>

Victims of violent crime entitled to compensation are being hampered by excessive bureaucracy, say MPs. Full story >>>

Computer giant EDS's data security standards are to be checked independently each year, MPs are told. Full story >>>

A raft of measures is suggested to target anti-social drivers, including those who speed excessively or use drugs. Full story >>>

The new points-based system could lead to a rise in immigration if ministers wanted it to rise, minister Phil Woolas tells MPs. Full story >>>

The UK rules out paying ransoms to hostage-takers as two Britons remain on board an oil tanker seized by Somali pirates. Full story >>>

Leading Earth observation scientists urge Gordon Brown to back Europe's environmental monitoring project, GMES. Full story >>>

The Scottish Parliament votes against the UK Government's plans to introduce ID cards. Full story >>>

A government crack-down on caviar smuggling is a "strange thing to prioritise" at a time of economic gloom, a shadow minister says. Full story >>>

Harriet Harman dismisses reports of cabinet colleague Liam Byrne's demands for cappuccinos and espressos at work as "froth". Full story >>>

A US-Russian team announces that it has sequenced most of the genome of a woolly mammoth found in Siberia. Full story >>>

Two year after pledging to protect 10% of the oceans, governments have protected less than 1%, a survey finds. Full story >>>

The loss of green spaces in Britain has caused the number of house sparrows to drop sharply in the past 30 years. Full story >>>

US environmentalists accuse President Bush of trying to rush through changes to the Endangered Species Act. Full story >>>

Leading Earth observation scientists urge Gordon Brown to back Europe's environmental monitoring project, GMES. Full story >>>

Surgeons in Spain claim a major breakthrough by giving a woman a new windpipe with tissue grown from her own stem cells. Full story >>>

The earliest turtles to live in water have been discovered on - and named after - the Scottish island of Skye. Full story >>>

A fossilised bone from a sabre-toothed cat has been dredged up from the seabed by a trawler off the UK coast. Full story >>>

European fisheries ministers agree a plan aimed at increasing dwindling cod stocks, including better nets and new quotas. Full story >>>

Spacewalking astronauts working on the International Space Station lose a tool bag in orbit. Full story >>>

Arsenal captain William Gallas admits his side must toughen up if they are to challenge for the Premier League title. Full story >>>

Captain Kevin Pietersen wants England to score more hundreds after India's Duckworth-Lewis win in the third one-dayer. Full story >>>

England prop Andrew Sheridan is ruled out of Saturday's Test against South Africa because of a neck injury. Full story >>>

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger does not blame the FA for Theo Walcott's injury but has not ruled out pursuing compensation over his absence. Full story >>>

The Premier League gives Manchester City permission to sign a goalkeeper as a temporary replacement for Joe Hart, who was injured against Hull on Sunday. Full story >>>

Fabio Capello says his first year as England boss could not have gone better after beating Germany 2-1 in Berlin. Full story >>>

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp recalls goalkeeper Ben Alnwick from a loan spell with League One strugglers Carlisle United. Full story >>>

Sunderland manager Roy Keane denies an FA charge of improper conduct over his actions during their 5-0 loss to Chelsea. Full story >>>

The head of men's professional tennis in Europe is appointed chief executive of England's 2018 World Cup bid campaign Full story >>>

Michael Clarke saves Australia from total collapse with 98 as they are bowled out for 214 in the first Test against New Zealand. Full story >>>