Three Pakistan cricketers accused of corruption are set to be questioned again by police, after being charged and provisionally suspended by the International Cricket Council.

Israeli and Palestinian leaders meet in Washington for the first direct peace talks in nearly two years and agree a framework for negotiations.

Alcohol consumption has fallen faster than ever, figures from the British Beer and Pub Association suggest.

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.

Twenty-seven suspected drug gang members are killed in a clash with troops near the US border, Mexico's army says, hours after the country's president vows to continue the fight against drug cartels.

Hurricane Earl weakens as it nears the US East Coast, though officials warn it remains "large and powerful".

The government's chief environment scientist calls for more openness in admitting the UK's cuts in greenhouse gas emissions are an illusion.

The BBC denies the director general compromised its independence by visiting Downing Street to discuss coverage of the government's spending cuts.

Long-term use of bone-strengthening drugs may boost the risk of oesophageal cancer, a study suggests.

X Factor judge Cheryl Cole will reportedly be granted a divorce from her footballer husband Ashley in a court hearing on Friday.

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

UK Independence Party members gather for their autumn conference in Torquay with the search for a new leader top of its agenda.

A growing number of New York sky-scrapers switch off their lights at night to help reduce the number of migratory birds hitting the buildings.

The Royal Mail launches the world's first "intelligent" stamp, the first to work with image recognition technology.

England coach Fabio Capello says he hopes the pressure of expectation over the team's Euro 2012 qualifier with Bulgaria will bring out the best in him.

Roger Federer overcomes windy conditions to beat Andreas Beck and reach the US Open third round, but seeds Nikolay Davydenko and Maran Cilic crash out.

Former England captain David Beckham hopes to play for the LA Galaxy against Columbus Crew on 11 September.

Lee McCulloch and Steven Naismith are among six Rangers players in the Scotland team to face Lithuania on Friday.

Team news ahead of Wales' 2012 European Championship Group G opener in Montenegro on Friday.

A four-year-old boy who was allegedly abducted by his foster parents in Lincolnshire is found safe and well by police.

Two police officers are suspended from driving duties after crashing a car they had seized from a suspected drink-driver.

A 19-year-old man is arrested after a serious assault in North Lanarkshire in which a man was attacked with a power drill.

Unison Scotland members will discuss how to respond to a move by councils to impose a pay deal on 150,000 workers.

A senior civil servant at the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure says that job losses are inevitable because of the cuts it has to make

Prayers are said in Rathfriland for a six-year-old boy who has died after being struck by a speedboat in County Down on Monday.

The first specialist college for young people with Asperger syndrome in Wales opens its doors.

A World War II veteran receives France's highest decoration for bravery, 66 years after liberating a town there.

The government of Mozambique says price rises which have led to deadly riots are "irreversible", as Maputo residents are urged to continue their protests.

South Africa is to start expelling Zimbabweans again, from 31 December, the government announces.

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

The first visit of Chinese warships to Burma ends as top Burmese leader Than Shwe prepares to visit Beijing, highlighting the two country's close ties.

The European Union agrees to reform financial supervision, with new agencies to oversee banks, insurers and financial markets.

The German central bank calls on the country's president to dismiss one of its board members over comments he made about immigration and Jews.

The River Amazon has dropped to its lowest level in 40 years in north-eastern Peru, leaving boats stranded.

Honduras accuses Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa of risking the life of a Honduran migrant who survived last month's Mexico massacre.

Posters promoting Egypt's intelligence chief appear on the streets of Cairo, amid growing speculation over who will succeed President Hosni Mubarak.

President Barack Obama hails the end of US combat operations in Iraq, saying the US has paid "a huge price" to "put Iraq's future in its people's hands".

Maoist rebels in the Indian state of Bihar say they have killed one of four policemen they had been holding hostage.

Ten election campaign workers have been killed in an air strike by Nato-led forces in Afghanistan, Afghan officials say.

An explosion rips through an offshore oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, west of the site of the blast in April that caused a huge oil spill.

A tanker carrying 9m litres of diesel fuel runs aground off the coast of northern Canada but no environmental damage is reported.

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.

Chinese investors approach Canadian pension fund over a possible rival bid for the fertiliser giant Potash Corporation.

Rival Canadian gold mining companies, Goldcorp and El Dorado, lock horns in a $3bn fight to buy up Andean Resources.

David Cameron supports William Hague "100%" following speculation about the foreign secretary's private life, the PM's spokeswoman says.

Labour defends its leadership election rules amid evidence some people can cast multiple votes.

Tony Blair's memoirs, based on his time as the prime minister, break sales records, booksellers say.

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

One in five elderly people with broken hips do not get surgery quickly enough, a survey shows.

People who do puzzles and crosswords may stave off dementia longer but experience a more rapid decline once the disease sets in, a study suggests.

A 15-year-old maths prodigy is set to become the youngest undergraduate at the University of Cambridge for more than two centuries.

School lunches can tempt fussy eaters to try new foods, a survey carried out in England for the School Food Trust suggests.

Yachtswoman Ellen MacArthur has set herself a new challenge - creating an educational foundation to promote sustainability.

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

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

Samsung has become the latest manufacturer to enter into the tablet computer market with its Galaxy Tab.

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.

Physicists explain one of football's most spectacular free-kicks, showing that Roberto Carlos's 1997 "impossible goal" was not a fluke.

A species of acacia tree found in Eastern Africa seems to be protected from elephant damage - by the ants that live on it.

TV comedienne Jennifer Saunders is to write the story for musical Viva Forever - based on the songs of the Spice Girls.

Crocodile Dundee star Paul Hogan reaches an agreement with tax authorities in Australia allowing him to return to his home in the US.

Two-thirds of people agree with the government stance on cutting arts funding and relying more on private cash, a survey suggests.

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

It's goodbye to GMTV on Friday, after 17 years on ITV. How well do you remember it and all the other morning shows?

Our regular column covering the passing of significant - but lesser reported - people of the past month.

Hundreds of sharks have been spotted off the Queensland coast.

A man sailing the sea in a bath tub, mud sculptures and an ugly fish who finds love - it's the week's weird and wonderful video stories in Newsbeat's Odd Box with Dominic Byrne.

Hurricane Earl is downgraded to a category two storm as it nears the US East Coast.

Commander Andy Coles shows BBC News around the control room of the Royal Navy's new attack submarine and talks about life on board.

The 33 miners trapped in Chile will soon be able to share some wine.

Toshiba’s UK business manager says its Foilo 100 tablet PC complements trends in media usage.

The panel of judges in a child sex abuse trial in Portugal is to deliver its verdict, more than five years after court hearings began.

A rare Chinese tree has flowered for the first time in 23 years at Kew's country estate in West Sussex.

Inside the Royal Navy's newest, most powerful attack submarine

Why bed-bugs are on the march again

How far can BMW stretch the brand before it snaps?

How much is a bottle of beer under new price laws on booze?

Why aren't black American children taught to swim?

Does the NHS do enough for non-English speakers?

Preparations for Commonwealth Games behind schedule