\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n

Blackwater guard charges to drop\n - US prosecutors ask for charges against one of five Blackwater guards accused of killing up to 17 Iraqi civilians to be dropped.\n

Bogus callers in council tax scam\n - Bogus callers posing as council staff are luring homeowners into a council tax scam, say council leaders.

Match-fix probe targets 200 games\n - About 200 football ties are under investigation in what one Uefa official calls Europe\'s biggest match-fixing scandal.

Hershey \'mulls $17bn Cadbury bid\'\n - US chocolate maker Hershey considers launching a solo bid of at least $17bn (?10bn) for UK firm Cadbury, reports say.

Stars join Children in Need fun\n - Top names from the worlds of TV, music and theatre are taking part in this year\'s Children In Need show.

Football fans encouraged to kick smoking habit into touch\n - Chelsea fans might be celebrating being top of the Premier League but they are struggling to give smoking the red card.

France reject Irish replay hopes\n - The French Football Federation turns down the Republic of Ireland\'s request for a replay of their controversial World Cup\n play-off game.

Mercedes want Schumacher - Jordan\n - Michael Schumacher will race in Formula 1 for Mercedes\' new team in 2010, BBC Sport\'s Eddie Jordan believes.

Cudicini \'to miss rest of season\'\n - Tottenham goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini leaves hospital after undergoing wrist and pelvic surgery, but is unlikely to play again\n this season.

Would you elect a commissioner?\n - Police chiefs may quit if the Tories introduced elected commissioners, claims Sir Hugh Orde. What do you think?

Dangerous seas\n - Can EU\'s taskforce defeat pirates off Somalia coast?

Coaxing Karzai\n - Will Clinton\'s approach to Afghan leader pay off?

Prolonging life\n - \'I\'m dying from lung disease, but I keep fighting\'

Television queen\n - Is Oprah\'s talk show move the end of an era?

Puzzling choices\n - What EU appointments mean for bloc\'s future

In pictures\n - Winning images in Darwin photo competition

Flood waters force 500 from homes\n - Hundreds of people in Cumbria are forced to spend the night away from their homes after the county\'s devastating floods.

Flood alert over threatened rains\n - The south west of Scotland remains on flood alert with more rain forecast to hit the area over the weekend.

Drug-resistant swine flu hits UK\n - Health officials in Cardiff say a Tamiflu-resistant strain of swine flu has spread between hospital patients.

Tributes paid to quad crash teen \n - Tributes are paid to a 14-year-old boy who died in a quad bike accident in Maghera on Thursday night.

Riot over Egypt football defeat \n - Police are injured as Egypt fans\' anger over reported violence after a World Cup game erupts in Cairo.

Sears Tower plot leader is jailed\n - The leader of a plot to blow up the Sears Tower in Chicago is sentenced to 13-and-a-half years in prison.

Iran criticised over nuclear deal\n - The six major powers say they are disappointed with Iran\'s apparent rejection of a deal over its nuclear programme.

Vietnam denies blocking Facebook\n - Vietnamese officials deny blocking access to Facebook for the site\'s million users, instead blaming a technical fault.

Italian sex scandal woman \'dead\'\n - A transsexual prostitute linked to a sex row involving an Italian politician is believed to have been burned to death, media\n report.

US sets marker on Afghan corruption\n - US Defence Secretary Robert Gates says foreign aid donors must use their influence to tackle corruption in Afghanistan.

Banks \'are charging sneaky fees\'\n - Banks are still finding \"sneaky ways\" to make money out of people, says the consumers\' association Which?.

I am best for new EU job - Ashton\n - Labour peer Baroness Ashton - the surprise choice as EU foreign minister - rejects claims she lacks experience for the role.

Childhood abuse \'quickens ageing\'\n - Physical or emotional abuse during childhood could speed up the body\'s ageing process, US research suggests.

Universities \'face tougher times\'\n - England\'s university funding chief says a golden age may be over as funding falls behind overseas competitors.

UK climate unit\'s e-mails hacked\n - The e-mail system of one of the world\'s leading climate research units has been breached by hackers.

Lady Gaga joins royal gala show\n - Eccentric chart-topper Lady Gaga is to sing for the Queen at the Royal Variety Performance at Blackpool\'s Opera House.

YouTube gets automatic subtitles\n - Automatic captions for YouTube videos are to roll out across its channels, says parent company Google.