Reoffending by thousands of criminals serving short sentences in England and Wales costs up to £10bn a year, says a report.

The US vice-president condemns Israel's approval of 1,600 new homes in East Jerusalem, as he prepares to visit the West Bank.

A former head of MI5 says she did not know US intelligence services were mistreating terror suspects until after she retired.

Indonesia's President Yudhoyono confirms security forces killed terror suspect Dulmatin in raids in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Doctors' leaders urge ministers to halt the development of a medical records database for patients in England.

Fraudsters are continuing their switch from traditional card fraud to raiding online bank accounts, new research shows.

Rules to improve child protection after the Baby P case may leave children more vulnerable to harm, council leaders warn.

Attempts to reach a cross-party deal on funding social care appear to be dead in the water ahead of a key summit.

Foreign Secretary David Miliband is to urge the Afghan president to seek a political solution to the conflict with the Taliban.

The Large Hadron Collider must be shut down for a year starting in late 2011 to address design flaws, the BBC has learned.

A US TV producer pleads guilty to attempting to blackmail US chat show host David Letterman over his affairs.

The eggshells of long-dead and extinct species are a particularly good source to find preserved DNA, researchers say.

A Belgian daily has issued what is thought to be Europe's first 3D newspaper - complete with cardboard viewing glasses.

Nicklas Bendtner silences his recent critics with a hat-trick as Arsenal see off Porto in emphatic fashion to reach the Champions League quarter-finals.

Two goals from Cameron Jerome inspire Birmingham to a battling win against bottom-club Portsmouth at Fratton Park.

Darren Bent scores a hat-trick as Sunderland claim their first league win of 2010 against ten-man Bolton.

Targets for getting young people into university should be scrapped, say graduate recruiters. What do you think?

10 years on from when the Nasdaq bubble burst

Why postal reforms are good news for direct mailers

UK painter defiant despite Turkish conviction

Paedophile priest left alone by Church and state

Can we write off the rehabilitation of offenders?

Maybe we can't devalue our way out of trouble

A professional gambler is found guilty of running a pyramid scheme which targeted people on low incomes.

A woman whose medical records disappeared from her GP surgery has sparked questions over the security of patient record transfers.

The Chevron oil firm is looking for bids for a refinery that directly employs around 1,400 people in Pembrokeshire.

The devolution of policing and justice powers to NI marks the end to decades of strife, Gordon Brown says.

A Nigerian governor accuses the army of ignoring warnings of attacks, as communal tension remains high near Jos.

Ban Ki-moon pays tribute to the 101 UN staff who died in the Haiti quake, as President Preval seeks US support for the economy.

A court case brought by the family of Rachel Corrie, a US protester killed by an Israeli army bulldozer in 2003, is to open.

A new election law formally bars pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi from taking part in elections planned in Burma.

Brussels says it hopes European aerospace group EADS was not prevented from fairly bidding for a major US defence deal.

India's upper house sees a second day of uproar as it backs a bill to reserve a third of all parliamentary seats for women.

Talks aimed averting strike action by BA cabin crew are due to resume later, after a deadline was extended.

A £1bn government scheme to regenerate former coalmines has been poorly co-ordinated and lacks vision, MPs argue.

There is no evidence acupuncture or Chinese herbal medicine boost the chance of IVF success, fertility experts warn.

More schools in England are being judged as inadequate in Ofsted's new-style inspections, figures are expected to show.

Deforestation has revealed what could be a giant impact crater in Central Africa, according to Italian scientists.

Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland enters the UK and Ireland box office at number one, with record opening takings for a 3D movie.

Illegal file-sharers should be fined, rather than have their internet connection cut off, says the boss of BT.