Polls have closed in the Oldham East and Saddleworth by-election, the first such contest since the coalition government was formed last year.

Rescuers are trying to find survivors in cut-off areas of south-eastern Brazil hit by deadly floods that have left at least 470 people dead.

Andy Murray will play Karol Beck in the Australian Open first round and has avoided being drawn in the same quarter as Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer.

Breastfeeding alone for six months might not be best for babies, UK experts warn.

Maritime piracy costs the global economy between $7bn and $12bn a year, a report by UK think-tank Chatham House says.

A US court sentences a militant from Guyana to 15 years in jail for taking part in a plot to blow up fuel tanks at New York's JFK airport.

British actor Colin Firth receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, dedicating the honour to his wife.

A man is charged with making a bomb hoax which led to a stand-off with armed police at a shop in London's West End.