Labour: Banks must serve society

Ed Miliband calls for a culture of “one nation banking” in which financial institutions are not “isolated” from the rest of the economy and

Ulster Bank staff reject pay-off

Ulster Bank staff are given details of redundancy terms on offer but they have been flatly rejected by the finance union, the Irish Bank Officials’ Association

Child access shake-up criticised

A family justice system change giving children legal rights to maintain relationships with both parents after separation attracts

Sex assault ‘therapist’ convicted

A bogus therapist and his wife who told women they could diagnose and treat cancer are found guilty of sexual assault and

Carroll accused ‘sought address’

A man accused of murdering Constable Stephen Carroll tried to collect information on another policeman for republicans, a court

Ed Davey is new energy secretary

Lib Dem minister Ed Davey is named the new energy and climate change secretary following Chris Huhne’s resignation, while Norman Lamb takes over his role as business

Queen digs deep for Jubilee woods

The Queen launches a project to plant six million trees native to Britain, creating new woods across the country to mark her Diamond

Pub arsonist sets fire to himself

Cheshire Fire Service releases CCTV footage showing an arsonist setting fire to himself while trying to ignite a

Cameron to make official US visit

Prime Minister David Cameron will make an official visit to the US next month, the White House

Could cow shed be oldest house?

A project to find the ages of historic homes by dating their timbers may have found one of Wales’ oldest

Man charged over death at station

A man is charged over the death of teenage girl who fell between a carriage and the platform at a Liverpool railway

Snow alert issued across Scotland

The Met Office warns that snow will affect many parts of southern and eastern Scotland at the

Olympic parking fines up by 50%

A rise of just over 50% in parking penalties on Olympic routes during the Games is agreed by London

Connolly ends shows after heckles

Comedian Billy Connolly is criticised for ending two of his stand-up shows early in the past week due to

Leaders unite against SDL march

Four of Scotland’s highest profile politicians urge councillors to block moves by the Scottish Defence League to march in

Concerns over race group inquiry

The author of an independent report into a race equality charity says he has not been contacted by the Welsh government to discuss his

Gerrard welcomes Suarez return

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard says Luis Suarez’s impending return can be the catalyst for the Reds clinching Champions League

Trio to make England Test debuts

Phil Dowson, Brad Barritt and Owen Farrell will make their Test debuts for England in their Six Nations opener against

When was the real baby boom?

Forget the “baby boom”, 1920 was the really big year for births, writes Michael

Community condemns bomb plotters

Muslim leaders in Cardiff vow to stay vigilant after two brothers from the city admitted planning to detonate a bomb at the London Stock

Peer in ‘double referendum’ bid

A former Scotland Office minister is calling for a “double referendum” to decide Scotland’s constitutional

Times ‘investigated for hacking’

The Times newspaper is being investigated by the Met police over email hacking claims, the BBC

Terry ‘will not resign captaincy’

John Terry will not stand down as England captain despite facing trial over allegations he racially abused QPR defender Anton

Rural shake-up for police cover

Police change the way they cover rural areas of north Wales after the chief constable accepts improvements can be

Council to reveal £233m city plan

Belfast City Council is due to officially outline details of a £233m investment programme in the city

Asbestos in schools a ‘scandal’

The presence of killer fibre asbestos in most UK state schools constitutes a “national scandal”, says an all-party group of

Clergy in civil partnerships call

More than 100 clergy in London sign a letter calling on the Church of England to reverse its ban on civil partnership ceremonies being held in

Mansion ‘guardians’ put in place

Four live-in property “guardians” move into a Borders mansion to help protect the site while it is converted into a tourist

School Olympic ticket numbers due

London schools due are to find out how many free tickets for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games they are to

Shouting out ‘helps pupils learn’

Pupils who shout out in class achieve better results than their counterparts who appear to be better behaved and quiet, suggests