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The latest stories from the Home section of the BBC News web site.

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New phone hacking inquiries call (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 22:39:10 GMT)

Senior Labour politicians urge fresh inquiries into phone hacking claims surrounding the News of the World newspaper.

Blair in 'radical Islam' warning (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 23:41:31 GMT)

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair tells the BBC that radical Islam is the greatest threat facing the world.

Earthquake hits south New Zealand (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 23:43:49 GMT)

A state of emergency is declared in Christchurch after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake strikes New Zealand's South Island, injuring two people seriously.

Police question Pakistan players (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 20:30:43 GMT)

Police question the three Pakistan players accused of corruption, while the ICC says that trio implicated have a disciplinary case to answer.

Worshippers 'just escaped blast' (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 21:33:06 GMT)

A Hare Krishna temple in Leicester was evacuated seconds before an explosion almost destroyed the building, it emerges.

Pakistan rally bomb kills dozens (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 18:33:22 GMT)

A bomb kills at least 50 people at a Shia Muslim rally in the south-western city of Quetta, the second attack on Pakistan's religious minority in days.

Tycoon Nadir bailed in fraud case (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 15:07:47 GMT)

Fugitive tycoon Asil Nadir is remanded on bail at the Old Bailey at his first court appearance on fraud and theft charges.

Thompson defends BBC No 10 visit (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 15:14:24 GMT)

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

Six men jailed for Portugal abuse (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 17:04:24 GMT)

Six Portuguese men are sentenced to up to 18 years in jail after being found guilty of multiple charges of sexual abuse at a state-run children's home.

Fans jailed for Manchester riot (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 19:52:00 GMT)

Twelve football hooligans who took part in what a judge said was the worst destruction Manchester has suffered "since the Blitz" are sentenced.

Plane body women face no charges (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 17:38:08 GMT)

Two women who were arrested after trying to take a dead relative on to a plane at Liverpool John Lennon Airport will not face charges.

Lib Dem veteran Cyril Smith dies (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 16:02:01 GMT)

The former Liberal Democrat MP Sir Cyril Smith has died aged 82, his family and party confirm.

Baby Florence makes Downing Street debut (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 10:18:17 GMT)

Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha show off their baby daughter, Florence, for the first time on the steps of Number 10.

Sarah Kennedy is leaving BBC Radio 2 (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 13:35:29 GMT)

Veteran broadcaster Sarah Kennedy is leaving BBC Radio 2's Dawn Patrol show - 34 years after joining the station

England 4-0 Bulgaria (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 20:50:46 GMT)

Jermain Defoe scores a hat-trick as England get their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign off to a winning start against Bulgaria at Wembley.

Murray sees off flamboyant Brown (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 20:13:25 GMT)

Britain's Andy Murray overcomes the unorthodox style of Jamaica's Dustin Brown to reach the third round of the US Open.

Montenegro 1-0 Wales (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 19:28:45 GMT)

Montenegro captain Mirko Vucinic scores a fine solo goal to condemn Wales to defeat in their opening Euro 2012 qualifier.

Slovenia 0-1 Northern Ireland (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 20:42:34 GMT)

Substitute Corry Evans scores with his first touch to give Northern Ireland a 1-0 win over Slovenia in the opening Euro 2012 qualifier in Maribor.

Lithuania 0-0 Scotland (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 20:09:08 GMT)

Scotland have to settle for a point as their Euro 2012 qualification campaign begins with frustration in Lithuania.

Probe as police crash seized car (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 15:23:18 GMT)

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

Woman killed as she herds cattle (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 18:16:55 GMT)

A 74-year-old Northamptonshire churchwarden dies when she is knocked to the ground as she herds cattle.

Police raids after drill attack (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 16:46:44 GMT)

Police carry out two days of raids after a man was attacked with a power drill in North Lanarkshire.

City centre plan for 20mph zone (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 18:14:11 GMT)

Edinburgh's transport leader admits speeding but said he still believes a 20mph zone would be a good idea.

Murder inquiry launched in Armagh (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 21:33:57 GMT)

Detectives in Armagh have begun a murder inquiry after a man's body was found in the Castle Street area on Friday.

PSNI rescue 'trafficking victims' (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 19:49:58 GMT)

Several "potential victims of human trafficking" have been rescued in raids on suspected brothels in Belfast, police say.

Backing for Welsh 'phone hack' MP (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 20:01:06 GMT)

Metropolitan Police Authority member backs Welsh MP Chris Bryant on call for more information over tabloid newspaper's phone hacking claims.

Daughter denies murdering father (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 14:01:15 GMT)

A teenager pleads not guilty to murdering her 61-year-old father along with three other people.

Mozambique police fire at rioters (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 18:23:54 GMT)

Police in Mozambique's capital fire rubber bullets on the third day of riots, as the violence spreads to the central city of Chimoio.

UN calls special food price talks (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 16:40:42 GMT)

The United Nations' food agency calls a special meeting of policy makers to discuss the recent rapid rises in food prices.

Japan imposes new Iran sanctions (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 04:35:52 GMT)

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

China warships end Burma visit (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 05:01:57 GMT)

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.

Irish delay EU-Israel data deal (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:12:05 GMT)

Dublin delays a deal to allow transfers of EU citizens' data to Israel, which is accused of forging passports.

Fox rules out French 'ship share' (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 11:32:48 GMT)

Defence Secretary Liam Fox rules out the UK sharing aircraft carriers with France as part of closer defence co-operation.

Castro addresses rally in Havana (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 22:04:58 GMT)

Fidel Castro addresses a rally for the first time since handing the Cuban presidency to his brother Raul in 2006.

Colombian troops storm rebel camp (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 19:46:54 GMT)

Colombian troops storm an ELN guerrilla camp near the Venezuelan border, killing 11 rebels, a day after 14 policemen were killed in an ambush in the south.

US cargo plane crashes in Dubai (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 21:46:41 GMT)

A UPS cargo plane crashes at an air force base shortly after take-off from Dubai airport, killing two crew members on board.

Clinton warns on Mid-East talks (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 19:22:35 GMT)

The US secretary of state warns the current round of Mid-East peace talks may be "the last chance for a very long time".

Anthrax outbreak hits Bangladesh (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 17:02:16 GMT)

Officials in northern Bangladesh battle to contain an anthrax outbreak that has infected more than 250 people.

S Lanka panel lost in translation (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 16:23:24 GMT)

A key witness at the commission set up to examine the last years of Sri Lanka's civil war complains his words were not properly translated.

US sees 54,000 jobs go in August (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 15:05:17 GMT)

The US economy shed another 54,000 jobs in August, the third month in a row that jobs have been lost, official figures show.

BP blowout preventer 'removed' (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 21:28:25 GMT)

BP removes the blowout preventer that failed to stem the leaking Gulf of Mexico oil well and says it has paid $8bn (£5.2bn) in damage costs.

HSBC threatens to quit London HQ (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 17:19:19 GMT)

HSBC may quit its London headquarters if the UK government decides to break up big banks, a senior executive says.

Petrobras files $65bn share offer (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 20:12:33 GMT)

The Brazilian state oil company, Petrobras, unveils plans to sell up to $64.5bn of new stock, in one of the world's largest share offers.

BP says oil spill cost up to $8bn (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 14:28:42 GMT)

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.

Farage to contest UKIP leadership (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 14:52:25 GMT)

Nigel Farage says he will stand for the leadership of the UK Independence Party, a position he held until last year.

School lottery 'failed in aim' (Thu, 02 Sep 2010 23:49:43 GMT)

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.

Openness urged on UK's emissions (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 00:49:34 GMT)

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

Reading Arabic 'hard for brain' (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 23:56:38 GMT)

Israeli scientists believe they have identified why Arabic is particularly hard to learn to read.

'No evidence' implants are toxic (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 11:36:41 GMT)

Tests on a type of breast implant filled with an unapproved gel have shown no evidence they are unsafe, UK experts say.

Compost sparks Legionnaire's fear (Thu, 02 Sep 2010 23:03:58 GMT)

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

Men in short supply in primaries (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:52:36 GMT)

One in four state primary schools in England has no male teacher, statistics show.

Prodigy makes Cambridge history (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 08:13:59 GMT)

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

School meals 'help fussy eaters' (Wed, 01 Sep 2010 23:15:47 GMT)

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

PS3 hack escapes court challenge (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 10:43:40 GMT)

Sony has won a permanent ban in Australia of a hack for its PS3, but the code behind it has been released for free on the web.

Memristor revolution backed by HP (Thu, 02 Sep 2010 15:33:44 GMT)

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

Global broadband divide revealed (Thu, 02 Sep 2010 12:45:35 GMT)

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

Plans for solar 'close encounter' (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 16:44:59 GMT)

Nasa is aiming to get closer to the Sun than ever before, with plans to plunge a car-sized unmanned spacecraft into the star's outer atmosphere.

Wolves fail to halt aspen decline (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 15:20:39 GMT)

The re-introduction of wolves to a US National Park has not helped re-establish quaking aspens, as many researchers had hoped.

Method to trace persistent CFCs (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 00:49:58 GMT)

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.

DJs unite for Love Parade track (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 16:47:43 GMT)

Three of the world's most successful club DJs join forces to pay tribute to those who died at the Love Parade festival in Germany in July.

Robbie turns on Blackpool lights (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 20:44:56 GMT)

Thousands of people watch Robbie Williams switch on Blackpool's illuminations.

Cheryl and Ashley granted divorce (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 09:45:14 GMT)

Cheryl and Ashley Cole are granted a divorce at the High Court after four years of marriage.

Don't let the bed bugs bite (Thu, 02 Sep 2010 23:42:04 GMT)

The world is on the verge of a bed-bug pandemic, according to a report - how did the tiny biting insects come to pose such a threat?

Autobiographies of the rich and famous (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 11:12:22 GMT)

Tony Blair's memoirs has become the fastest selling autobiography in Britain. But what are the biggest overall sellers?

Propping up a prime minister (Thu, 02 Sep 2010 09:57:23 GMT)

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

What does the future hold for television? (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 13:19:14 GMT)

Rory Cellan-Jones tries out 3D video equipment and looks at the latest ultra thin and bright OLED TVs.

'Worst earthquake I have ever felt' (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 21:02:36 GMT)

A 7.0-magnitude earthquake strikes New Zealand's South Island, causing widespread minor damage and power cuts.

Panda twins delight Japanese zoo (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 15:47:29 GMT)

New-born twin giant pandas made their first public appearance at a zoo in Japan on Friday in Shirahama.

Canine Cinema gets audience howling (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 21:13:44 GMT)

In an attempt to reach people who do not normally go to the cinema, Shetland film festival is targeting their pets.

Sharks swarm off Australian coast (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 08:07:49 GMT)

Hundreds of sharks have been spotted off the Queensland coast.

Bath tub sailor - it's Odd Box (Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:57:20 GMT)

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.

Probably the world's oldest beer (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 08:37:58 GMT)

A team of divers say they have found the world's oldest drinkable beer in a shipwreck off the coast of Finland.

On board UK's newest attack sub (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 05:31:18 GMT)

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

Now you see it, now you don't (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 02:45:03 GMT)

A glimpse on board the UK's new stealth submarine

Obituary: Sir Cyril Smith (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 16:32:41 GMT)

The life and times of Rochdale's larger-than-life MP

Massive Mini (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 11:28:44 GMT)

How far can BMW stretch the brand before it snaps?

7 days quiz (Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:17:15 GMT)

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

Troubled waters (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 06:41:51 GMT)

Why aren't black American children taught to swim?

Speaking the lingo (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 05:13:09 GMT)

Does the NHS do enough for non-English speakers?