A privacy watchdog is to investigate a council that used powers to spy on people, including a family suspected of lying about where they lived.

High winds overnight blew a tree down across the River Thames blocking river traffic, the Environment Agency said.

A pub manager in his late 20s is in hospital with stab wounds after being attacked during a street robbery in south-east London.

Uganda has set up a special war crimes court to deal with cases of human rights violations committed during the 20-year insurgency in the north.

Two people arrested after a toddler was taken seriously ill on Teesside have been released on police bail. A 24-year-old man and a 23-year-old woman were questioned by officers on Thursday night.

Police and county trading standards officers from nine counties are meeting to plan a combined crackdown on distraction burglary and rogue traders.

Catch up on the most popular stories on the BBC Scotland news website.

Former tabloid editor turned talent show judge Piers Morgan has signed a two-year deal with ITV that will see him host an entertainment talk show.