Interest rates hit all-time low
The Bank of England has slashed interest rate from 2% to 1.5% , the lowest it has been since the bank was founded in 1694.

Las Vegas hosts top gadget show
The Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is showing off the new generation of TVs which manufacturers will lure viewers away from watching video on a PC monitor.

Sainsbury's sales up 4.5%
Sainsbury's says it has had its "best ever Christmas performance", with sales rising 4.5% in the past three months.

EU to blow out 100W lights
Reports that several stores will stop stocking traditional light bulbs have led to panic-buying in some areas.

Boy aged six drives car to school
The parents of a six-year-old boy in the US have been charged with neglect after he drove their car for 10 kilometres in an attempt to get to school on time.

Giant greenhouses open in UK
The biggest salad-growing greenhouses in the UK, covering an area the size of 39 football pitches, have opened in Kent.

Greek leaders criticised for unrest
Union leaders representing Greek police officers have accused the government of losing control of the security situation in the country.

Zookeepers check up on numbers
Zoos throughout the UK have been carrying out their annual audit of animals. Nick Higham went to London Zoo to see how they were getting on.

EU to mediate on gas dispute
Russia and Ukraine have invited the EU monitors to see for themselves which country is to blame for the cut in gas supplies.

Life in Gaza during the ceasefire
News agencies report that Gaza residents had rushed out into the streets during the lull to stock up on food and visit relatives in hospital.

Record-breaking dog's 18 pups
A Dalmatian dog has earned her spots with a record-breaking litter of 18 puppies.

Cold snap continues across UK
The freezing conditions have continued to produce scenes of ice and snow across the UK as temperatures plunged overnight.

Turtle gets new home at the seaside
A turtle which had been displayed in a nightclub has been re-homed at a sea life centre.

Woman makes handbags out of scraps
A woman from Sussex makes handbags from scraps of other unwanted plastic bags.

Your guide to the BBC Embedded Media Player
The BBC Embedded Media Player brings you up-to-the minute reports in video and audio from BBC News.

Your guide to the BBC News Pop-up Player
The BBC News Player brings you up-to-the minute reports in video and audio from BBC News.

Rockets hit Israel from Lebanon
Rockets have been fired into northern Israel from Lebanon, raising fears the Israeli offensive in Gaza may spread.

BBC journalist joins Israeli troops in Gaza
BBC video journalist Andrew Herbert is the first international journalist to enter Gaza since the Israeli offensive began. He filmed this material while embedded with the Givati infantry unit of the Israeli Defence Forces.

France hit by heavy snow storms
Emergency teams are trying to restore power to thousands of homes in the south of France after the worst blizzard conditions in two decades.

Animal stock take at London Zoo
Staff at London Zoo are starting the mammoth task of counting every animal in their collection as part of an annual audit.

Google's focus in 2009
Google dominates the world of web search, but will it get lucky in finding new ideas?

Monkey testing debate sparked
A Scottish MEP calls for a proposed ban on primate testing to be extended to include monkeys used in Scottish laboratories.

Changing face of High Street
Whitley Bay's Marks and Spencer is one of those which will close, while its Woolworths and several local retailers have gone.

Textile firm Viyella in administration
Nottinghamshire textile firm Viyella has announced it has gone into administration.

Bosses rap 'sickie' TV commercial
A TV commercial and a website advertising a cold remedy has been criticised by company bosses for apparently encouraging workers to 'throw a sickie.'

Brown begins tour of UK
Gordon Brown has begun a three-day tour of England and Wales starting with a visit to Rolls Royce in Derby.

Brown: Mid-East facing 'darkest moment'
Gordon Brown has said he is hopeful that the basis can be found for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

Cameron vows tax cut on savings
The Conservative leader David Cameron has said that income tax on savings for basic rate taxpayers should be abolished.

Craig and Bell act in Defiance
Daniel Craig has attended the European premiere of his latest film Defiance along with co-star Jamie Bell.

Rourke returns with The Wrestler
Actor Mickey Rourke has attended the UK premiere for his comeback film The Wrestler.

Scottish Titian grant 'obscene'
The £17.5m that the Scottish government is poised to pay to secure a painting by Titian for the National gallery is a waste of tax payers money according to Labour MP Ian Davidson.

'Life doesn't come with a guarantee'
Connie visits her partner Lionel in a registered dementia home. She says 'life doesn't come with a guarantee'.

Research brain donors appeal
More people need to donate their brains to medical research if cures for diseases like dementia are to be found, UK scientists say.

Man has had hiccups for two years
Chris Sands cannot work, sleep or even eat - because of the severe hiccups he has had for almost two years.

Sea freezes over in cold snap
Sub-zero temperatures freeze a half-mile (800m) stretch of sea off Dorset for what is thought to be the first time in decades.

Turtle retires to the seaside
A turtle which has lived most of its life in an Edinburgh nightclub has "retired" to a new home on the North Yorkshire coast.

Rescuers offer home to bats
A family in Durham are saving young bats abandoned because of the cold weather, bt taking them into their home.

Explosion at Aberdeenshire hotel
Two men and a woman have been injured in an explosion at a hotel in Aberdeenshire.

Councils set to make more cuts
Scotland's councils are facing severe cutbacks with Glasgow City Council already asking staff to make savings.

MSPs debate forensic lab move
Plans to close Aberdeen's crime lab and centralise north of Scotland operations to Dundee are being debated at Holyrood.

BBC Newsline 1330 signed summary
Mark Carruthers and signer Mary Kyle with the Northern Ireland news

Rise in district rates forecast
Ratepayers in some council areas could be paying their local council an extra 10% in their rates bill next year, it has emerged.

Rabies victim dies of infection
A Northern Ireland woman who contracted the rabies virus has died, her family has said.

Cold disrupts water supply
Welsh Water blamed frozen pipes. for severely restricting supplies to Maerdy water treatment works.

Duke's trust gets £281K for bridge
Swansea council has had to pay over £280,000 to the Duke of Beaufort in order to build a bridge across the River Tawe because of a feudal law.

Imaging a supernova
Astronomers at Cardiff University help reconstruct the image of an exploding star.