New rules take effect in China that restrict car purchases for 2011 by two-thirds in an effort to combat rising traffic woes in the capital, Beijing.

A 54-year-old man dies after becoming trapped in an oven at a canoe factory in Cheshire.

Two women are taken to hospital suffering from burns after a suspected gas explosion at a house in Suffolk.

The UK's unmanned solar-powered Zephyr is confirmed as having broken the record for the longest continuous flight.

An investigation finds that police officers did not deny a man access to a hospital during a student protest.

There has been a 50% rise in the number of patients in intensive care with flu in just three days, figures show.

A poem written especially by Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy will be read out on Coronation Street, at a service marking the ITV1 soap's recent tram crash.

A late festive rally sees the FTSE 100 index close above 6,000 points for the first time since June 2008.