Polls have closed in the Oldham East and Saddleworth by-election, the first such contest since the coalition government was formed last year.

Maritime piracy costs the global economy between $7bn and $12bn a year, a report by UK think-tank Chatham House says.

A US court sentences a militant from Guyana to 15 years in jail for taking part in a plot to blow up fuel tanks at New York's JFK airport.

British actor Colin Firth receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, dedicating the honour to his wife.

A man is charged with making a bomb hoax which led to a stand-off with armed police at a shop in London's West End.

Australia's third largest city, Brisbane, starts to clear away mud and debris as floodwaters begin to recede.

Wikipedia is too complicated for many people to modify despite billing itself as "the free encyclopaedia that anyone can edit", its founder tells BBC News.

The Home Office publishes the specification for a new device for police to use to test whether drivers are under the influence of drugs.