Heavy fighting continues in the Libyan city of Sirte, with pro-Gaddafi fighters holding out in just two small areas, government commanders say.

Reports that Col Muammar Gaddafi's son Mutassim has been captured spark celebrations in Libya, although there is no official confirmation.

The House of Lords votes against a proposal for more detailed scrutiny of the NHS bill for England, which ministers warned could kill it off altogether.

Almost half of England's further education colleges have seen a decline in student numbers - with the scrapping of allowances being blamed.

A salvage crew returns to a stranded ship off New Zealand's coast that is leaking oil and threatening to break apart.

Three members of the Federal Reserve's Open Market Committee voted against the Fed's latest stimulus measures, meeting notes reveal.

The IMF cuts its Asian growth forecast for 2011 and 2012 on continuing worries about eurozone debt and new fears for the US economy.

Education Secretary Michael Gove has said the number of pupils being given the top grade at A-Level could be limited in future.