The crime of "insulting" someone through words or behaviour is to be dropped, in a move welcomed as a victory for free speech by campaigners.

The UN Security Council backs France's intervention against Islamists in Mali, as thousands of African troops are expected to join the operation.

Women in England and Wales with a strong family history of breast cancer could be offered preventative medication on the NHS for the first time.

UK drugs policy needs a stronger health focus as criminalisation is deterring users from seeking help, say doctors.

Pakistan's Supreme Court orders the arrest of PM Raja Pervez Ashraf and 15 others over corruption allegations, raising fears of a political crisis just months ahead of an election.

A cleaning woman steals an empty commuter train in Sweden and crashes it into a house, injuring herself, in an act which baffles officials.

Horse DNA has been found in some beef burgers being sold in UK and Irish supermarkets, Ireland's food safety body confirms.

Far from being cut off from the rest of the world, Australia experienced a migration from India about 4,000 years ago, a study suggests.