Scotland's newly-appointed Makar, or national poet, is due to officially open the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum.

The funeral of Scottish singer-songwriter Gerry Rafferty is due to take place in his home town of Paisley.

British comedian Ricky Gervais defends jokes he made about Hollywood stars at Sunday's Golden Globes, insisting he did nothing wrong.

Hollywood actor George Clooney contracted malaria during a trip to Sudan earlier this month, but is now fully cured, a spokesman says.

Iggy Pop's former drummer Alex Kirst is killed in a hit-and-run accident in the US, aged 47.

Artist Haroon Mirza, who scours junk shops and eBay for items to use in his exhibitions, scoops £16,500 as winner of the Northern Art Prize.

Pop star Britney Spears becomes only the second artist to debut multiple songs at the top of the US singles chart in its 52-year history.

More than £1 billion was spent making films in the UK during 2010, figures released by the UK Film Council show.