Nelson Mandela has given his backing to the controversial decision to free the Lockerbie bomber, it emerged today.

A pregnant woman critically ill with swine flu was being treated in a Swedish hospital today after being transferred from Scotland for specialised treatment.

The first picture of a “punishment room” at a former children’s home at the centre of a major abuse investigation revealed today a haunting message written on the wall.

A former worker at the Jersey care home at the centre of a child abuse scandal told how she saw children “frozen with fear”.

Rogue trader Jerome Kerviel was today being blamed for aggravating the turmoil that saw tens of billions of pounds wiped off the UK stock exchange earlier this week.

Nick Leeson said today’s revelation that a single trader lost £3.7 bn (€4.9bn) at French bank Societe-Generale proved financial institutions had not learned their lessons.

Edmund Hillary, the man who conquered Mount Everest, will be given a state funeral, the New Zealand government said today.

Lewis Hamilton believes he can be McLaren’s “leader” next season as he bids to bounce back from a year which saw the team dogged by controversy.

SIX young people, including two schoolchildren were killed when a part-time policeman went on a gun rampage in the US yesterday.

Fears of “enormous economic consequences” for the livestock industry have been raised as tests indicate the virus strain in the latest foot-and-mouth outbreak is the same as that which infected two herds last month.

Richard Branson has backed missing adventurer Steve Fossett to return safe and well.

Hopes that the foot and mouth outbreak had been contained were dealt a blow today after a new suspected case of the virulent virus was discovered.

Stars lined up to pay tribute to “storyteller, gentleman and family man” Mike Reid.

The actor Mike Reid has died, his agent David Hahn told BBC News 24.

A hitman sent to London to murder exiled Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky was arrested and deported back to Russia, police confirmed tonight.

An apparent car bomb attack on Glasgow airport ended in terrifying failure today.

Two fully intact car bombs found in central London hold hundreds of clues about the people behind a suspected terrorist plot that could have killed hundreds.

One man is trapped under rubble after part of a building collapsed in central London, police said tonight.

Banking giant Barclays is poised to reveal its intentions over a potential £80bn (€117bn) merger with Dutch bank ABN Amro amid reports today that the pair had entered exclusive talks over the deal.

All nine carriages on a high-speed tilting train containing around 200 people derailed in Cumbria last night, leaving passengers injured and trapped.

BRITISH scientists have developed genetically modified chickens capable of laying eggs containing proteins needed to make cancer-fighting drugs.

The demolition of a notorious Iraqi police station marked a turning point in the battle with Basra’s death squads, the British commander in the province said today.

Customers at a restaurant and an hotel visited by a poisoned ex-KGB officer will be tested for the radioactive substance that killed him, health chiefs said today.

Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond was in a stable condition in hospital today after being involved in a high-speed car crash while filming an apparent attempt to break the British land speed record.

TOP GEAR presenter Richard Hammond was injured in an accident while filming an edition of the programme, the BBC said last night.

British foreign policy must not be dictated by terrorists, British home secretary John Reid said today amid renewed criticism of a call from leading Muslims for it to be changed.

Chocolate makers Cadbury today insisted there was no link between a food poisoning outbreak and the mass contamination of their products with the same bacteria.

An investigation is under way today into a massive explosion at a chemical plant in England.

The discovery of a dead swan with H5 bird flu in Scotland indicates that many more wild birds in the area are likely to be infected, a leading British virologist says.

TWO men were fighting for their lives last night after falling desperately ill when taking part in a drug trial in London.

Chelsea officials could consider a permanent tribute to Peter Osgood following the death of the player nicknamed ‘the King of Stamford Bridge’.

Dwight Yorke believes Ruud van Nistelrooy must accept that Alex Ferguson acted in the best interests of the team when leaving him out of the Carling Cup final victory over Wigan.

Guus Hiddink has yet to hear from the Football Association about the possibility of succeeding Sven-Goran Eriksson as England coach.

International Olympic Committee member Craig Reedie has dismissed suggestions that London’s successful bid to stage the 2012 Games was the result of an IOC delegate miscasting his vote are “totally irrelevant”.

Two teenage girls were killed today when they were hit by a train at a village level crossing in England.

Alex Ferguson has again insisted he will quit management for good when he leaves Manchester United.

An Israeli soldier who shot dead a British activist acting as a human shield in the Gaza Strip was jailed for eight years today.

Several hundred fans staged a noisy demonstration as the three Glazer brothers arrived to watch their first match at Old Trafford.

Armed police arrested two women at Liverpool Street station and evacuated the area, officers said today.

Police at London's Stockwell Tube Station appear to have used very similar tactics to those deployed against suicide bombers in the Middle East, a terrorism expert said today.

A suspected suicide bomber was shot dead on the London Underground today as he fled from the police.

Tony Blair will today hold talks with senior intelligence officers and police chiefs in the wake of the London bombings.

BRITISH police shut down a busy railway station north of London yesterday after an explosives-packed car was found outside it.

Countdown’s iconic presenter Richard Whiteley has died just days after undergoing heart surgery.