BBC chief says top stars can be risqué

The Director-General said that the broadcaster was prepared to stand by controversial decisions despite recurring complaints

Tissue grown to reverse genital damage

Scientists have replaced the erectile tissue of rabbits restoring sexual function and allowing them to father offspring

Spain’s wind turbines supply half its power

The investment in renewable energy is paying off as wind energy hits a high of 53 per cent of the country’s power supply

Every home to get new bill for carbon-neutral coal

Government seeks to raise £9.5bn over the next 20 years to reduce emissions at new coal-fired power plants

Mainstream parties attack BNP's 'nasty message of hate'

Nurse laid to rest 30 years after death

Helen Smith remains have been held in a mortuary since 1979 when she died in a mysterious plunge from a balcony in Saudi Arabia

Pregnant woman flees social workers

Clock puts Manningtree in troubled times

A Rotary Club member in the Essex town hopes that the clock with its numbers in the wrong order will attract tourists

Cardinal on path to sainthood after 'miracle'

Deacon Jack Sullivan prayed to his ‘friend’ Cardinal Newman and was suddenly cured of probable permanent paralysis

Cyber stalker waged hate campaign on teenager

Man is given a lifelong restraining order after terrorising a student he met briefly in a Manchester nightclub

Angry angler chains himself to rails over cull

A swimming club that shares a lake with anglers in Bristol wanted a cull of most of the fish leading to a stand-off

Time for Germany to re-enagage with Europe

Ms Merkel’s political patron, Mr Kohl, argued that German unity and European integration were two sides of the same coin

Free health checks for patients in middle age

By 2012, everyone aged 40 to 74 will be entitled to screenings for heart disease, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease

Energy shortfalls are a danger in ten years

The need to invest in energy has been obvious for 30 years but the Government seems to have been caught by surprise

Energetic John Prescott fears unsure future

As the words flowed around the room, it seemed fitting to discover that the former Labour deputy was talking about wind

'Ban sport sponsorship by alcohol industry'

Free and discounted drinks supplied to sports clubs are linked to hazardous drinking, research in Addiction journal claims

SNP refusal to go nuclear ‘will cost jobs and expertise’

Soldiers accused of killing Iraqi

A former soldier described how he watched two comrades kick and punch a handcuffed Iraqi prisoner minutes before he died

Charity still thriving despite credit crunch

A report finds that while many people are not quite as rich as they used to they are still donating, increasingly closer to home