Film-maker JJ Abrams says the offer to direct the new Star Wars movie was a "once in a lifetime opportunity" he could not resist, despite his prior association with major franchises.

US vehicle makers reported double-digit sales growth for April, giving the industry its best month in six years.

Coronation Street star William Roache is arrested on suspicion of raping a 15-year-old girl in the 1960s.

Sir Bradley Wiggins's Tour de France rivalry with Chris Froome can be good for cycling, says team-mate Geraint Thomas.

Riot police in the Turkish city of Istanbul use water cannon and tear gas to prevent leftist May Day marchers reaching the main square.

BBC Sport brings you all the latest sports news on its new free smartphone app - now available for Android as well as Apple users.

Lions coach Warren Gatland says players unable to attend the pre-tour camps are unlikely to be ready for the first game.

Monty Python member turned Hollywood film-maker Terry Gilliam will return as a director for the English National Opera, it is announced.

Greek-Czech investment fund Emma Delta snaps up 33% of Greek gambling monopoly Opap in Greece's first big privatisation.

Flash floods in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have left 13 people dead. 4 more people are reported missing

At least 14 members of an anti-al-Qaeda Sunni militia are killed in two attacks by militants near the western Iraqi city of Fallujah, officials say.

The outbreak of a new type of bird flu in China poses a "serious threat" but it is too soon to tell how far it will spread, flu experts have warned.

The number killed in the collapse of a factory building in Bangladesh passes 400, as thousands march to demand better working conditions.

A driver has been arrested after a high-speed car chase through the streets of Los Angeles.

BBC sees growing evidence of Hezbollah role in Syria conflict

The International Air Transport Association (Iata) says air passenger travel grew by 5.9% in March compared with a year earlier, boosted by emerging markets.

Satellite images reveal that 2,275 homes were destroyed during a military raid to hunt down militant Islamists in the northern Nigerian town of Baga last month, a rights group says.

Mountaineering legend Jim Whittaker retraces his historic climb of Mount Everest 50 years on.

Flash floods in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have left 13 people dead. 4 more people are reported missing

Riot police in the Turkish city of Istanbul use water cannon and tear gas to prevent leftist May Day marchers reaching the main square.