Jonny Wilkinson ruled himself out of the British and Irish Lions tour to Australia, says tour manager Andy Irvine.

South Africa's governing African National Congress (ANC) defends its filmed visit to Nelson Mandela, saying it was not a "publicity stunt".

The spaceplane being developed by UK billionaire Sir Richard Branson has made its first powered flight.

Bangladesh survivor's horror entrapment in collapsed building

The European Court of Human Rights says Ukraine violated the rights of Yulia Tymoshenko, the jailed former prime minister and opposition leader.

Eurozone joblessness surges to a new high, while inflation hits a three-year low, raising expectations that the European Central Bank will cut interest rates.

Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands abdicates in favour of her son Prince Willem-Alexander - an event being celebrated across the nation.

Bolivia's Constitutional Court rules that President Evo Morales can run for a third term in office in elections scheduled for December 2014.

Author Anne Bronte, the sister of Charlotte and Emily, is given a new gravestone after 164 years to correct an error on the original.

A Palestinian militant has been killed in an Israeli air strike on Gaza City - the first such incident since a ceasefire in November.

Two men escape from a prison van in Greater Manchester after it is ambushed by a gang of five men wearing balaclavas.

How the Dutch people fell in love with Maxima, their new queen

Jonny Wilkinson will not tour with the Lions, while Sam Warburton is confirmed as captain for the trip to Australia.

Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands has handed the throne to her son Prince Willem-Alexander.

An Israeli settler has been killed by a Palestinian, who stabbed and shot him, at a bus stop in the northern West Bank.

The governor of Tokyo, Naoki Inose, apologises for critical comments he made about rival Istanbul's bid for the 2020 Olympic Games.

The British Horseracing Authority says anabolic steroid use on racehorses is not widespread in the UK.

As Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands abdicates in favour of her son Prince Willem-Alexander - questions are being asked about the future of monarchs elsewhere in Europe.

The wife of a prominent Laos civil society leader who disappeared four months ago while driving home has urged that more be done to find her husband.

Oil giant BP reports a fall in underlying profits for the first three months of the year, but the figure still beat analysts' expectations.