National / International News

The art of sabrage, or knocking open a bottle of Champagne with a sword, probably started during the time of Napoleon. A sword is handy but not necessary; a kitchen knife can also work, according to a Champagne expert.

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North Yorkshire Police arrest two people in connection with the death of a 32-year-old man in Whitby.

David Beckham and Joey Barton take centre stage

British animators on a roll at the Oscars

A British couple were asked to pay an extra £825 for a plane ticket to Australia after they made a spelling mistake on their booking.

The US has grounded its entire fleet of 51 F-35 fighter jets after the discovery of a cracked engine blade.

British actor Daniel Day-Lewis could make Oscars history on Sunday night if he wins a third Best Actor award for his role in Steven Spielberg's Lincoln.

Details have been released of the £14,000-a-night hotel suite at Le Bristol hotel in Paris, where David Beckham will live for five months while playing for Paris St-Germain.

The exhibit at Emory University in Atlanta lays out the history of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, a group first presided over by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. The group tackled issues of health care, poverty and gun violence — issues still seen as relevant today.

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Third seed Luke Donald loses to American Scott Piercy in Arizona's WGC Match Play, as only one top-10 seed makes the last 16.

Barcelona readies for its annual mega-phone forum

Researchers are asking sailors and fishermen to help with what they hope will be the world's biggest study of plankton in the oceans.

The UK loses its top AAA credit rating for the first time since 1978, with Chancellor George Osborne saying it will not weaken his "resolve" on the deficit.

A hidden room found under the floor at a Surrey manor could help unlock mysteries from the area's past.

England thump New Zealand by five wickets in the third one-day international in Auckland to complete a 2-1 series win.

Thirteen Chadian soldiers and dozens of Islamist rebels are killed in heavy fighting in a mountainous area of northern Mali, Chad's army says.

Three military charities are to share £1.3m from fines imposed on banks that had rigged interest rates, Chancellor George Osborne announces.

Papers dissect the BBC's Savile disclosures

Microsoft becomes the latest US technology firm - after Apple and Facebook - to confirm that it has been targeted by computer hackers.

Six underground storage tanks at a nuclear site in the US state of Washington are leaking but there is no current risk to humans, officials say.