The prospect of a resurgence in Britain's long-declining North Sea oil industry received a boost today when the explorer Xcite Energy revealed that its giant Bentley oil field held 134 million barrels more than previously thought – worth about $14bn (£9bn) at current prices.

Amber 'be prepared' warnings for snow have been issued by the Met Office for many parts of Scotland

Billy Bragg is to be honoured at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards for his contribution to traditional music.

A leak on a North Sea platform has forced the closure of a major pipeline system supplying UK oil, it has emerged.

British readers won't need a passport, or even chunky knitwear Sofie Grabol-style, to visit the source of the next wave of Nordic noir.

An elderly man has been found dead by his partner close to a school in freezing conditions.

A helicopter carrying 19 people was forced to ditch in the North Sea due to a gearbox failure, according to an Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) report.

A former Scottish Liberal Democrat leader has criticised Nick Clegg in the aftermath of heavy losses at the local government elections.

Sub-zero temperatures sweep Scotland and Northern and central England, but London and the south east look set to escape the snow.

The Olympic Torch is scheduled to begin its epic journey across almost every conceivable inch of the country, a little predictably, at Land’s End.

BP will begin a highly controversial campaign of drilling for oil in the deep waters off the Shetland coast within days, after a green light from the Government.

Green campaigners have reacted angrily to the Chancellor's backing for fossil fuels, which included £3 billion in support for new drilling in the North Sea.

Seventeen skippers behind one of Scotland's biggest fishing scams have been fined a total of £720,000.

Snow and high winds are set to batter parts of the UK over the weekend, forecasters warn.