A woman and a teenage girl were today being treated in hospital after suffering burns in an explosion at a house, police said.

A record number of people changed their name this year.

Tories tumbled to defeat in a Scottish council by-election amid concerns over defence cuts.

Day seven in the Big Brother bubble of the Talkatora boxing arena and the eviction of Amir Khan's kid brother proved to be a sideshow. Haroon Khan was no match for his flyweight semi-final opponent, losing 9-3 to Suranjoy Mayengbam, the Indian favourite in the 52kg division.

A Conservative minister today suggested that a council which pinned a notice to a horse chestnut tree telling passers-by to beware of falling conkers had "gone bonkers".

Magistrates said today they could see "no benefit" in handing a driving ban to a 49-year-old sales engineer who drove a Ducati motorbike at 108mph in a 70mph zone because he had been "stung... and wanted to get home".

An intact Roman lantern made of bronze, believed by experts to be the only one of its kind in Britain, has been unearthed in a field by a metal-detecting enthusiast.

A 58-year-old man remains critically ill three days after suffering "life-threatening" abdominal injuries when the train he was travelling in hit a sewage tanker on a level crossing, prosecutors have said.

A 19-year-old man arrested in connection with a second rape allegation at the Latitude Festival was released on bail, police said.

An overnight fire at the Sizewell B nuclear power plant near Leiston on the Suffolk coast was brought under control by eight fire crews after more than six hours.

Fabio Capello's position as England head coach has been further strengthened after FA board member David Sheepshanks indicated he believes the Italian should stay on in the job.