A private care home was criticised by a judge today as he sentenced a mentally ill resident to life for killing an innocent schoolboy.

More than 700 victims of last year's riots are still waiting for their claims for compensation to be looked at nine months after the disturbances, official figures show, despite promises from David Cameron to get businesses "back up and running quickly".

A man has appeared in court over a siege which closed one of London's busiest shopping streets.

The fashion chain Zara plans to open a record fifth store on London's Oxford Street, reinforcing the buoyant demand for prime retail property in the capital.

Detectives were continuing today to question a 48-year-old man arrested following a siege in central London.

The family of Mark Duggan were said to be distraught last night after watching new footage that appeared to show frantic attempts to save his life in the minutes after he was fatally shot by police.

The annual number of new applications to take children into care has passed the 10,000 mark for the first time, new figures show.

Rafael van der Vaart has urged Tottenham to sign Emmanuel Adebayor on a permanent basis. Adebayor, who is on a season-long loan from Manchester City, scored twice on Sunday to inspire Tottenham to a battling 3-1 win over Swansea City, their first Premier League victory in six attempts.

The new headteachers' leader has transformed a failing school and counts the controversial Ofsted head as a friend. But that doesn't mean they give each other an easy ride, she tells Richard Garner.

Voted the BBC's Sound of 2012, his breakthrough came with supporting Adele on tour. But the release of his first album is the real litmus test

Two men appeared in court today charged with shooting dead a man.

The natural father of Baby P has been awarded £75,000 against the publishers of The People after being wrongly described as a sex offender convicted of raping a 14-year-old girl.

The police watchdog has upheld a complaint by the family of Mark Duggan that they were not told he had been shot dead by officers.

Manager confident his side can avoid relegation despite extremely tricky run-in to end of season