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David Cameron says it was "more dangerous to stay silent than to speak out" - and insists there will be no retreat on deficit reduction. Facebook prices its shares at $38 each ahead of one of the most eagerly anticipated share flotations in recent stock market history. US singer Donna Summer, famous for disco hits including I Feel Love and Love To Love You Baby, dies at the age of 63. The Olympic flame is officially handed over to organisers of the London 2012 Games at a ceremony in Athens. Vauxhall's Ellesmere Port car plant will build a new Astra car in a deal that means huge investment and the creation and support of thousands of jobs. A 24-year-old London man who has served more than seven years in jail for the murder of a trainee chef has his conviction quashed. The war crimes trial of Bosnian Serb ex-army chief Ratko Mladic is postponed on its second day because prosecutors failed to disclose some evidence to the defence. Mobile phone data of suspects in police custody is to be extracted and retained, regardless of whether charges are brought, the BBC has learned. The head of Syria's main opposition umbrella body, the Syrian National Council, says he will resign amid growing criticism and rifts within the group. Media organisations win a High Court battle over police orders to hand over copies of film of the evictions from the Dale Farm traveller site. Two arrests are made after an attack that left a 93-year-old woman in a critical condition in hospital. Plans to use private firms in police roles in Surrey are put on hold, as West Midlands Police says it will ask the police authority for "a revision to the process". Adele picks up two prizes at the prestigious Ivor Novello songwriting awards - but misses out on two more trophies. Please Don't Stop The Music scoops the annual Romantic Novel of the Year award Roberto Martinez is given permission to speak to Liverpool and is one of several candidates shortlisted to succeed Kenny Dalglish. Britain's Andy Murray is beaten 6-7 (2-7) 6-3 6-2 by 16th seed Richard Gasquet of France in the Italian Open third round. MotoGP world champion Casey Stoner is to retire at the end of the season, saying he no longer "has the passion" for the sport. Stuart Broad takes six wickets as England seize the upper hand against West Indies on day one of the first Test at Lord's. Michael Owen says he does not plan to retire, despite Manchester United confirming he will not be offered a new contract. Ratings agency Moody's cuts the credit ratings of 16 Spanish banks, as shares in struggling lender Bankia fell another 14%. Concern over the eurozone debt crisis has continued to weigh on financial markets, with the euro dropping more than a cent against the US dollar. The government is "determined" to introduce a register of lobbyists before 2015, constitutional reform minister Mark Harper tells a Commons committee. John McDonnell defies odds of 58,000 to 1 to twice in a row top the ballot allowing MPs to bring in a Private Member's Bill. Thousands of heart attacks and strokes could be prevented if the cholesterol-lowering drugs, statins, were more widely prescribed, research suggests. An 83-year-old man becomes the oldest person in the UK to donate a kidney while still alive, the NHS Blood and Transplant service says. An independent schools leader says A-levels could become university entrance exams if academics are given too much control. Education Secretary Michael Gove loses a High Court battle with Essex County Council over government cuts to nursery funding. Most government websites will miss the UK's deadline for complying with EU regulations over cookies, the Cabinet Office tells the BBC. China Mobile, the main mobile service provider in China and the largest in the world by users, could soon offer its customers Apple's iPhone. Nasa's Kepler space telescope provides new insight on the colossal explosions that can occur in the atmospheres of some stars. The UK says it will retain stricter animal testing standards than required by a new European Union Directive. Three of the four original members of Australian children's entertainers The Wiggles are to leave the group, paving the way for the group's first female performer. Priscilla Queen of the Desert is coming to an end on Broadway after months of weak ticket sales. Baby time-lapses are becoming increasingly common. So are they the ultimate way of documenting a child's development? We rely on traffic lights to tell us when to go. And when to stop. We should replace that with common sense, argues traffic campaigner Martin Cassini. A man admits stealing a woman's handbag, minutes after she had been knocked down by a lorry and killed in Manchester. A man paid £20,000 by mistake because he has the same name as a council leader denies he was wrong to leave the UK. A man admits raping one woman and seriously sexually assaulting another in Glasgow city centre on a Christmas night out. A man whose appeal changed the Scottish legal system walks free from court after a re-trial collapses. Peter Hain says the dropping of contempt of court proceedings against him for criticising a judge are a "victory for free speech". Rebecca McKeown's manslaughter trial is told the doctor who examined the disabled teenager may have withheld details of a medical examination to protect her professional reputation. Controversial comments in Labour MP Peter Hain's autobiography were never intended to undermine the administration of justice in Northern Ireland, the High Court in Belfast hears. A deal to secure the future of Ellesmere Port's Vauxhall car plant will give a welcome boost to the estimated 400 workers from north-east Wales. The South African government's failure to provide textbooks to all state school pupils violates the constitution, the high court rules. The first wave of a West African peacekeeping force lands in Guinea-Bissau to try to bring stability after last month's military coup. Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng says he and his family have completed passport applications and officials say they should be ready in 15 days. Hundreds of people attend the first gay pride event to be held in Burma, where homosexual relationships are banned. A cabinet of professors and diplomats is sworn in in Greece to steer the debt-ridden eurozone state into repeat elections on 17 June The EU's enlargement commissioner visits Turkey in an attempt to kick-start Ankara's stalled bid to join the bloc. Officials say prisoners have taken control of a jail in the Honduran city of San Pedro Sula where at least one person died in a fight between inmates on Wednesday. The Brazilian government reaches a deal with Rio de Janeiro hotel owners to cut spiralling room prices ahead of a major UN summit in the city. The US has plans in place to attack Iran if other measures fail to stop it developing nuclear weapons, Washington's envoy to Israel says. Turkey says it scrambled two military jets to chase away an Israeli plane which allegedly violated the airspace of Turkish-held northern Cyprus. Children from racial and ethnic minorities now account for more than half the births in the US, estimates from the latest census data say. Mary Kennedy - the estranged wife of Robert F Kennedy Jr, nephew of John F Kennedy - died of asphyxiation due to hanging, authorities say. Olympic flame tours Greece Readers' photos on the theme sailing 24 hours of news photos: 17 May 2012 Half a million gold buttons decorate Royal Barge Mexicans pay their last respects to Carlos Fuentes The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh visit Lancashire 24 hours of news photos: 16 May 2012 24 hours of news photos: 15 May 2012 MPs have put questions to Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Davey and his ministerial team. A scientist in North Carolina had a lucky escape when he was attacked by an alligator. One of the biggest ever hauls of stolen scrap metal has been recovered by police in London. An 83-year-old man has become the oldest person in the UK to donate a kidney while still being alive, the NHS Blood and Transplant service has said. The latest device to harness the power of the tides is being tested in the stormy waters off Orkney in the far north of Scotland. A 24-year-old man who has served more than seven years in jail for murder has had his conviction quashed. The Princess Royal has expressed her sympathy for athletes preparing for the London 2012 Olympic Games. The war crimes trial of former Bosnian Serb army commander Ratko Mladic has resumed, with the prosecution focusing on the Srebrenica massacre in 1995. A team of speed flyers have become the world's first to successfully descend Italy's Mount Etna. Why swimming can be a life-shaping - and a life-saving - skill What does the word 're-mode' actually mean? The UK's contenders for Olympic road cycling gold The man with the world's longest moustache gives his grooming tips Could the proposal to protect all over-50s from heart attacks work? Watching the big events - from the Coronation to the Jubilee Papers discuss eurozone warnings |