Five held after kidnap cash traced

Dramatic new details have emerged about the kidnapping and release of a five-year-old British boy in Pakistan.

Five people have been arrested in France and Spain after Sahil Saeed's father paid a £110,000 ransom for the safe return of his son, police said.

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Cameron in pledge to black voters

David Cameron has reached out to black voters telling them that the Conservative Party had come "a long way" when it came to opening itself up to ethnic minorities.

At an event in Peckham, south-east London, the Tory leader spent over an hour taking questions on a variety of issues affecting the local and wider community.

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War aftermath plans 'essential'

Preparing for the aftermath of conflict is essential in planning for future overseas military operations involving British troops, MPs have warned.

The Commons Defence Committee said that right from the outset, planners needed to adopt a "comprehensive approach", bringing in officials from the Ministry of Defence (MoD), the Foreign Office and the Department for International Development (Dfid).

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Brown admits defence spending slip

Gordon Brown has admitted he wrongly claimed defence spending had risen in real terms every year when he gave evidence to the Iraq Inquiry.

In what the Conservatives called a "humiliating climbdown", the Prime Minister said he was writing to panel chair Sir John Chilcot to explain his error.

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Many female students suffer assault

One in seven female students has been the victim of a serious sexual or physical assault, a damning report has found.

But few report incidents to the police, with up to half of those suffering sexual assaults saying they felt ashamed or embarrassed, while more than four in 10 said they thought they would be blamed.

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Bid to ban mephedrone within weeks

The Government's drugs advisers could recommend a ban on mephedrone within weeks following the deaths of two teenagers thought to have taken the drug.

The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs is likely to issue a report into a group of legal highs, including mephedrone, at the end of this month.

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Factory awaits news on electric car

Motor giant Nissan is reportedly planning to build its new electric car at its plant in Sunderland.

A spokesman for the Japanese firm would not confirm the speculation but reports suggested an announcement is expected on Thursday.

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Hunt for chef's 'mystery boyfriend'

Police investigating the disappearance of university chef Claudia Lawrence have revealed she spent the night with a mystery boyfriend just two days before she went missing.

The detective leading the hunt for the missing 35-year-old said it was "critical" they spoke to the man.

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BA staff boosted by global support

The union representing British Airways' cabin crews is gathering international support from across Europe and the US, including the Teamsters' union, ahead of a walkout due to begin this weekend.

The strike threatens to severely disrupt what remains of the airline's already depleted flight schedule.

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Sian Williams 'would appear nude'

TV presenter Sian Williams's accountant told a tax tribunal she would be willing to present her BBC show naked, but BBC bosses would not let her.

However the man who brought the case has admitted the BBC Breakfast host had made no such suggestion.

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