The Royal Navy this week shot dead two Somali pirates after intercepting a boat in the mouth of the Red Sea, but Britain's battle against international piracy goes back a long, long way.

What is an election? It depends which country you live in. But the true meaning of the word can only be realised where there is real democracy, says Clive James.

Llanfyllin in Powys and Cardiff are included in a project examining life for the poor in 19th Century Britain.

John McCain holds two rallies in Pennsylvania and moves on to campaign in New Hampshire, while Barack Obama targets Ohio.

People who rent the end of their gardens from Network Rail are told they must pay more or see the land fenced off.

John McCain and Barack Obama attack each other's economic policies, as campaigning enters its final days.

Offenders carrying out unpaid community work could wear high-visibility jackets and have the public involved in choosing projects, a BBC programme learns.

A new building option emerges for pupils at a closure-threatened primary school in Cardiff.

A boy is taken to hospital with head injuries after being hit by a car in Cardiff.

Two of the gang who shot dead a British man in South African have been identified by his family in police photographs.

Officers in South Africa continue their search for three men after a British tourist is shot dead during an armed robbery.

A man from Cardiff is shot dead during an armed robbery on a visit to his dying sister-in-law in South Africa.

Nepal's new Maoist prime minister, Prachanda gives an exclusive interview to the BBC's Nepali service.

Melting alpine glaciers are revealing fascinating clues to Neolithic life in the high mountains.

Panorama reporter John Sweeney travels across China to discover whether the Communist Party has kept its promise to allow foreign journalists to report freely in the run-up to the Olympics.

A chronology of key events

Charlotte Church and boyfriend Gavin Henson have their nine-month-old daughter Ruby christened.

A teenager cleared of murder is given a suspended custodial sentence for attacking his lover's partner who later died.

Get details of the Cup and write reports on your team

If the 21st Century belongs to China, as many believe, what will it mean for Britain's relationship with this emerging superpower. In a series of four essays, cultural writer Patrick Wright looks at China's historical relationship with the UK. He starts by looking at Britain's patronising view in the 19th Century.