The man leading the "Northern Powerhouse" project tells the BBC there is no guarantee that investing billions in infrastructure will help the North of England.

Heroines and female villains outnumber heroes and male baddies in a literary poll of memorable children's novel characters, to mark World Book Day.

The pound sees its biggest fall in more than a year against the dollar over uncertainty about a possible UK exit from the EU.

A clean-up operation is underway after the most severe cyclone to hit Fiji in living memory killed at least 20.

The UK's first new national newspaper for 30 years launches next week, offering "a ruthless edit of the day" for "time-poor" readers, its editor says.

Former Sunderland footballer Adam Johnson admits he "wasn't a good person to his girlfriend or his daughter".

The US and Russia announce that a planned partial cessation of hostilities in Syria will come into effect at midnight on 27 February.

The writer behind The Spice Girls' biggest hits has teamed up with Leona Lewis to create a song they hope will be this year's UK Eurovision entry.