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Millions of savers and homeowners lose out despite 0.5% cut in interest rates - to the lowest level in history

Interest rates

The Bank of England today slashed interest rates to their lowest level since it was founded in 1694. But millions of savers and borrowers will not benefit from the record cut.

Suspected sex offender fell to his death 'as he fled baying vigilante gang'

Scott Campbell plunged 50 feet to his death

Terrified Scott Campbell, 44, made a run for it when three men and two women turned up at his second floor flat to give him a revenge beating.

Next launches the £99 laptop that fits in your handbag

Mini PC

Forget lipsticks, purses and glittery key rings. Laptops could soon be the latest must-have in every girl’s handbag. Elonex will start selling its ‘netbooks’ for £99.

What did we do wrong? Parents who took their young son for a walk on frozen pond deny they were reckless

Hughes frozen pond

Three children hailed as heroes for taking control of car on busy motorway after father suffers seizure at wheel

zxoe

Three teenagers were today hailed as heroes for saving lives after their father suffered a seizure at the wheel of his car.

British doctor drops his trousers on Everest in experiment to find cures for critically ill patients

Dan Martin

It may have been -25C, but one mountaineering doctor dropped his trousers on Everest to measure his blood oxygen level in the hope of finding new treatments.

Two young mothers die of pneumonia after medical staff tell them they only had flu

Lisa Knox

Two young mothers have died of pneumonia since Christmas after being told by medical staff that they had nothing worse than a bout of flu or a virus.

Pictured: The moment an Estonian gang held up a jewellery store after being sent to Britain to carry out raids

Berry

Homeless criminals were sent to Britain from Estonia to carry out a series of multi-million-pound jewellery raids, it has been revealed.

Jobs dry up but Poles stay to reap the benefits

Polish workers

Polish workers losing their UK jobs in the economic downturn are choosing not to return home but to stay and take advantage of the generous benefits system.

Identity theft fraudsters con thousands of taxpayers into giving out bank details with fake self-assessment site

Email

Thousands of taxpayers are being asked by fraudsters for their bank details in the run-up to the annual self-assessment deadline.

The low-energy bulbs that won't fit your light sockets

Energy saving light bulbs

Low-energy bulbs are incompatible with millions of lamps and sockets in homes, it has emerged.

We're outliving our eyeballs, says study

eyeball

While we may now be enjoying longer lives, we are outliving our eyeballs, say researchers.

Come meet the family... all 69 members who live in the SAME street

neighbours

Parents forced to make 400-mile round trips to visit premature triplets after they are placed in THREE different hospitals

triplets

Revealed: Blair demanded new picture of himself on U.S. medal as it made him look 'awkward'

Tony Blair and George W Bush

The mystery behind the delay in Tony Blair accepting the Congressional Gold Medal he was awarded more than five years ago has finally been solved.

Single father turned away from swimming pool... because health and safety say he can't supervise two sons

Hillsborough Leisure Centre

A single father was left stunned after he was turned away from a swimming pool when staff told him he could not provide proper supervision for his two sons.

The beasts we could raise from the dead: Return of the mammoth is 'only a matter of time'

woolly mammoth

The dodo, sabre-toothed tiger and woolly mammoth head the list of animals that scientists would like to bring back from extinction.

Afghan man stabbed to death in fight between rival migrant gangs battling for passage to UK

Afghan aslyum seekers in The Jungle in Calais, France, where an Afghan man was stabbed to death in a brawl between rival migrant gangs seeking passage to the UK (file photo)

A 30-year-old Afghan has been stabbed to death during a fight between rival gangs of illegal migrants heading for Britain.

Police apologise after mix up causes family to cremate the wrong woman

Police have apologised after Mary Hoctor's body was cremated by the wrong family

Police apologised today after the mis-identification of two dead bodies caused a family to cremate the wrong woman.

BT scraps charges on 0870 and 0845 numbers for calls to banks and GPs

BT logo.

Calls to banks, doctors' surgeries and energy companies are to be made free for millions after BT announced it was scrapped charges on its 0870 and 0845 numbers.

Playing outside can prevent children becoming short-sighted

Children

Playing outdoors dramatically cuts a child's risk of becoming short-sighted, research shows. It challenges the belief that the condition is caused by watching TV or reading in dim light.

WORLD NEWS

gaza        

Mystery of the tree covered in SHOES... and £265,000 of lottery funding can't solve it

No one knows where or why the shoes appear in the tree - despite £265,000 of National Lottery money being granted to the cause

Amazing solar-powered fridge invented by British student in a potting shed helps poverty-stricken Africans

 Emily Cummins

It's the kind of simple yet brilliant invention that would have the tycoons of Dragons' Den salivating with excitement. Not only is the fridge solar powered, it can also be built from household materials.

Mother gives birth at home to baby boy ... then FIVE hours later gets up to make family Christmas dinner

Karen Holmes

For most mothers, providing a perfect Christmas Day meal for the family is achievement enough. But Karen Holmes managed to have a baby, too.

Boy, 13, killed by car which skidded off icy road as he waited on the pavement for school bus

elliot

A boy has been killed by a car while waiting for his school bus. Elliot Davies, 13, was waiting by the side of the road near his home for a bus to take him to school when the car ran into him.

Boy, 13, killed by car which skidded off icy road as he waited on the pavement for school bus

elliot

A boy has been killed by a car while waiting for his school bus. Elliot Davies, 13, was waiting by the side of the road near his home for a bus to take him to school when the car ran into him.

It could be as easy as popping a pill: Scientists race to unlock 'love drug'

Love drug: Oxytocin is involved in sex and sexual attraction

It looks like bad news for those romantic souls forever musing on the nature of love. A behavioural scientist reckons it is only a matter of time before biologists understand the mysteries of being smitten.

Boo, hiss! Health and Safety bans Jack from climbing his beanstalk

panto

Health and safety regulations have turned getting the show on to the stage into such a performance that a theatre company fears being shut down before the curtain goes up.

Mirror image: Mystery vision of the four-eyed spookfish is finally revealed

Spookfish

A 'four-eyed' deep-sea fish is the first discovered to use powerful mirrors for eyes instead of lenses, scientists revealed today.

Benedict Brogan
Robin Page
Peter Hitchens
Mary Ellen Synon