Royalty, political leaders and families of the fallen will unite in Belgium and the UK today in marking 100 years since Britain entered the First World War.
At 11pm on August 4 1914 Britain declared war on Germany, ushering in four years of darkness, despair and appalling tragedy.
Until the armistice was signed on November 11 1918, millions of lives were lost, including 750,000 British and Commonwealth soldiers, in what was the bloodiest conflict the world had known.
Drive to end 12-month NHS waits
No-one should have to wait more than a year for NHS treatment in England, unless it is clinically necessary, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has declared.
Mr Hunt announced a £250 million drive to eliminate "unacceptable" 12-month waits by performing more than 100,000 additional treatments in the NHS over the summer.
He acknowledged that the focus on "long waiters", whose conditions are often more complex and time-consuming, will mean the NHS missing 18-week waiting-time targets over the coming months.
Better to quit an unreformed EU
Getting out of the EU could be better for Britain than staying in an unreformed union, London Mayor Boris Johnson has said.
His comment came ahead of the publication on Wednesday of a report by his senior economic adviser, Gerard Lyons, which will argue that British exit from the EU is "definitely a viable option" for London.
Mr Johnson is expected to endorse an eight-point plan for reform of the EU set out by the City banker, which is thought to go beyond the demands so far set out by Prime Minister David Cameron for the renegotiation of UK membership if Conservatives win next year's general election.
Tragic visitor tested for Ebola
An elderly woman who died shortly after arriving in the UK from West Africa has tested negative for the Ebola virus.
The woman, thought to be in her early 70s, arrived at Gatwick Airport on a Gambia Bird flight from the Gambia and health officials said she was tested for the deadly virus that has struck in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.
The passenger, whom a spokesman for Public Health England said showed no symptoms during the flight, collapsed at the airport shortly after arriving and was later pronounced dead. But tests for Ebola have since proved negative.
Woman in court over girl's murder
A woman will appear in court today charged with murdering a seven-year-old girl who died from a head injury.
Kay-Ann Morris, 23, was charged by Nottinghamshire Police yesterday following an investigation into the death of the child, who has yet to be formally identified.
The girl's body was found at a house in Beckhampton Road, Bestwood Park, Nottingham, at around 5.10am on Thursday after concerns were raised for her welfare.
Man in court on dog cruelty charges
A teenager will appear in court today charged with causing unlawful suffering to a chihuahua.
Alfie Loft, 19, from Hatfield in Hertfordshire, will appear before town magistrates, police said.
The suspect was arrested after an internet video appeared to show a dog being swung dangerously by its lead.
3% admit drug-driving in last year
A total of 3% of UK motorists have admitted drug-driving in the last 12 months, according to a survey.
In addition, around 11% of drivers think they may have been a passenger in a vehicle driven by someone on drugs, the poll by road safety charity Brake and insurance company Direct Line found.
Based on responses from 1,000 drivers, the survey also showed that 29% admitted they would not always speak out to stop a friend driving on drugs.
Migrant restrictions call by Clegg
Some future new members of the EU should be made to wait for more than the current limit of seven years before their citizens gain the right to settle and work in the UK, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has said.
And countries like Britain need to be given the right to "put on the brakes" if excessive numbers of migrants arrive after the lifting of so-called "transition controls".
Mr Clegg also said that a loophole allowing early entry for entrepreneurs should be scrapped, to stop immigrants posing as self-employed businessmen to get into the country only to take up low-paid work in restaurants or farms.
Seven gadgets in average kitchen
The kitchen is no longer simply a place for food preparation but a technological hub containing hundreds of pounds worth of gadgets, a survey has found.
British kitchens now house an estimated 163 million gadgets - an average of seven per kitchen - according to a study of 2,000 people by Barclaycard's deals website, bespoke offers.
Long-standing kitchen staples such as the microwave and toaster are joined in the top 10 most desired gadgets by more modern inventions, including smoothie makers and juicers.
Star-studded spectacular ends Commonwealth games
The "best ever" Commonwealth Games has closed in spectacular style as Glasgow passed the baton on to 2018 host, the Gold Coast.
A glittering closing ceremony at Hampden Park brought an end to the 11-day competition which thrust Scotland's biggest city into the world spotlight.
Australian pop princess Kylie Minogue got the 40,000-strong crowd into full party mode with a blistering seven-song set.
