Moody Blues singer Ray Thomas has passed away after a battle with prostate cancer. The English rock hero, 76, died at his home in Surrey on Thursday, January 4.

A homeless man who stole a purse and a phone from victims of the Manchester Arena attack has admitted theft. Chris Parker, 33, was initially dubbed a hero after claiming he comforted a seriously injured girl. CCTV footage played to Manchester Crown Court showed him wandering between stricken victims. He kept returning to injured Pauline Healey, whose granddaughter lay dying nearby, before leaning over her and taking her handbag to steal her purse.

A huge fire has destroyed up to 1,400 vehicles in a multi-storey car park in Liverpool, forcing many people to spend New Year's Eve in a temporary shelter. Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service said the blaze at King's Dock - next to the Liverpool Echo Arena - was one of the worst it had ever dealt with.

Former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr and Bee Gees singer Barry Gibb have been knighted in the Queen's New Year's honours list.

Archaeologists clearing attics to create new museum space find 30,000 stained glass shards, some dating back to 13th century

The owner of a fishery which displayed a sign banning Polish and "Eastern bloc" anglers says it has been taken down after his family received threats. Billy Evans of Field Farm Fisheries said the sign went up because he had caught anglers stealing fish. He said he now may also shut the fishery. Polish fisherman Rado Papiewski raised more than £10,000 for a private prosecution to have the sign removed.

A cyclist has "drawn" an 88-mile (141km) virtual snowman across London. Anthony Hoyte, from Cheltenham, spent 10 hours cycling the streets of the city, using the exercise and route sharing app Strava to "draw" the giant festive artwork. The cyclist has created several virtual doodles including Fowl Play in Bristol, which took first prize in the city's Strava art competition in September.

There’s a surprising link between railings and the capital’s wartime past

Robin was abandoned as a baby 74 years ago. Now thanks to DNA and his daughter's detective work he finally knows where he came from.

Photographer David Levene toured the obscure passages and dusty basements of the Palace of Westminster as part of our investigation into its desperate state of disrepair – and parliamentarians’ chronic indecision over how to fix it.

The findings have national significance

A new official portrait of the Queen and Prince Philip has been released in honour of their platinum wedding anniversary, which marks 70 years of marriage. The three photos, taken by Matt Holyoak earlier this month, shows the royal couple in the White Drawing Room at Windsor Castle. The Queen is seated, smiling, alongside the standing Duke of Edinburgh in one shot, while another shows the pair in a more sombre attitude, standing side by side. In the third, more intimate photograph, the two are looking at one another as though sharing a joke.

An aircraft and a helicopter have crashed in mid-air over Buckinghamshire, the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said. Emergency services were called to the site near Waddesdon Manor, near Aylesbury, at 12:06 GMT. The AAIB said it was sending a team to investigate. Ambulance crews said there had been a number of casualties. A Wycombe Air Park spokesman said both aircraft involved came from the airfield near High Wycombe.

Detectives investigating two separate acid attacks in London last week have arrested a second boy on suspicion of grievous bodily harm. The 16-year-old was arrested on Saturday night and remains in custody at an east London police station. A 14-year-old boy who was arrested on Friday on suspicion of GBH has been released under investigation.

A British local newspaper received an anonymous call about "some big news" in the US, shortly before President John F Kennedy was assassinated, according to documents. A memo dated 26 November 1963 said the call was made to the Cambridge News at 18:05 GMT on 22 November 1963. This was 25 minutes before Kennedy was shot in Dallas, Texas.

The wife of an Army sergeant accused of trying to kill her told a court "everything went black" as she struggled with her failing parachute. Victoria Cilliers, 40, suffered multiple injuries in a 4,000ft near-fatal fall at Netheravon Airfield, Wiltshire, in April 2015. Emile Cilliers, 37, denies two counts of attempted murder. His former army officer wife told Winchester Crown Court she was forced to cut away the main parachute.

Margaret Gilbert had always lived with her only child, Richard. He used to be her carer until he was diagnosed with terminal cancer five years ago – then those roles were reversed. In England there are more than 9,200 carers aged over 85.

Fifteen people lived on the 21st floor of Grenfell Tower. What was their story? By Katie Razzall, Sara Moralioglu, Nick Menzies.

A judge who spared an aspiring Oxford University student from jail after she stabbed her boyfriend is being investigated. Ian Pringle QC gave promising heart surgeon Lavinia Woodward a suspended sentence for attacking her then partner in a drunken assault. Woodward, 24, stabbed her Cambridge University boyfriend in the leg with a bread knife but in an unusual move the judge spared her jail describing her as an “extraordinarily able young lady”, whose talents meant that a prison sentence would be “too severe”.

Uber will not be issued a new private hire licence, Transport for London (TfL) has said. TfL concluded the ride-hailing app firm was not fit and proper to hold a London private hire operator licence. It said it took the decision on the grounds of "public safety and security implications". Confirming it would appeal against the decision, Uber said it showed the world "far from being open, London is closed to innovative companies".