Children’s laureate and Gruffalo author Julia Donaldson writes a poem in protest at planned library closures across the country.(read article…)

A man in his 20s has shot himself in a hairdressers in Dungannon, County Tyrone.(read article…)

Kallum Watkins records a second-half hat-trick as Leeds begin the defence of their Super League title by beating Hull KR at Headingley.(read article…)

Two men are arrested in connection with the death of a man who was shot in an East Renfrewshire street last year.(read article…)

Chris Robshaw says England’s young side will not be daunted by Saturday’s Six Nations opener at Murrayfield.(read article…)

The Conservatives demand answers about links between the Labour Party and the chief executive of a charity facing allegations of financial mismanagement.(read article…)

Fibre optic connections to at speeds of 300 Mbps will be available ‘on demand’ in the UK next year, BT says.(read article…)

The UK is set for another bitterly cold night with temperatures plunging again, say weather forecasters.(read article…)

A Manchester United fan is charged with shouting racist abuse at Stoke City players during a Premier League match.(read article…)

The Met Office warns that snow will affect many parts of southern and eastern Scotland at the weekend.(read article…)

A bogus therapist and his wife who told women they could diagnose and treat cancer are found guilty of sexual assault and fraud.(read article…)

A nurse arrested and later freed over the poisoning deaths of patients at Stepping Hill Hospital loses an appeal against her sacking.(read article…)

James Anderson says there is no crisis of confidence in the England batting line-up, despite another stuttering display against Pakistan.(read article…)

A man accused of murdering Constable Stephen Carroll tried to collect information on another policeman for republicans, a court hears.(read article…)

Lib Dem minister Ed Davey is named the new energy and climate change secretary following Chris Huhne’s resignation, while Norman Lamb takes over his role as business minister.(read article…)

The Queen launches a project to plant six million trees native to Britain, creating new woods across the country to mark her Diamond Jubilee.(read article…)

Cheshire Fire Service releases CCTV footage showing an arsonist setting fire to himself while trying to ignite a pub.(read article…)

Seven English NHS hospital trusts with debts caused, in part, by PFI repayments are to have access to a £1.5bn government bailout fund.(read article…)

Scooters are becoming increasingly popular as people look to cut costs and stretch their budgets, but could the boom spark safety problems?(read article…)

The Magazine’s weekly quiz of the news, 7 days 7 questions.(read article…)

It emerges that the police has paid £41m to a recruitment agency during the past three years.(read article…)

A Cornish campaign alerting parents to the risks of babies being suffocated by nappy sacks is adopted by the NHS nationally.(read article…)

The Crown Prosecution Service will announce on Friday whether it will press charges against Chris Huhne over claims his former wife accepted penalty points on his behalf.(read article…)

The government proposes to reduce the periods for criminal convictions to become spent in England and Wales, so offenders’ criminal records could be cleared.(read article…)

Tourist bookings for visits to Scotland around the time of the London Olympics are rising, it is claimed.(read article…)

The Metropolitan Police is training more officers in order to deal with any repeat of last summer’s riots, London’s chief police officer says.(read article…)

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Theodore Boone are among the books vying for the title of best children’s novel in the last decade.(read article…)

The Independent Police Complaints Commission announces a review of the way it deals with custody deaths following a BBC investigation.(read article…)

The UK transport minister tells MPs that the government’s powers to prevent bonuses at Network Rail are “extremely limited”.(read article…)

The bacterial infection Pseudomonas has been found in water outlets at Altnagelvin Hospital’s neo-natal unit.(read article…)