Valerie Hunter Gordon, pictured last year, died at her home in Beauly The mother-of-six who invented the disposable nappy has died at her home near Inverness aged 94. Valerie Hunter Gordon's family said she died on 16 October in Beauly. She created the first "Paddi" after having her third child, Nigel, in 1947 and becoming fed-up with washing traditional nappies. The two-part garments were initial

Did the mistakes made in Iraq and Libya kill Western governments' appetite for intervention in subsequent conflicts? This week's report from the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, external into the Western intervention in Libya made uncomfortable reading for Britain's former Prime Minister David Cameron and his colleagues. It provided a damning indictment of Britain's part in the interven

The tank was first used in battle on 15 September 1916 at the Somme. The tank, which would go on to dominate 20th Century warfare, first stormed on to the shattered battlefields of the Somme 100 years ago. Rushed into battle by desperate generals with barely any testing, its debut was a messy experiment with questionable results. A select group of young men were the first to feel its terrible infl

Lincoln Plaza has won the dubious honour of being the UK's worst new building of 2016 A luxury block of flats has been named as the "worst building" of 2016. Lincoln Plaza in London's Docklands won the 2016 Carbuncle Cup with one judge describing it as a "horror show" and the "embodiment of sea sickness". It's the fifth consecutive time a London building has scooped the dubious honour run by Build

Young Spanish refugees arrived in Southampton aboard the Habana in 1937 When the Spanish Civil War broke out 80 years ago, many people fled their homes for safety, including nearly 4,000 children evacuated to England. Parallels have been drawn with the plight of unaccompanied young Syrian refugees - but how did the Spaniards cope with having to leave their war-torn homeland? The children docked in

Prime Minister Theresa May said she wanted to "build a better Britain" The UK's new prime minister Theresa May has vowed to lead a "one nation" government that works for all not just the "privileged few". Speaking outside 10 Downing Street after being appointed by the Queen, she said it would be her mission to "build a better Britain". She promised to give people who were "just managing" and "work

Spencer Tunick explains why he got people to pose naked, painted blue More than 3,000 people have stripped naked and been painted blue to mark Hull's City of Culture next year. Hull City Council said the art project, named Sea of Hull, was the largest of its kind ever to be staged in the UK. The work by renowned photographer Spencer Tunick involved 3,200 participants from 20 countries posing in fr

Sir John Chilcot: "The UK chose to join the invasion of Iraq before peaceful options for disarmament had been exhausted" Sir John Chilcot has outlined his findings on the UK's involvement in the 2003 Iraq War and the lessons to be learned from it. The report, external spans almost a decade of UK government policy decisions between 2001 and 2009. It covers the background to the decision to go to wa

It is more than a week since Britain voted to leave the European Union, and there is still little certainty regarding the future status of EU citizens currently living in the UK, or of British people living elsewhere in the EU. While many British citizens are happy to potentially wave goodbye to freedom of movement within the EU, some Britons would like to hold on to the opportunity to live and wo

The official report into the UK's involvement in the 2003 Iraq War will be published on Wednesday 6 July. But what is it all about and why is it likely to be controversial? A simple one to start off with. The man chairing the Iraq Inquiry is veteran civil servant Sir John Chilcot and so colloquially the report has become associated with his name. The 77-year old retired from the civil service in 1

Prime Minister David Cameron is to step down by October after the UK voted to leave the European Union. Speaking outside 10 Downing Street, he said "fresh leadership" was needed. The PM had urged the country to vote Remain but was defeated by 52% to 48% despite London, Scotland and Northern Ireland backing staying in. UKIP leader Nigel Farage hailed it as the UK's "independence day", while Boris J

UK votes to leave the EU The UK has voted to leave the EU by 52% to 48%. Leave won the majority of votes in England and Wales, while every council in Scotland saw Remain majorities. Follow latest updates and reaction.

She was a self-proclaimed "proud Yorkshire lass" whose work for charity took her around the world and whose political success led her to Westminster. Jo Cox MP, who has died after being shot and stabbed in her constituency in Birstall, West Yorkshire, was elected as MP for Batley and Spen in the 2015 General Election. The 41-year-old mother-of-two increased Labour's majority to 6,051. Prime Minist

Young people today are more clean-living than any generation since before the 1960s. What's driving the rise of the new young fogey, ask Jason Cowley and Tim Wigmore. "All I need are cigarettes and alcohol," Oasis sang in 1994. The ethos of the pleasure-seeking Gallagher brothers was in keeping with the spirit of the age. But that was during a period of plenty. The global financial crisis and the

The event started at the Full Moon pub in the Stokes Croft area of Bristol Hundreds of cyclists have taken part in a naked bike ride through Bristol to highlight the vulnerability of cyclists on the roads. The ride - on the theme "as bare as you dare" - is the seventh time the event has been held in the city. Up to 250 people are thought to have taken part in the "family friendly" 6.5-mile (10km)

Sadiq Khan has been elected the new Mayor of London - boosting Labour after it slumped in Scotland's elections. Mr Khan is the city's first Muslim mayor, after beating Tory Zac Goldsmith by 1,310,143 votes to 994,614. The result bolsters leader Jeremy Corbyn after Labour was beaten into third in Scotland by the Tories and lost some English councillors. In Scotland, the SNP said it would form a min

Twenty different types of excrement have been placed in resin spheres A museum dedicated to excrement, with examples from the animal and human world, has opened to the public. The exhibition at the Isle of Wight Zoo features faeces from animals such as elks and lions as well as a human baby. The National Poo Museum has been created by members of the artist collective Eccleston George. "Poo is all

Richard Dawkins pulled out of a tour of Australia and New Zealand after he was taken ill The Church of England has defended a tweet it sent praying for secularist Richard Dawkins after he had a stroke. The Church tweeted, external on Friday "Prayers for Prof Dawkins and his family" after the author fell ill on 5 February. It was retweeted more than 1,000 times and led some to question if it was mo

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has said he will turn himself over to UK police on Friday if a UN panel rules he has not been unlawfully detained. He took refuge in London's Ecuadorian embassy in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden over sexual assault claims. In 2014 he complained to the UN that he was being "arbitrarily detained" as he could not leave without being arrested. The Met Police said

A new Banksy artwork criticising the apparent use of teargas on people in the Calais "Jungle" camp which was opposite the French Embassy has been covered up. The mural in Knightsbridge, based on a poster for musical Les Miserables, showed a girl with tears in her eyes as a can of CS gas lies beneath her. French authorities have been using bulldozers to clear the camp. Building developers said they