INDEX

3 January 2015 Last updated at 23:32

First elected US black senator dies

Edward Brooke, the first black senator to be popularly elected in the US, dies aged 95, Republican Party officials say.

A US lawyer says he is planning legal action against a woman who claims she was forced to have sex with him and Prince Andrew when she was a minor.

A seven-year-old American girl who walked for help after a deadly light plane crash in Kentucky is praised for her bravery.

Is New York police's 'virtual work stoppage' a boon for critics?

An apparently deliberate slowdown in arrests and ticketing by New York City police raises questions about previously overzealous law enforcement.

How the shooting of a black unarmed teenager sparked days of unrest and made a nation look at itself.

Hack threat comedy released in US

The Sony Pictures comedy The Interview opens in some US cinemas and online, after a major cyber-attack and threats over its release.
BAE wins $1.2bn US Army contract

Watching Canada's killers at work These western waters are teeming with whales

What if humans became extinct? What would happen if a doomsday event killed every human on the planet

Eight ugly animals we should save Less glamorous animals need help, just like pandas and lions do

Soccer stateside

As Gerrard heads west - 10 things you need to know about the MLS BBC Sport
Poorer pensioners

The 'shock' awaiting the next generation of American retirees
Reblogging a tragedy

The suicide note that went viral
Two shirts needed Watch

Pittsburgh's long battle with air pollution
Three million memories Watch

Junk shop treasure in South Dakota
'Neo-Nazi' ties

A 2002 speech has senior Republican in hot water
Pain and loss

Coming to terms with a murderer in the family
Golden ticket

How a refugee entered a lottery and won a new life in the US