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Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng, whose stay at the US embassy sparked a diplomatic crisis, says he is at Beijing airport expecting to go to the US. California's SpaceX company is preparing to launch to the space station - the first resupply mission to the orbiting outpost by a private company. Sailor Ben Ainslie is the first torchbearer as the Olympic flame begins its 70-day tour of the UK in the build up to the London 2012 games. US President Obama hosts an opening dinner for G8 leaders, discussing North Korea, Syria and Iran, with the eurozone crisis likely to top Saturday's agenda. Thousands of members of the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force are to take part in a parade and flypast for the Diamond Jubilee celebrations. A bomb explodes in front of a school in the southern Italian city of Brindisi killing at least one girl and injuring six, reports say. Six men and one woman in Northern Ireland are charged with a series of terrorist offences, including conspiracy to murder and cause explosions. Streets in Banff are evacuated after the discovery of what police described as "materials" following concerns raised by a member of the public. The search resumes later for the crew of a missing fishing boat while experts try to examine an object located on the sea bed. US baby boomers are advised to get tested for the liver-destroying virus hepatitis C, in a move health officials say could save 120,000 lives. Sri Lanka marks three years since the end of its civil war with a military parade, as the government is reportedly set to free Sarath Fonseka from prison - the man who led the army during the war Doctor Who producer and Sherlock co-creator Steven Moffat is to receive a special prize at this year's Bafta TV awards, organisers announce. The Smith Museum in Stirling is unlocking the display case and letting fans hold the oldest football in the world. A ship moored in Bristol as a visitor attraction is "floated" in a sea of neon-green jelly as part of a cultural festival. Chelsea captain Frank Lampard is relishing the task of leading his team into the Champions League final against Bayern Munich. Hooker Rory Best insists Ulster have no interest in playing the 'brave losers' role in Saturday's Heineken Cup final against Leinster. Ian Holloway says a second play-off final victory with Blackpool would eclipse the achievement of winning promotion in 2010. Captain Andrew Strauss scores his first century in 18 months as England dominate West Indies on the second day of the first Test. Preview followed by live coverage of Saturday's game between Hibernian and Hearts in the Scottish Cup final. Facebook shares end a volatile first day of trading at $38.23, barely above the company's initial pricing, having initially jumped more than 10%. Greek officials say Germany's Chancellor Merkel has suggested a euro referendum, but Berlin denies the report, as world leaders gather in the US for a G8 summit meeting. UK PM David Cameron joins other world leaders at the G8 summit for talks set to focus on the eurozone crisis, amid signs a deal is unlikely to be reached. Conservative co-chair Baroness Warsi says a "small minority" of Pakistani men see white girls as "fair game". Dieting in pregnancy is safe and does not carry risks for the baby, a review of research has suggested. An independent panel says cardiac services at Glasgow's Sick Children's Hospital "may be unsafe if critical staffing problems are not addressed". Schools should keep detailed records of the languages spoken by ethnic minority pupils urges a report. A study suggests public sector debt will be pushed up by £100bn over next two decades by higher university fees. Mobile phone data of suspects in police custody is to be extracted and retained, regardless of whether charges are brought, the BBC has learned. Researchers reveal details of a promising way to make a fundamentally different kind of computer memory chip. Japan urges businesses and households to cut electricity use by up to 15% to avoid possible blackouts. The wettest April in more than a century has caused problems for many UK butterflies, bees and other bugs, say conservationists. Colin McIntyre, founding editor of the BBC's Ceefax service, the world's first teletext service, has died at the age of 85, his family confirms. Actor Jackie Chan, famed for his daring stunts, confirms he will be steering away from action roles in the future. Campaigners want to overturn laws targeting "insulting words and behaviour". Just how safe is it to scorn others? The Magazine's weekly quiz of the news, 7 days 7 questions. The former leader of the Conservative Party on Slough Borough Council who admitted having two wives at the same time is to be electronically tagged. A cheese firm boss died in a frozen garden after drinking heavily while celebrating her son's 21st birthday, an inquest hears. Tens of thousands of Hibs and Hearts will head to the national stadium in Glasgow for the first Scottish Cup Final between the Edinburgh sides in 116 years. A 19-year-old man is helping police with their inquiries after suspicious material was found at a property in Aberdeenshire. The Director of Public Prosecutions begins legal action to have a tougher sentence on a man in his 20s who made a 15-year-old girl pregnant. Two men are due in Omagh Magistrates Court after cannabis worth £250,000 was seized in Dungannon on Friday. A head teacher is banned from teaching for a year after a conduct hearing is told she humiliated and manhandled children as young as four. Charges for single use carrier bags is a burden on small businesses and harming tourism in Wales, it is claimed by the TaxPayers' Alliance . President Joyce Banda says she wants Malawi to overturn its ban on homosexual acts - the first African country to do so since 1994. US President Barack Obama announces a $3bn (£1.9bn) plan to boost food security in Africa ahead of a G-8 summit near Washington. Indian police charge two Italian marines with the murder of two Indian fishermen, prompting Italy to recall its ambassador. The first pictures are released showing inside the "world's most expensive house", owned by the Ambani family in Mumbai. The respected German baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, famed for his performances of Schubert's song cycle Winter Journey, dies at the age of 86. Spanish energy giant Repsol cancels a contract to provide gas to Argentina, in a continuing row after Buenos Aries nationalised one of its subsidiaries. Spain's Repsol oil company says a first attempt to find oil off Cuba's northern coast has been unsuccessful. The Mexican army detains General Ricardo Escorcia Vargas, after putting two other officers under house arrest for alleged links with a drug cartel. Syrian activists report thousands at protests in the city of Aleppo, which has so far largely stayed loyal to the president since the uprising began. More than 20 monarchs gather to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, with protests over the inclusion of the controversial heads of Bahrain and Swaziland. The highest court in Maryland allows gay couples to divorce, even though same-sex marriage is not yet allowed in that US state. The government of Quebec passes an emergency bill in an effort to quell the most sustained student protests in Canadian history. News photos from around the world 24 hours of news photos: 18 May The world's monarchs gather at Windsor Castle A photographer's view of Hackney Queen's visit to Cheshire and Merseyside Olympic flame tours Greece Readers' photos on the theme sailing 24 hours of news photos: 17 May 2012 MPs have put questions to Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Davey and his ministerial team. The operation to remove the wreck of the Costa Concordia will be the biggest of its kind, at a cost reported to be at least $300m, according to salvage firms and the ship's owners. Some 2,500 troops and six massed bands will march past the Queen on Saturday to mark her Diamond Jubilee, followed by a flypast of over 80 aircraft. Opening the talks at Camp David, President Obama said sorting out the problem was a matter of extraordinary importance. More than 20,000 rugby fans from Belfast and Dublin are descending on Twickenham for the first ever all-Ireland final of Europe's premier club competition, the Heineken Cup. Two weeks ago four students were killed when government troops stormed the campus of Aleppo University, sparking wider demonstrations in Syria's main commercial centre, which had been relatively quiet. Thieves have stolen a metal plaque erected in memory of two young boys who were killed in an IRA bomb attack in Warrington, Cheshire. The Spanish government has announced that the level of bad loans held by the country's banks is at an 18-year high. David Beckham attends a ceremony in Athens where the Olympic flame is handed over to the UK delegation. Dita Von Teese on burlesque and her female fans Do repeated concussions lead to brain damage? The island where inmates are free to wander woods and beaches Can South Africa overcome prejudice to attract gay tourists? Why chess is booming in India Is the Spaniard getting back to his best at Chelsea? Pressure heaped on eurozone talks |