US economic growth rate revised down
The US economy grew at a rate of 2.4% from October to December, down from a first estimate of 3.2%, as consumer spending proved weaker than first estimated. BBC News – US & Canada
Craig Taylor
Whole-life term for killer Dennehy
Triple killer Joanne Dennehy is handed a whole-life sentence by a judge, who said she was “cruel, calculating and manipulative”. BBC News – UK
World Bank stalls $90m Uganda loan
The World Bank postpones a $ 90m (£54m) loan to Uganda after President Yoweri Museveni signed a tough and controversial new anti-gay law. BBC News – Africa
Syrian forces ‘kill many rebels’
Syrian government forces ambush and kill a large number of Islamist rebels in the eastern outskirts of the capital Damascus, reports say. BBC News – Middle East
RBS posts £8.2bn operating loss
The Royal Bank of Scotland, part-owned by the UK government, has posted an operating loss for the sixth successive year. BBC News – Business
Standard Life could quit Scotland
Standard Life has become the first Scottish business to warn it may have to relocate significant operations and assets outside the country if its people vote for independence. BBC News – UK