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A study on recycling suggests Britons are the worst in Europe when it comes to recycling electrical equipment.

Computer manufacturer Dell found that fewer than half of UK residents regularly recycled old hardware, compared with more than 80% of Germans.

Within the UK, the Welsh are the worst when it comes to recycling technology; almost 20% have never done so.

It is thought the UK …

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Scientists have found more evidence that the Indonesian "Hobbit" skeletons belong to a new species of human - and not modern pygmies.

The 3ft (one metre) tall, 30kg (65lbs) humans roamed the Indonesian island of Flores, perhaps up to 8,000 years ago.

Since the discovery, researchers have argued vehemently as to the identity of these diminutive people.

Two papers in the journal …

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A molecule that until now existed only in theory has finally been made.

Known as a Rydberg molecule, it is formed through an elusive and extremely weak chemical bond between two atoms.

The new type of bonding, reported in Nature, occurs because one of the two atoms in the molecule has an electron very far from its nucleus or centre.

It reinforces fundamental quantum theories, developed …

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It may look like a cross between a seal and an otter; but an Arctic fossil could, scientists say, hold the secret of seal evolution in its feet.

A skeleton unearthed in northern Canada shows a creature with feet that were probably webbed, but were not flippers.

Writing in the journal Nature, scientists suggest the 23 million-year-old proto-seal would have walked on land and swum in fresh …

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Singer Elaine Paige has paid tribute to Susan Boyle, the Britain's Got Talent contestant turned global phenomenon.

"It seems her performance has really captured the hearts of everyone who saw it, me included," said the star.

Boyle, a 47-year-old from West Lothian in Scotland, spoke of Paige prior to her rendition of I Dreamed a Dream from Les Miserables on the ITV1 show.

Paige, …

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Excessive hairiness in women is not just a cosmetic problem but is likely to be a sign of an underlying medical condition, say UK doctors in a report.

Five to 15% of women have excess hair, and a hormone disorder is the most likely cause in many cases, they said.

Women with the problem should not be afraid to seek medical advice, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists report …

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New CCTV cars to catch drivers using their mobile phones or being otherwise distracted at the wheel are being piloted by Greater Manchester Police.

The small Smart cars, which have a 12ft (3.6m) mast with a camera attached, are parked at junctions to monitor traffic.

Mike Downes of the Greater Manchester Casualty Reduction Partnership said the scheme was successfully "driving the …

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Schools are employing bouncers to "crowd control" classes in teachers' absence, a union conference has heard.

A London teacher told the National Union of Teachers annual conference he knew of a school that had gone to an agency to recruit two bouncers.

One left after a month after falling out with staff but the other was still employed, he said - the school wanting someone …

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Algeria's President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has been re-elected to his third consecutive term in office, official results show.

Interior Minister Yazid Zerhouni said President Bouteflika secured 90.24% of the vote in Thursday's election.

Earlier, he said 74% of voters took part in the presidential poll, amid a boycott by some opposition parties and charges of election fraud.

Critics say Mr …

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