BBC News

Leaders from around 200 nations have gathered in New York to approve a new set of ambitious goals aimed at tackling poverty, hunger, climate change and other global problems.

Pope Francis calls on countries to respect the "right of the environment", in a speech to the UN General Assembly.

China has signalled its desire to tackle climate change - but it seems to want to keep a foot in both camps, says Matt McGrath.

China's President Xi Jinping calls for "win-win co-operation" with the US on his first state visit to Washington.

The Moon will turn a rusty hue on Monday and may seem larger in the sky, say astronomers.

Energy company Drax has abandoned plans to introduce new technology to cut carbon dioxide emissions at the biggest coal-fired power station in the UK.

North Sea cod is taken off the Marine Conservation Society's list of fish to avoid eating, although it should be only an "occasional treat", it says.

A great swathe of Pluto that features a strange rippling terrain is perhaps the highlight of the latest image release from the New Horizons mission.

Energy company Drax has pulled out of a £1bn carbon capture project because of the government's decision to reduce subsidies for renewable energy.

Visitors to London's Natural History Museum are being given the opportunity to see 3D prints of the sensational new Homo naledi fossils.

Atmospheric levels of a little known by-product from diesel engines are up 70 times higher than expected according to a study.

A lack of investment will hamper efforts to ensure Africa's farmers can feed future generations in the face of a changing climate, a report warns.

As the commercial era accelerates, who owns outer space?

Over three winters in the waters of a Svalbard fjord, scientists have catalogued surprisingly high levels of animal activity during the long polar night.

US Nasa astronaut Tim Kopra, British ESA astronaut Tim Peake, and Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko hold a news briefing

The design team behind the Bloodhound Super-Sonic Car put its near-complete vehicle on show in London, ahead of an assault on the world land speed record next year.

Dundee University scientists are called in to help investigate a decapitation in Brazil which took place 9,000 years ago.

The front grounds of London's Natural History Museum are to undergo a multi-million-pound redevelopment, which will also include a new position for "Dippy the Diplodocus".

Garden feeding is driving a shift in the migration of blackcaps, causing more of the birds to spend winter in Britain.

One of the most influential US energy politicians, Republican Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn, rejects the Pope's plea to tackle climate change.

Garden feeding is driving a shift in the migration of blackcaps, causing more of the birds to spend winter in Britain.

A modelling study suggests that if London Underground trains travelled slower, there might be less overall congestion.

Bird capture sheds light on Neanderthal sophistication

The UK's first official astronaut says he is "well prepared" as his December launch to the International Space Station approaches.

Environmental campaigners say they believe that manipulation similar to what happened at VW is going on in Europe.

Data from electronic tags is revealing complex behaviour in fish populations, raising questions about current fisheries management policies.

Household vinegar might provide a cheap new way to kill coral-eating starfish damaging the Great Barrier Reef, scientists in Australia have found.

What exactly is Autumn equinox?

UK researchers sign the contract that will lead to the development of one of the first instruments for the European Extremely Large Telescope.

Does burning tusks actually destroy them?

Former US Vice-President Al Gore urges the UK government to "resume" its former leadership on climate change.

Scotland has more than 400 words and expressions for snow, according to a project to compile a Scots thesaurus.

When the Bloodhound Super-Sonic Car is unveiled this week, the public will be able to see the many innovative technologies used in its construction.

Researchers at a Swiss university have programmed drones to build a rope bridge that is capable of bearing the weight of a human.

The government’s wholesale cuts to renewable energy subsidies are sending a worrying sign to investors, says business group the CBI.

Scientists say they are a step closer to growing fully functioning replacement kidneys, after promising results in animals.

The first Moonwalker's preparation for becoming an astronaut.

UK small satellite manufacturer SSTL releases details of a new spacecraft it launched in July that takes 1m resolution video of the Earth's surface.

The Thai authorities round up scores of long-tailed macaque monkeys near Bangkok to relocate them after complaints from villagers.

China is to invest in the Hinkley Point nuclear plant as Chancellor George Osborne announces the UK will guarantee the £2bn deal.

Engineering students in Belfast are hoping to make it into the record books for building the largest ever structure made of Meccano.

The Advanced Ligo experiment in North America formally begins the observations that will seek finally to detect the ripples in the fabric of space-time predicted by Einstein.

As Britain struggles to solve its housing crisis, experts have been looking at the best solutions to building the homes of the future.

Four captive-bred chicks are sent from Chester to Jerez in Spain, where they will be released as part of an effort to reintroduce the Northern bald ibis.

Tanzania obtains a court order preventing Malawi from burning 2.6 tonnes of ivory, saying it needs to use the tusks as evidence for the prosecution of suspected poachers.

UK researchers want to use a controversial new genetic technique on human embryos.

A study showing that nearly all mammals take the same amount of time to urinate wins one of the 2015 Ig Nobel prizes.

Shimmering phenomena in the night sky - and starry sights billions of light years away - see the finalists in the 2015 Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition.

How I survived two days on ice with three polar bears

Fresh images of Pluto from Nasa's New Horizons spacecraft have captured a low-lying haze near the surface.