News
Retired California clergy rebuked over same-sex couples vow
News of the offer from more than 80 retired northern California clergy in the United Methodist Church to perform same-sex "marriages" has riled conservative Christians who say such an action is "silly" and merely a move towards "the latest fad".
Dissident patriarch of Vietnam Buddhist group dies
The patriarch of a Vietnamese Buddhist group that has peacefully campaigned against successive governments and Communist Party controls on religion, died in his monastery at the age of 87 on Saturday, the organisation said.
Babies' deaths cast shadow on Egypt's health care
The video shows a poorly lit hospital nursery filled with premature babies in incubators. Doctors are frantically trying to resuscitate some babies while others wail in the background after a night-time power cut.
Mexico plants 8 million trees in latest green project
Mexicans went out and planted more than 8 million trees across the country on Saturday as part of a government push to shed its reputation for environmental mismanagement and rampant illegal logging.
S.Africa's Mbeki meets with Mugabe
South African President Thabo Mbeki met Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe on Saturday to try to help end a political crisis.
Police arrest man in French double murder
Police arrested a man on Saturday in connection with the macabre murder of two French students who were bound and stabbed repeatedly in a case which has shocked the city.
Russian opposition activist granted British asylum
The leader of a Russian youth opposition group has been granted political asylum by Britain, the group said.
Anti-gay violence mars Hungarian parade
Hungarian riot police used water cannon and tear gas on Saturday to stop far-right extremists from throwing petrol bombs and breaking up the annual gay parade in the capital Budapest.
G8 gathers for diplomacy amid result doubts
Leaders of the Group of Eight rich nations meet this week in northern Japan to grapple with a raft of problems from soaring food and fuel prices to African poverty and global warming amid doubts about how much the annual diplomatic pageant can achieve.
Pensioners bear brunt of inflation
Pensioners have seen the average cost of living soar by more than a third during the past 10 years, research showed on Saturday.
Child trust fund rates drop despite savings war
Rates on cash child trust fund (CTF) accounts have fallen, despite the credit crunch stoking a war in the cash savings market.
Lebanese leaders close to government deal
Lebanese leaders are finalising a deal on the formation of a national unity government as stipulated in an agreement that ended the country's political crisis, political sources said on Saturday.
Iran vows to pursue nuclear work despite incentives
Iran vowed on Saturday to pursue its uranium enrichment programme, a day after delivering its response to an incentives package by world powers trying to curb its nuclear ambitions.
McGuinness urges Iraq to learn from N.Ireland peace
Northern Ireland's Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, a former top IRA guerrilla, urged Iraqis on Saturday to learn from the experience of his homeland, which suffered decades of sectarian conflict then found peace.
Detective missing after U-turn on Malaysian leader
A Malaysian detective has gone missing after retracting allegations he made linking Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak to the brutal murder of a Mongolian woman, police said on Saturday.
Sentamu calls for church to reach out on knife crime
Dr John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York, has today urged the Church of England to reach out to young people involved in knife crime.