News
U.N. council breaks deadlock on Somalia piracy
The U.N. Security Council adopted unanimously on Monday a long-delayed resolution giving countries the right to combat rampant piracy off the coast of Somalia.
China forced to wait for draining of quake lake
The largest "quake lake" formed by China's most devastating earthquake in decades is not expected to start draining until Thursday due to a lack of rain, state media said.
Obama and Clinton near finish line in Democratic race
Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton end their historic Democratic presidential battle on Tuesday with two nominating contests that could help Obama clinch the nomination and push Clinton from the race.
Deadly embassy bomb raises security fears
Pakistani investigators conducted tests on Tuesday to try to determine what type of explosives were used in a suicide car bombing outside the Danish embassy that killed six people and revived security fears.
Space shuttle docks at station with Japanese lab
Space shuttle Discovery slipped into a parking spot at the International Space Station on Monday after a two-day voyage to deliver Japan's first orbital laboratory while managers on the ground assessed damage beneath the Discovery's launch pad.
Vast distances a barrier to combating HIV/AIDS in India
Vast distances are a major hurdle to India's efforts to curb its soaring HIV rate.
Brown defends terrorism plans
Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Monday he would stick to his plan to detain terrorism suspects for longer before they are charged, despite the prospect of a humiliating defeat in parliament.
Man arrested after 15-year-old girl stabbed
A man in his 30s was being questioned by police on Tuesday after a 15-year-old schoolgirl, who was found stabbed in a lift, became the 16th teenager to die violently in London this year.
'Good' bacteria may ease hay fever symptoms
A probiotic drink a day may help keep hay fever away, researchers said on Tuesday.
UK slips in clean beach rating
German, British and Portuguese beaches slipped most last year in a list of Europe's cleanest bathing sites, while the Netherlands again came out best, an EU report said on Monday.
Ian McEwan's new novel is on climate change
Best-selling author Ian McEwan surprised an audience at the Hay literary festival in Wales on Sunday by reading a preview extract from his novel in progress, due in about two years.
Plain packs seen as a risk to cigarette profits
Cigarette makers face a new and serious risk to their profits if the government rules that cigarettes should only be sold in plain packaging, undermining the power of brands, analysts said on Monday.
Brown urges G8 leaders to pressure oil producers
Next month's G8 summit of wealthy nations should push oil producing nations to increase supply, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Monday following talks with visiting Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda.
UK 'must attract more skilled workers'
The new points-based immigration system will not be enough to ensure sufficient numbers of high-skilled workers come to Britain, while a hostile atmosphere will deter others, according to a report.
Scottish resilience in play as house prices fall
Scotland's housing market is cooling like elsewhere in Britain, but with the nation's most affordable mortgages experts think it may escape the worst of the property downturn as it did in the 1990s.
Heathrow service said a national embarrassment
Service levels at London's Heathrow Airport are a "national embarrassment", the head of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said on Monday.