News
S.Africa's Mbeki to meet with Mugabe
South African President Thabo Mbeki will visit Zimbabwe on Wednesday for talks with his counterpart Robert Mugabe ahead of next week's presidential election run-off, Zimbabwean state media reported.
China rushes to fix dams as 9,000 sq miles flooded
China has posted hundreds of rescue personnel to shore up dams threatening to burst in southern mountainous areas under torrential rain that has already flooded 9,000 square miles of crops and homes.
Peru police hostages freed by mine protesters
Peruvian protesters freed 48 police officers from captivity on Tuesday but the government was still struggling to end a week-long blockade over mining taxes as workers went on a strike at a second copper mine.
Northern Rock seen probing former board
The new management at Northern Rock, the mortgage bank nationalised in February, has launched an investigation to see if legal action should be brought against the former board, the Financial Times reported.
Sainsbury's sales lag rivals
J Sainsbury, the country's third-biggest supermarket group, lagged rivals with a 3.4 percent rise in first-quarter underlying sales, but said its expectations for the full year remained unchanged.
Presidential candidates' views on gay marriage
What do the US presidential candidates have to say on the issue of same-sex marriage?
Study: Religious congregations outliving civic groups
Religious congregations in the United States have a "mortality rate" of 1 per cent, the lowest among other organisations, according to a newly published study.
Credit given without income checks
Almost five million people have been granted credit cards in the past year without having to prove their income, according to research published on Wednesday.
Hit by fuel prices motorists look to alternatives
With oil prices near $140 a barrel, motorists are starting to look seriously at both alternative fuels and electric vehicles as a way to be able to keep driving their cars.
Brown defends security policies
Gordon Brown defended his government's controversial security legislation on Tuesday, saying the country cannot have its "head in the sand" in its fight against terrorism.
Inflation surges but Bank cools rate rise outlook
The inflation rate rose in May to its highest since the Labour government came to power in 1997 but the Bank of England played down the risk of early interest rate rises by saying the path for rates was still "uncertain".
Tory chairman faces expenses investigation
Conservative Party chairman Caroline Spelman is to be investigated over public money she paid to her nanny, Parliament's standards watchdog announced on Tuesday.
Car bomb in Baghdad kills 11
A car bomb killed 11 people and wounded 42 at a crowded bus stop in a predominantly Shi'ite neighbourhood in northwestern Baghdad on Tuesday, Iraqi police said.
Hacker waits for U.S. extradition ruling
Five judges at the country's highest court retired on Tuesday to consider a final appeal against extradition by a computer enthusiast wanted in Washington for the "biggest military hack of all time".
Tanker drivers back to work as talks resume
Tanker drivers returned to work on Tuesday amid renewed efforts to stave off another possible four-day strike over pay.
Israel and Hamas agree to Gaza truce
A ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip will begin on Thursday, Egypt said after mediating a deal that could ease a crippling Israeli blockade of the Hamas-controlled territory.