News
Christian leaders condemn Brown's backing of hybrid embryo plans
Prime Minister Gordon Brown has been criticised by leading religious leaders as he called on Sunday for members of parliament to offer their support for research using embryonic stem cells, which controversially includes human-animal hybrid embryos.
Naples trash and migrant rows wait for Berlusconi action
A resurgent trash crisis in Naples and squabbling over immigration pose challenges to newly elected Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi as he finalises a sweeping security and economic reform package.
Israel and Palestine discuss peace in private
Israeli and Palestinian negotiators are privately discussing a peace agreement and the talks should intensify in the next several months, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Sunday.
Church of Scotland welcomes new moderator
Rev David Lunan took up office as the new moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland last Thursday.
Five killed in violent India state election
At least five people were killed in India's eastern state of West Bengal on Sunday when rival parties contesting a local election clashed with bombs and guns, police said.
China deals with children orphaned by quake
Chinese authorities already struggling to deal with the aftermath of Monday's massive earthquake are now trying to cope with a flood of children orphaned by the disaster.
India to resume Pakistan peace talks
India's foreign minister travels to Pakistan this week for his first meeting with leaders of a new civilian government and to review a peace process that has been in the doldrums for more than a year.
Darfur rebels challenge Khartoum to talks or war
Khartoum must sit down to Darfur peace talks by the end of the year or face all-out war, the leader of the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) who launched an unprecedented attack on the capital this month said.
Obama plans Iowa trip with victory in sight
Barack Obama will make a symbolic trip to Iowa on Tuesday, revisiting the state that launched his underdog bid for the White House on a day he hopes will put him over the top in the number of delegates needed to help clinch the nomination.
Search for families after China quake bitter
Yang Jianbo and Chen Xiaolin scour printouts taped on a wall at a sports arena listing thousands of earthquake survivors who have been accounted for, then turn and walk slowly away.
Burma pressed to accept aid
Aid was trickling in on Sunday to an estimated 2.5 million people left destitute by Cyclone Nargis in Burma's Irrawaddy delta as more foreign envoys tried to get the junta to admit large-scale international relief.
Bush and Pakistan's Gilani pledge to fight terror
U.S. President George W. Bush and Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Sunday pledged to fight terrorism with strong relations between the two nations in the aftermath of elections that seated new leaders in Islamabad.
India to resume Pakistan peace talks
India's foreign minister travels to Pakistan this week for his first meeting with leaders of a new civilian government and to review a peace process that has been in the doldrums for more than a year.
Lebanese leaders tackle core issues at Qatar talks
Rival leaders tackled divisive issues at the heart of Lebanon's political crisis on Saturday at Qatari-mediated talks aimed at pulling their country back from the brink of civil war.
Aftershocks rock China as toll rises
Police tried to stop anguished relatives from streaming into one of the worst affected areas of China's massive earthquake on Sunday, as another strong aftershock hit the area and the death toll neared 30,000.
Church must think carefully before partnering with government - Theos
Jim Wallis, author, social activist and faith adviser to the Prime Minister, has backed the conclusions of a new Theos report published on Saturday arguing that the church must think carefully before partnering with government.