News

White House race enters new phase

The unpredictable fight for the White House went national on Wednesday as candidates fanned out across the United States and Democrat Barack Obama bounced back from a surprise loss to Hillary Clinton to grab a coveted union endorsement.

Police say two more churches bombed in Iraq

Two car bombs exploded outside two churches in the volatile northern city of Kirkuk on Wednesday, police said, the latest in a wave of attacks on Christian targets in Iraq this week.

151,000 Iraqis killed since U.S.-led invasion: WHO

About 151,000 Iraqi civilians were killed in the three years following the U.S.-led invasion of their country, according to World Health Organisation (WHO) research published on Wednesday.

U.S. to consider 3,000 more troops for Afghanistan

U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates will consider a proposal to send some 3,000 additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan to thwart any spring offensive by Taliban militants, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.

African Union head meets Kenya's feuding parties

African Union chief John Kufuor shuttled between Kenya's president and opposition leader on Wednesday to try to break a political impasse behind post-election turmoil that has killed 500 people.

Floods displace more than 30,000 in east Sri Lanka

Monsoon flooding has forced more than 30,000 people in eastern Sri Lanka from their homes, with many taking refuge in temporary shelters like huts, schools and mosques, officials said on Thursday.

UK to end years of wavering over nuclear power

The governemt is expected to give the go-ahead to a new generation of nuclear power stations on Thursday, ending years of uncertainty over its energy plans.

English and Maths poor in one fifth of schools

One in five schools in England fails to give pupils a decent education in maths and English, although the trend is improving, exam league tables showed on Thursday.

Exam mix-up puts school at bottom of table

A school found itself at the bottom of the national GCSE tables on Thursday after a mix-up led to its English exam results not being counted in the rankings.

School head decries 'hypocrisy' over exam tables

The head of one of the best performing schools in England in rankings published on Thursday said many teachers were hypocritical in their condemnation of exam league tables.

Parents of missing Madeleine deny film plan

The parents of missing girl Madeleine McCann have denied media reports that they are planning to turn the story of their daughter's disappearance into a film.

MPs want faster drug appraisals

The medicines advisory agency should assess all new drugs at launch but set a tougher initial cost hurdle for using them on the state health service, lawmakers said in a report on Thursday.

Killer drivers may avoid jail

Motorists who kill while driving carelessly would not automatically be sent to jail under guidelines released on Wednesday by the government's sentencing advisory body.

Horses saved from field of dead animals

Animal welfare officers moved more than 80 neglected horses from a field in Buckinghamshire on Wednesday where the bodies of 32 others were found at the weekend.

Bishop responds to Muslim 'no-go areas' backlash

The Bishop of Rochester regrets offence to Muslims but warns that "mere tolerance" is not enough to overcome "separation" in multi-faith communities.

Award-winning documentary maker to boost Operation Noah campaigns

Operation Noah has appointed award-winning documentary maker Mark Dowd to the newly-created post of Campaign Strategist.