News
Philippines hunkers down as Typhoon Mitag nears
Typhoon Mitag intensified as it moved slowly towards the Philippines on Friday, triggering mass evacuations, flight cancellations and exacerbating flooding from a previous storm.
New ministry to reach skaters for Christ
Christian surfers, skaters, roller bladders and BMX ministry representatives came together last week to hash out plans for the development of a brand new skate ministry in the UK.
Australia soldier killed on eve of national poll
An Australian commando was killed by the Taliban militia in Afghanistan on Friday, on the eve of elections at which staunch U.S. ally Prime Minister John Howard will battle for survival after 11 years in power.
Arab ministers to discuss Annapolis talks
Arab foreign ministers began talks on Friday aimed at forging a common position ahead of a U.S.-sponsored peace conference next week on the creation of a Palestinian state.
Blasts in three northern Indian cities kill 10
Nearly simultaneous blasts outside courts in three northern Indian cities killed at least 10 people in what a senior government official said were terrorist strikes.
Musharraf relents as Sharif to return to Pakistan
Exiled former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, the man President Pervez Musharraf deposed, is set to return to Pakistan within days, aides said on Friday, after a deal to lift his exile in Saudi Arabia.
Bomb at Baghdad pet market kills 13
A bomb hidden in a box of birds killed 13 people and wounded 57 at a popular pet market in central Baghdad on Friday, police and witnesses said, describing the deadliest attack in the Iraqi capital in two months.
Divided Lebanon faces presidential vacuum
Lebanon's turmoil worsened on Friday with rival political camps failing to find a consensus that would allow parliament to choose a new head of state before pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud's term expires at midnight.
Social networking sites drive advertising changes
A hunt for Britain's top university is helping mobile firm O2 tap Facebook's burgeoning audience and reflects the innovation advertisers need to tap the potential of such sites, analysts said on Friday.
Public anger grows over missing data scandal
Public confidence in the government's competence has slumped in the wake of the lost data discs scandal, an opinion poll showed Friday.
Japanese cars dominate reliability survey
Japanese cars swept the board in a survey of the most reliable used cars on Friday, taking nine out of the top 10 places.
Punctuality at decade high for Network Rail
Rail infrastructure firm Network Rail said on Friday its first-half profit rose 4 percent and train punctuality hit a 10-year high, as it strives to meet government demands for expansion and performance improvement.
Litvinenko 'naive' about alleged killer
Alexander Litvinenko was fooled by his alleged killer because he was "naive like a child", his father said on Thursday as the Russian's family prepared to mark the anniversary of his death from polonium poisoning.
Auditors say govt undersold QinetiQ
The government got too little for a stake it sold in defence firm QinetiQ and was wrong to let top executives pocket 200 times what they invested, the country's National Audit Office said on Friday.
Ex-defence chiefs turn on Brown
The government scrambled to defend its record on Friday after five former defence chiefs accused Prime Minister Gordon Brown of neglecting the armed forces and risking soldiers' lives.
Kobia condemns Philippines human rights abuses
World Council of Churches head, the Rev Dr Samuel Kobia, expresses "grave concern" over increasing militarisation of the Philippines.