News

Hope 08 looking to long term in Cambridge

Hope for Cambridge is set to become a registered charity, laying the foundation for Hope 08 to serve the city in "word and action mission" well into 2009 and beyond.

Manchester teenager wins 'Urban Hero of the Year' award

A servant-hearted teenager from Harpurhey, Manchester, was named the first ever 'Urban Hero of the Year' at a prestigious awards ceremony at Manchester United's Old Trafford home last Friday.

Beijing hires Catholic priests for more Games masses

Catholic churches in Beijing will hire foreign priests to conduct masses to meet the demands of Games visitors from overseas, state media reported on Tuesday, citing church officials.

Zimbabwe bishop hopeful after Mugabe and MDC agree to talk

The Bishop of Harare spoke of his hope for Zimbabwe's future after hearing that President Robert Mugabe and opposition MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai are to enter talks.

Doctors to face regular tests of competence

Doctors will have to show they are fit to practice once every five years under plans to be published by Chief Medical Officer Liam Donaldson on Wednesday.

Bank split three ways on rate direction in July

One Bank of England policymaker wanted to hike rates this month, another wanted a cut but the remaining seven chose to keep borrowing costs steady as both the inflation and growth outlook had worsened.

Watchdog urges doctors to cut antibiotics

Doctors should slash the number of times they prescribe antibiotics for respiratory tract infections because the drugs rarely help, the country's drug cost watchdog said on Wednesday.

British soldier killed in Afghanistan

A British soldier was killed and two others were wounded when their patrol came under attack in southern Afghanistan, Britain's Defence Ministry said on Wednesday.

NICE confirms limited use of drug stents

Drug-coated stents - used to prop open clogged coronary arteries - can continue to be used on Britain's state health service but only for certain high-risk patients, the country's health cost-effectiveness watchdog said.

Christian Bale denies assault allegation

Actor Christian Bale, star of the new Batman movie "The Dark Knight," on Tuesday denied allegations of assault made by his mother and sister after he was questioned by London police.

Obama vows support for Israel in Jerusalem visit

U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama pledged staunch support for Israel during a visit to Jerusalem on Wednesday and said, if elected, he would work to invigorate the Middle East peace process.

Rice to push North Korea on verifying disarmament

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will push North Korea's foreign minister hard in their first ever meeting on Wednesday to prove the North's disarmament efforts are serious, U.S. officials said.

Iran vows no retreat in nuclear row

Iran will not "retreat one iota" over its disputed nuclear programme, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday.

China eyes nuclear plant for quake-hit province

China's earthquake-hit Sichuan province hopes to build its first nuclear power plant within as little as five years, but has chosen a site it says is geologically sound, state media said on Wednesday.

Last Three Gorges Dam migrants evacuate as water rises

China has finished evacuating the last town to be submerged by the giant Three Gorges Dam, making way for water levels in the reservoir to rise to their final height of 175 metres above sea level, state media said.

Brazil boom breeds new generation of millionaires

When Fabio Calderaro was a 23-year-old cadet at Brazil's military academy in 2000, he invested a couple of thousand dollars in the stock market.