News
Gunmen kill U.N.official in Mogadishu
Unknown assailants shot dead the Somali head of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) late on Sunday as he was on his way home from saying evening prayers in the chaotic capital Mogadishu, witnesses said.
At least 8 dead in blast near Pakistani mosque
A suicide bomber killed at least eight people and wounded 23 in an attack on police who had been guarding Islamists marking the anniversary of an army commando raid on Islamabad's Red Mosque.
Jerusalem bulldozer killer acted alone
Israeli police have concluded that a Palestinian construction worker who killed three Israelis with a bulldozer in Jerusalem last week acted alone and not as part of a militant organisation, a spokesman said on Sunday.
Baghdad car bomb kills six
A car bomb killed six civilians and wounded 14 other people in the Shaab district of northern Baghdad on Sunday, police said.
Five blasts shake Georgia conflict zone
Georgian officials said five explosions struck both sides of the de-facto border between Georgia and its breakaway region of Abkhazia on Sunday, in the latest sign of growing tensions between Tbilisi and separatists.
US lawmakers decry Olympics after dissidents blocked
Two US Congressmen last Tuesday urged President George W Bush to rethink attending the Beijing Olympic Games after they were prevented from meeting Chinese human rights activists.
Derelict Stoke-on-Trent church to re-open as restaurant
A much-loved Stoke-on-Trent church which has stood derelict in the centre of Hanley for the past 20 years is set to receive a new lease of life after the Diocese of Lichfield and the Church Commissioners agreed to sell the building to a consortium which includes one of the country's leading church restoration specialists.
Olympic spirit reaches rural England
A group of nine small villages is to come together for their very own Olympics in advance of the Bejing Olympics later this year.
Holy Land call for Christians and Muslims to engage on ecology
Holy Land Bishop Munib Younan has said that Christians need to have a stronger voice in Jerusalem in order to prevent tensions spreading there, and that Muslims and Christians should work together on ecology issues.
Report of Anglican-Vatican talks ahead of women bishops vote
The Church of England is staying tight lipped over a report that senior bishops have met Vatican officials in secret talks on the crisis in the worldwide Anglican Communion, including the ordination of women bishops.
Prospects dim for G8 climate change deal
Prospects that the G8 would reach a meaningful agreement to how best to fight global warming at their annual summit dimmed on Sunday as leaders began arriving in northern Japan with a raft of global problems on their minds.
Royal collection sparks bidding frenzy
A unique collection of royalty memorabilia amassed over half a century by a household family servant sparked an international bidding frenzy on Saturday that doubled its value when it went under the hammer.
Obama 'puzzled' by Iraq comment frenzy
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said on Saturday his plan to end the Iraq war was unchanged and he was puzzled by the sharp reaction to his statement this week that he might "refine" his timetable for withdrawing U.S. combat troops.
Chinese VP arrives in Hong Kong amid democracy calls
Democrats in Hong Kong urged Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping to allow swifter implementation of direct elections on Sunday, during Xi's first visit to the city since taking charge of its affairs as a state leader.
High oil prices spur demand for low energy electronics
These days when customers walk into electronics stores, the first question they ask is how much electricity the fridge, washing machine or laptop computer they are contemplating buying consumes.
Irish woman seeks 'husband' for 120 litres of beer
Julia Galvin came to Finland looking for a man that would carry her 120 kg over a 253-metres track - the incentive being the chance to win the wife-carrying world title and beer worth her body weight.