News

Zimbabwe's Tsvangirai delays return

Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai will not return home on Saturday as expected to prepare for the second round of elections against Robert Mugabe, his party said.

Lebanese leaders face hurdles at tense Qatar talks

Lebanon's rival leaders held tense talks in Qatar on Saturday to try to end a political conflict that has pushed their country to the brink of a new civil war but face major hurdles to reaching a deal.

Abducted Pakistan envoy freed after Taliban release

Taliban militants freed Pakistan's envoy to Afghanistan on Saturday, following the release of more than 40 of their own men by Pakistani authorities over the past few days, according to a senior security official.

Kuwaitis go to the polls and economy tops agenda

Kuwaitis voted in a parliamentary election on Saturday that they hoped would bring in fresh faces able to revive economic reforms to wean the country off its dependence on oil.

Gospel for Asia's first aid shipment reaches cyclone-ravaged Burma

Gospel for Asia's first shipment of cyclone relief supplies has arrived in Burma and has been received by GFA and Believers Church officials.

Pre-paid water meters put poor at risk, warns church water expert

The poorest of the poor are losing out as African countries switch to pre-paid water meters.

Bush hails Israel's 'chosen people' as Arabs lament

President George W Bush told Israelis on Thursday they were a "chosen people" who can forever count on American support against enemies like Hamas and Iran.

Outrage at Serb plan for church on Sarajevo heights

A plan by Bosnian Serb war veterans to build a church on the heights above Sarajevo in memory of comrades killed in the 1992-95 war seems set to deepen divisions between Bosnia's two autonomous regions.

Christians marginalised in Lebanon crisis

At an upmarket jeweller's in east Beirut's Ashrafieh district, wealthy Lebanese Christians shop for gold and diamonds, far removed from the upheaval that has sidelined their once-dominant community.

Bomb goes off outside Christian school in Gaza

A bomb exploded outside a Christian school in the Gaza Strip on Friday, causing damage but no injuries, witnesses said.

Franklin Graham under fire for Olympic evangelism comment

American evangelist Franklin Graham came under fire this week for saying he opposed evangelism during the Beijing Olympic Games.

Voices from the Crewe and Nantwich by-election

Labour is fighting to retain the constituency of Crewe and Nantwich following the death of its former MP Gwyneth Dunwoody.

Vitamin D may lower breast cancer risk

Breast cancer patients with lower levels of vitamin D were far more likely to die and far more likely to have their cancer spread than women with normal levels, Canadian researchers reported on Thursday.

Listening to music found to lower blood pressure

Listening to half an hour of music each day may significantly lower your blood pressure, according to research reported at the American Society of Hypertension meeting in New Orleans this week.

Pope restates gay marriage ban after California vote

Torrential rain lashed survivors of Cyclone Nargis on Friday as Myanmar's junta raised its toll sharply to more than 133,000 people dead or missing, putting the disaster on a par with a 1991 cyclone that killed 143,000 in neighbouring Bangladesh.