News
Demand for parish project funding outstrips supply, says Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland's General Assembly will hear next month that demand for parish development funding was twice as much as what was available for the first time ever this year.
Grangemouth refinery strike talks extended
Management and trades union officials from Scotland's Grangemouth refinery extended into Wednesday mediation aimed at avoiding a strike that has threatened Britain's energy supplies, a union official said.
Two arrested under anti-terrorism laws
Police arrested two men under anti-terrorism laws at Heathrow airport on Tuesday, suspecting both to be involved in activities overseas, police sources said.
Darling urges lenders to cut home loan costs
Chancellor Alistair Darling pressured mortgage lenders on Tuesday to bring down the cost of home loans as policymakers are getting worried about the housing market.
Security risk from climate underestimated
Countries around the world have hugely underestimated the potential conflicts stemming from climate change and must invest heavily to correct that mistake, a report said on Wednesday.
Clinton moves on after Pennsylvania win
Hillary Clinton beat Democratic rival Barack Obama in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, prolonging an increasingly negative presidential nominating fight and keeping alive her slim White House hopes.
Newspaper calls for transitional Zimbabwe govt
Regional countries should mediate negotiations in Zimbabwe for a transitional government of national unity led by President Robert Mugabe to organise new elections that are free, a state newspaper said on Wednesday.
Chavez says food prices 'massacre' of world's poor
Soaring food prices are a "massacre" of the world's poor and are creating a global nutritional crisis, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said on Tuesday, calling it a sign that capitalism is in decline.
Tibet protest as torch lands in Australia
Pro-Tibetan protesters beamed laser signs onto the Sydney Harbour Bridge on Wednesday reading "Don't Torch Tibet" and "China, talk to the Dalai Lama", as the Olympic torch arrived in Australia under tight security.
American arrested as nuclear spy for Israel
The United States arrested an 84-year-old American on Tuesday suspected of giving Israel secrets on nuclear weapons, fighter jets and missiles in the 1980s, in a case linked to the Jonathan Pollard spy scandal that rocked U.S.-Israeli relations.
Protests in Bangladesh capital over water shortage
Hundreds of people staged protests in the Bangladeshi capital on Wednesday against a shortage of drinking water, witnesses said, defying a ban on such demonstrations.
France and U.S. draft Somalia piracy resolution
France and the United States, with the aid of Britain, are drafting a U.N. Security Council resolution authorizing countries to fight piracy off Somalia and elsewhere, France's U.N. envoy said on Tuesday.
Mexico judge jails Canadian woman for 5 years
A Canadian woman who became a cause celebre at home after being kept in a Mexican jail for two years without trial, received a five-year prison sentence on Tuesday after being convicted of links to an investment scam.
Taliban kill seven Afghan police in attacks
Taliban insurgents killed seven Afghan policemen in an attack on a police post and a separate suicide bomb blast on Wednesday, officials and witnesses said.
Africa gets impatient with Mugabe
South African ruling party leader Jacob Zuma called on Tuesday for African action to resolve Zimbabwe's crisis, amid signs of increasing regional impatience with President Robert Mugabe.
Farm barn plays host to BBC Rogation Service
More than fifty people gathered together in a farm barn to help people all over two counties celebrate the ancient ceremony that marks Rogationtide in the countryside calendar.