News

Eight civilians said killed in Philippine offensive

At least eight civilians, including three women and two children, were killed when Philippine troops raided a coastal village on a remote southern island, local officials said on Tuesday.

Israeli troops kill two Hamas gunmen in Gaza

Israel said its troops killed two Palestinian gunmen from the Islamist Hamas movement on Tuesday near the town of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.

Colombians take to streets in huge anti-FARC march

Hundreds of thousands of Colombians took to the streets across the country and overseas on Monday in a huge protest against FARC guerrillas and their kidnapping of hostages held for years in hidden jungle camps.

Rich or poor, all flock to Rio Carnival parade

Rich and poor alike flocked to Rio de Janeiro's Sambadrome on Monday night to gape at the fantastic Carnival parades - but they saw them from different points of view.

Tax credit blunders cost a billion per year

The tax credits system, dogged by problems since its introduction five years ago, still pays out one billion pounds per year in wrong and fraudulent claims, a report by MPs said on Tuesday.

UK rebels could be disciplined for backing EU vote

The Labour Party is threatening to discipline four of its senior MPs for backing a campaign calling for a referendum on the new European Union reform treaty, one of the legislators said on Monday.

Government urged to raise carbon taxes

Britain should raise environmental taxes after failing to meet a pledge, made by the Labour Party when it was elected in 1997, to tax pollution more, a committee of lawmakers said on Tuesday.

Prince Andrew attacks Bush on Iraq

Prince Andrew launched a forceful attack on Tuesday against President George W. Bush, accusing his administration of failing to listen and learn from Britain during the conflict in Iraq.

BP profits slump

BP reported a 24 percent drop in fourth-quarter net profit to $2.97 billion (1.5 billion pounds) on Tuesday, as charges related to selling service stations, weak refining margins and higher costs outweighed the benefit of higher oil prices and a small rise in output.

ITV up on reported private equity interest

Shares in broadcaster ITV rose more than 4.5 percent in early Monday trading after a newspaper reported that private equity firms were considering a 3 billion pound bid.

Make peace now, church delegation tells Kenya's political leaders

As mediation to solve the disputed Kenyan presidential election enters a critical phase, top-level figures from the two parties have met an international ecumenical delegation, which asked them to move on from the electoral dispute and seek a compromise solution.