News
Trust issue as polls says Britons want EU vote
Polls show Britons would like a referendum on a new European Union treaty despite Prime Minister Gordon Brown's refusal to hold one, but the issue is not the first thing on voters' minds.
London museum cancels race row scientist's talk
London's Science Museum has cancelled a talk by a Nobel prize-winning geneticist who suggested black people were less intelligent than white people.
Sudan's former foes in crisis talks to rescue deal
The two sides in Sudan's national coalition meet on Thursday to try to salvage their fragile peace deal after disenchanted former southern rebels walked out of the government.
North Korea on brink of famine after floods - study
Destitute North Korea will likely be pushed into famine due to devastating floods this year that wiped out crops and ruined farm land, a South Korean state-run think-tank said on Thursday.
Five million people going hungry in Burma - WFP
Repressive state policies and a "dysfunctional" market in military-ruled Burma mean 5 million people do not have enough food in what was once the rice-bowl of Asia, the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Wednesday.
China helps Africa where West failed - state bank
China is spreading prosperity in Africa where the West failed, a Chinese bank official said on Thursday in a sharp rebuke to critics of his country's growing role in the world's poorest continent.
North nuclear pledge can spur Korea peace talk, says South
Peace talks to formally end the Korean War should begin when North Korea declares the full extent of its nuclear arms programme and takes steps to disable it, South Korea's foreign minister said on Thursday.
Syria's border closure hits Iraqi refugees
Suffering kidney disease and living in a Damascus slum, Amal Jabar lost her only means of support when Syria closed its borders to Iraqi refugees a few weeks ago.
Darfur force brings hope, new threats to aid effort
Aid agencies working in Sudan's Darfur hope incoming United Nations and African Union peacekeepers will help protect them, but there are also fears they could spark new violence against unarmed relief staff.
Poverty grows in Egypt despite rapid growth - UN
The proportion of Egyptians living in absolute poverty has risen despite relatively rapid economic growth this decade, the head of United Nations operations in Egypt said on Wednesday.
Pakistan's Bhutto ends exile with emotional homecoming
Former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto ended eight years of self-exile on Thursday, returning to Karachi where more than 100,000 supporters poured onto the city's streets to welcome her home.
Armed men kill 3 WFP drivers in Darfur
Armed men shot dead three World Food Programme (WFP) drivers in the southern Darfur region of Sudan, the U.N. agency said on Wednesday.
Political, ethnic imbroglio awaits EU Chad force
European Union peacekeepers bound for eastern Chad will be flying into a political and ethnic hornets' nest that could suck them into an entangled regional conflict already spilling across national borders, analysts say.
Cheap drug could save lives in poor nations, says report
A cheap drug that prevents a deadly complication in pregnancy could save the lives of tens of thousands of women in poor countries each year, a health group said in a report on Thursday.
Iraqi priests remain captive as ransom raised
The kidnappers of two Iraqi Roman Catholic priests backed out of a release agreement and demanded more ransom money, a Christian group has reported.
Millions join UN events to mark poverty fight
Millions of people marked an annual International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on Wednesday by joining a mass "stand up" around the world aimed at promoting U.N. targets on reducing poverty.