News
Pay deals pick up to 3.3 percent
Wage settlements picked up to 3.3 percent in the three months to May but held a full percentage point below retail price inflation, a survey showed on Friday.
Mugabe defiant as voting starts
Zimbabweans began voting in a one-sided presidential run-off on Friday after President Robert Mugabe defied mounting world condemnation and calls to postpone an election which the opposition says is a farce.
N.Korea to destroy reactor cooling tower
North Korea is set to blow up the cooling tower at its nuclear plant on Friday, a symbolic move to show its commitment to a disarmament deal a day after it handed over a long-delayed account of its nuclear programme.
Toxic pesticide on Philippine ferry halts search
The Philippines halted the search for hundreds of bodies feared trapped on a capsized ferry on Friday after salvage divers discovered 10 tonnes of toxic pesticide on board.
Obama and Clinton to make first joint appearance
Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton take the first step toward healing the wounds of their bruising presidential nominating fight with a joint appearance on Friday in the symbolically named New Hampshire town of Unity.
Russia and EU seek better relations at summit
Russia and the European Union will try to mend frayed relations by discussing a new partnership pact at a summit on Friday, but a trade dispute could sour the atmosphere.
Gunman kills senior Mexican policeman in restaurant
A Mexican police chief and his bodyguard were shot to death as they ate lunch in Mexico City on Thursday, the latest police slaying in a drug war that has killed more than 1,600 people this year.
Foreigners threaten Afghan snow leopards
Afghanistan's snow leopards have barely survived three decades of war. But now the few remaining mountain leopards left in Afghanistan face another threat - foreigners involved in rebuilding the war-torn country.
Bank policymakers soothe rate concerns
Bank of England policymakers calmed market expectations of early interest rate rises, saying on Thursday that they wanted to avoid a marked economic slowdown which might pull the inflation rate below target.
Mugabe says vote must go ahead
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe on Thursday rejected African calls to postpone a presidential election on Friday, saying there could be no interference in his country even from the African Union.
Brown launches 'green revolution' energy plan
Britain set out plans on Thursday for a tenfold increase in renewable energy within 12 years in a scheme welcomed for its ambition but criticised for lacking concrete policies to cut carbon emissions and reduce dependency on fossil fuels.
U.S. pulls nuclear weapons from UK
The United States has quietly withdrawn its last nuclear weapons from Britain after more than half a century, a watchdog said on Thursday.
Police hand Labour donations file to prosecutors
Police have handed the results of their investigations into secret donations to the Labour Party to the Crown Prosecution Service to decide what, if any, further actions to take.
Pay gap between sexes to go public
Companies will be encouraged to publish the pay gap between their male and female employees under proposed laws to encourage women to complain when they are underpaid, the government said on Thursday.
Zimbabwe casts pall over Mandela UK visit, concert
Nelson Mandela uttered just four words criticizing Zimbabwe's leadership, but they were enough to resonate around the world.
Greece to ban indoor smoking in public from 2010
Greece, Europe's heaviest smoking nation, plans to ban tobacco from all indoor public places from 2010 and prohibit under-18s from purchasing it, the Health Ministry said on Thursday.