News
Northern Rock bidder fears Virgin name
The "in-house" team hoping to lead Northern Rock to safety fears the government will favour rival bidder Virgin because voters may see it as the better option, the leader of the management proposal said.
Clegg sees ID card vote 'a decade away'
Prime Minister Gordon Brown can wait almost a decade before holding a vote on compulsory identity cards, according to calculations made by the opposition Liberal Democrat party.
Britain warned against importing athletes for 2012
A leading figure in British sport has warned against importing athletes from overseas to boost the home medals tally at the London 2012 Olympics.
Government to spur research into climate impact on poor
The government will increase research into the possible impacts of climate change on the world's most vulnerable people, including deeper poverty and conflict, the international development minister said.
Smith wants ban on youths having alcohol in public
Police could be given powers to confiscate alcohol from teenagers under 18 even if there is no indication they plan to drink it, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said on Wednesday.
Church joins Scottish Wedding Show for first time
The Scottish Episcopal Church will be the first church denomination to take part in a major commercial wedding show when it joins the Scottish Wedding Show this month.
Catholic bishop blasts Brazil on Amazon destruction
A senior Roman Catholic bishop criticized Brazil's government on Wednesday for energy and agriculture policies that he said were destroying the Amazon forest and threatening the livelihood of local populations.
Rice and Miliband in Afghanistan in show of unity
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Foreign Secretary David Miliband arrived in Afghanistan on Thursday in a symbolic show of unity, pressing the case for reluctant NATO allies to share the combat burden.
Clinton dips into pocket to keep up with Obama
Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton looked ahead on Wednesday to a long and bruising presidential battle, and Clinton said she loaned $5 million (2.55 million pounds) of her own money to the costly fight to keep pace.
Turkey takes first step to end headscarf ban
Turkey's parliament voted in a first round on Thursday to change the constitution to lift a ban on women students wearing the Muslim headscarf at university, a measure opposed by the secular elite.
China starts to thaw out as weather crisis recedes
The thunder of firecrackers ushered in the Year of the Rat on Thursday, but millions of Chinese spent a cold holiday as repair teams fought to restore power knocked out by the worst winter weather in a century.
Madonna and Gucci aid Malawi orphans amid controversy
Pop star Madonna hosted a celebrity-studded event on Wednesday on the lawns of the United Nations to aid Malawi orphans, the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) and - controversially - to inaugurate a new Gucci store.
Tornadoes in U.S. South kill at least 55
Tornadoes and thunderstorms shattered lives and levelled buildings across the U.S. South on Tuesday and Wednesday, killing at least 55 people and injuring more than 150 in the deadliest such storms in nine years.
Israel kills five Hamas gunmen in Gaza
Israeli troops backed by tanks and warplanes launched a raid into the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday, killing five Hamas gunmen and a schoolteacher, the ruling Palestinian Islamist faction and hospital officials said.
Kenya artist paints peace messages in Nairobi slum
It's a long, thick stroke. The white paint is still wet. Solomon Muhandi dips his brush again into a small cup, his hands dotted with irregular white spots.
Egypt multi-vehicle road crash kills 24
At least 24 people were killed and 16 others injured in a multi-vehicle road crash on a highway outside the Egyptian capital on Thursday, and fog was the probable cause, security sources said.