News
Poll shows Putin party on 67 pct before December 2 vote
President Vladimir Putin's United Russia party will win an overwhelming majority of seats in parliamentary elections next month, according to a poll by the independent Levada Centre published on Friday.
Thaksin proxy set to win Thai poll but not power
Candidate registration closed on Friday for Thailand's December 23 election, a poll meant to usher in a revitalised democracy after last year's coup but which looks set instead to sow instability and confusion.
Keeper Carson to make England debut
Aston Villa goalkeeper Scott Carson will make his England debut in Friday's friendly against Austria.
House price growth to hit zero in 2008
Annual house price inflation in Britain will fall to zero next year as affordability constraints are compounded by tighter lending conditions, the Nationwide building society forecast on Friday.
Scottish farmer hits Trump golf plan into rough
The wild stretch of east coast Scottish shoreline near Balmedie village hardly looks the setting for a battle between America's most famous property tycoon and a stubborn farmer.
Drink and drug abuse widespread among pupils
About one in seven school children have tried illegal drugs while one in five regularly get drunk, a government survey revealed on Friday.
Consumers unwittingly eating GMO food
Consumers are unwittingly eating food produced from genetically modified crops with nearly all milk, dairy products and pork produced from GMO-fed animals, the country's largest organic certification body said on Friday.
Australia court urges Indonesia war crimes charges
A coroner urged the Australian government on Friday to seek war crimes charges against former Indonesian military officers over the 1975 killing of five Australian newsmen during Indonesia's invasion of East Timor.
Myanmar frees six political prisoners
Myanmar's junta has freed six prisoners of conscience including Thet Naung Soe, a student sentenced to 14 years in jail for staging a solo protest outside Yangon's City Hall in 2002, an opposition lawyer said on Friday.
U.N. says opium windfall fuels Afghan insurgents
Profits from opium cultivation are fuelling the insurgency in Afghanistan, the United Nations said on Friday, in a new call on NATO to crack down on the country's burgeoning drugs trade.
Prison Reform Trust praises PACT's work with new prisoners
The care and support provided by the Prison Advice and Care Trust has been praised in a new report from the Prison Reform Trust.
Head of Turkish state lottery shot dead
The head of the Turkish state lottery was shot dead in his office by a former lottery employee on Friday, the state-run Anatolian news agency said.
France faces more disruption as strikes continue
France suffered a third day of transport disruptions on Friday as rail workers kept up a strike campaign against pension reform and the government and unions skirmished over how to resume negotiations.
U.S. launches assault on Iraqi Qaeda stronghold
About 600 U.S. troops launched a pre-dawn assault south of Baghdad on Friday against al Qaeda fighters linked to the kidnapping of two soldiers six months ago, the U.S. military said.
Bangladesh cyclone toll tops 500
A severe cyclone has killed more than 500 people in Bangladesh and left thousands injured or missing, triggering an international relief effort on Friday to help the disaster-prone country cope with its latest disaster.
Baptists offer historic apology for transatlantic slave trade
The Baptist Union of Great Britain has released a statement apologising for the transatlantic slave trade