News
Myanmar junta sets Suu Kyi talks conditions
Myanmar's military ruler set conditions on Thursday for meeting detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, as security forces continued to round up people and interrogate hundreds more arrested in a ruthless crackdown on protesters.
Cat tells life story of the Pope, 'my best friend'
Chico the cat describes the life of his "best friend", Pope Benedict, in an authorised biography for children released this week.
Turkey court upholds sentence for priest's killer
Turkey's court of appeals has upheld a jail sentence of just under 19 years for the teenage killer of an Italian Catholic priest, the state Anatolian news agency has reported.
NHS report fuels Brown snap election speculation
The government publishes a report on the National Health Service on Thursday which opposition politicians say has been brought forward to clear the way for Prime Minister Gordon Brown to announce a snap election.
France pushes on with DNA testing for immigrants
French President Nicolas Sarkozy's government avoided a setback over its plan to impose DNA tests on immigrants after making concessions that were approved by the upper house of parliament on Thursday.
Big Nigerian scams intended for UK foiled
Nigerian financial scams which aimed to con Britons out of millions of pounds have been foiled, police said on Thursday.
Japan step closer to extending North Korea sanctions
Japan moved towards extending sanctions against North Korea on Thursday, despite progress in talks aimed at ending Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions, as Tokyo stuck to demands it must learn the fate of Japanese nationals abducted years ago.
Historic Catholic-Russian Orthodox summit comes a step closer
The Vatican and the Russian Orthodox Church are making firm progress in preparing a historic meeting between Patriarch Alexiy II and Pope Benedict, a senior Russian prelate has reported.
China human rights a worry post-Olympics - lawyer
Chinese law expert warns that a boycott of the Olympic Games will not stop human rights abuses in China.
Rescuers save 1,950 South African gold miners - 1,250 still trapped
Around 1,250 miners remained trapped more than a mile underground in a South African gold mine on Thursday after an all-night rescue mission in which 1,950 have already been saved.
Indonesia to plant 79m trees in one day to fight climate change
Indonesia, which in the past has destroyed vast tracts of forest, ha said it will plant 79 million trees in a single day ahead of the U.N. climate change summit in Bali in December.
US military: Iraq MP found at al Qaeda meeting
A member of Iraq's parliament is being questioned in U.S. custody after an Iraqi special forces raid on a suspected al Qaeda meeting, the U.S. military has said.
Tutu, Carter & Branson: Darfur violent and divided
International elder statesmen including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, former US President Jimmy Carter, and Virgin tycoon Richard Branson have reported that Darfur was rife with violence and was deeply divided, after returning from the region today.
Soaring food prices will hurt world's poor
Soaring food prices will hurt the world's poor and increase the risks of political upheaval, a senior United Nations food agency official said on Thursday.
Ex-Sandhurst head wins princes stress claims case
The former head of the military academy where Princes William and Harry were trained has won libel damages over claims he quit due to the stress of coping with the royal recruits.
Activist tells West not to forget Chechnya
The West must not forget the people of Chechnya, who remain victims of killings, torture and disappearances despite the winding down of more than 10 years of war in their homeland, a Chechen activist has said.