News
Italy's Catholic head backs abortion moratorium
The head of the Catholic Church in Italy said he would support a moratorium on abortion, giving an extra boost to the proposal that has gained much support in recent days.
Ecumenical body praises churches in Kenya
The head of the World Council of Churches has welcomed signs of hope in Kenya and praised churches for their role in peacemaking.
Bush in Mideast peace push
U.S. President George W. Bush faces a balancing act in West Bank talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday, the second day of a Middle East peace mission laden with scepticism.
White House race enters new phase
The unpredictable fight for the White House went national on Wednesday as candidates fanned out across the United States and Democrat Barack Obama bounced back from a surprise loss to Hillary Clinton to grab a coveted union endorsement.
Police say two more churches bombed in Iraq
Two car bombs exploded outside two churches in the volatile northern city of Kirkuk on Wednesday, police said, the latest in a wave of attacks on Christian targets in Iraq this week.
151,000 Iraqis killed since U.S.-led invasion: WHO
About 151,000 Iraqi civilians were killed in the three years following the U.S.-led invasion of their country, according to World Health Organisation (WHO) research published on Wednesday.
U.S. to consider 3,000 more troops for Afghanistan
U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates will consider a proposal to send some 3,000 additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan to thwart any spring offensive by Taliban militants, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.
African Union head meets Kenya's feuding parties
African Union chief John Kufuor shuttled between Kenya's president and opposition leader on Wednesday to try to break a political impasse behind post-election turmoil that has killed 500 people.
Floods displace more than 30,000 in east Sri Lanka
Monsoon flooding has forced more than 30,000 people in eastern Sri Lanka from their homes, with many taking refuge in temporary shelters like huts, schools and mosques, officials said on Thursday.
UK to end years of wavering over nuclear power
The governemt is expected to give the go-ahead to a new generation of nuclear power stations on Thursday, ending years of uncertainty over its energy plans.
English and Maths poor in one fifth of schools
One in five schools in England fails to give pupils a decent education in maths and English, although the trend is improving, exam league tables showed on Thursday.
Exam mix-up puts school at bottom of table
A school found itself at the bottom of the national GCSE tables on Thursday after a mix-up led to its English exam results not being counted in the rankings.
School head decries 'hypocrisy' over exam tables
The head of one of the best performing schools in England in rankings published on Thursday said many teachers were hypocritical in their condemnation of exam league tables.
Parents of missing Madeleine deny film plan
The parents of missing girl Madeleine McCann have denied media reports that they are planning to turn the story of their daughter's disappearance into a film.
MPs want faster drug appraisals
The medicines advisory agency should assess all new drugs at launch but set a tougher initial cost hurdle for using them on the state health service, lawmakers said in a report on Thursday.
Killer drivers may avoid jail
Motorists who kill while driving carelessly would not automatically be sent to jail under guidelines released on Wednesday by the government's sentencing advisory body.