Attempting to defuse rising tensions over a leaked UN report. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is in Rwanda, urging the government not to withdraw its

The hugely controversial plans for a mass burning of copies of the Koran in the US have already prompted angry protests among Muslims. In Kabul

The new age of retirement is not negotiable. That is the blunt message from the French President today after a meeting with his government

Eighty-one people on board a Russian passenger jet are thanking their lucky stars after the plane suffered multiple systems failures 10,600 metres up

Britain’s opposition is ramping up the pressure on the government over a newspaper phone hacking scandal. MPs will hold an emergency debate in

For many Europeans it is a commodity that is part of everyday life but nearly one billion people worldwide have little or no access to water

Fifteen years ago, a senior World Bank official predicted that the wars of the 21st century would be fought not over land or oil but over one basic

Details of the demise of Anglo-Irish Bank have been announced. It is to be split into two parts: an asset recovery bank and a funding bank. The asset

Travellers to the United States now have to pay 14 dollars — around 11 euros — even if they are visa-exempt. Most of this is to pay for promoting the

Scottish oil and gas group Dana Petroleum has rejected a hostile takeover bid from the Korea National Oil Corp. The two billion euro bid was not

Hold up liberalisation of Europe’s postal services. That was the call of demonstrators representing more than 150 trade unions from across Europe

The pastor of a tiny church in the US says he is determined to go ahead with plans to burn copies of the Koran to mark the ninth anniversary of the

Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani has won a stay of execution. The Iranian government has confirmed that it has suspended her sentence of death by

The oil-giant BP has pointed the finger at its contractors in a report on the worst ever oil-spill the US has seen. Transocean and Halliburton come

Customers of Afghanistan’s biggest private bank continue to empty their accounts despite promises that their money is safe. Armed security guards

The leader of Kazakhstan used a meeting with Russia’s President Medvedev this week to revive an old Soviet-era idea to divert Siberian rivers

Anne Coulié is a preservation expert at the Louvre, specialising in ceramics from ancient Greece. David Kolin is an IT expert, working on 3

The old radio tower which stands in the middle of Berlin’s amusement park is decked out in ribbons to mark the 50th edition of the IFA, the biggest

Low budget airline Ryanair says it might still be interested in buying up to 300 new planes. That’s after it pulled out of a deal for 200 aircraft

The world’s highest-earning telecoms operator Vodafone has sold its 3.2 percent stake in China Mobile for just over five billion euros. That’s nearly

A fall in German exports in July has got investors ponderously stroking their chins. After two months of gains, exports shrank by 1.5 percent for the

The new age of retirement is not negotiable. That is the blunt message from the French President today after a meeting with his government

Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani has won a stay of execution. The Iranian government has confirmed the suspension of her sentence of death by stoning, a

The Venice Film festival honours one of Bollywood’s most outstanding protagonists – Tamil film director, screenwriter and producer Mani

Istanbul is a vibrant mix of differing cultures. Over the centuries the city has seen many changes, yet one festival maintains its place in the heart

Thirty-three trapped Chilean miners were able to watch the Chilean national squad’s friendly against the Ukraine over a fiberoptic line.

The UN Security Council has been urged to consider sanctions against rebel leaders suspected of organizing mass rapes in the Democratic Republic of

Public transport in Greece is being disrupted today and tomorrow, as unions continue their protest against government austerity measures. The

The US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said she is encouraged by the growing condemnation of plans to burn copies of the Koran on the 11th of