2013-01-28

Day five of the latest Egyptian anti-government protests and the streets of Cairo were simmering with violence again. The unrest has stubbornly

Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands has announced plans to step aside in favour of her son. During a televised address to the nations she said: “I am

In southern Brazil, the process of burying the dead from the Santa Maria nightclub fire disaster has begun. More than 230 young revellers perished

Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands has announced her abdication in favour of her son Prince Willem-Alexander. The oldest reigning monarch in Dutch

Timbuktu airport has been seized and secured by French and Malian troops. Backed by airpower around 1200 soldiers have now launched an offensive to

Ukraine’s state gas company Naftogaz says it cannot pay a $7 billion (5.2 billion euro) bill it has received from Russian gas giant Gazprom. The

It is 200 years since Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice was published, and even after all that time it is showing little sign of losing any of its

Iceland has won a legal battle over its reponsibilities to British and Dutch savers who lost money when an online savings bank collapsed. The

More Syrian refugees step off a bus in Jordan, into uncertainty. The UN has said 30,000 have arrived since the start of this year. Zaatari, the main

Timbuktu, a city classed as a world heritage site since only 1988, was founded around a thousand years ago by Tuareg nomads. Later it became part of

Those suffering most from unemployment in Europe today are the young. For immigrants, it is even harder to find a job. Fourteen million

The restaurant Meli-Melo won the prize for the best tapa de Zaragoza in 2012. (‘Mejor Tapa de Zaragoza y Provincia 2012’. ) Raquel Marcén, the

Former Israeli leader Ariel Sharon, who has been in a coma for seven years following a stroke, has surprised doctors by showing significant signs of

In the Sea of Japan part of a keel is the only visible evidence of a ship in which at least eight fishermen have died while seven are believed to be

Bank lending to businesses and individuals in the eurozone remains weak, with loans to companies and households contracting again in December. The

There has been a lucky escape at one of Spain’s most famous landmarks. A new roof erected over Madrid’s Las Ventas bullring collapsed just three

Irish Agricultural Minister Simon Coveney has urged the EU to move ahead on EU farming reform. Coveney, whose brief also includes fisheries policy

In 1969 Czech student Jan Palach set himself on fire in Wenceslas Square in Prague to protest against the Soviet occupation. The television mini

Three household names in Mali have performed a special sell-out concert in London, celebrating the country’s music at a time when its survival is

Police in Norway have released surveillance video of a daring raid on a museum, where burglars made off with 25 valuable pieces of Chinese art. The

One person has been killed in Cairo in a fifth day of protests directed at Egypt’s president Mohamed Morsi. The president is being criticised by

Italian consumer confidence has hit new lows. In surveys households said their confidence in both the current and future economic situations was

It’s time for a bit of cooking at a research Institute in Brindisi, Southern Italy. The recipe is simple: a splashing of natural textiles, a good

Iran said on Monday it had launched a live monkey into space, seeking to show off missile systems that have alarmed the West because the technology

Toyota has regained the number one spot for worldwide sales. Last year drivers bought 9.75 million of its vehicles. As a result the Japanese

More passengers meant higher earnings for Ryanair at the end of last year. Europe’s biggest low-cost airline has just hiked its full-year profit

In southern Brazil, relatives and friends of more than 200 young people killed in a nightclub fire have gathered in the city of Santa Maria to

French and Malian troops have surrounded Timbuktu and are aiming to secure the city after seizing the airport. A senior military officer reported

Slovenia’s Robert Kranjec produced a stunning performance to clinch his first World Cup victory of the season in Vikersund on Sunday. The 31 year

Tallinn is the first EU capital to offer its residents free public transport, and though the move aimed at driving down car pollution is proving