A German court has ruled that a Muslim schoolgirl must take part in swimming lessons. Thirteen-year-old Asmae who was born in Morocco and now lives

Washington and Moscow have begun crucial talks in Geneva on a plan to place Syria’s chemical weapons under international control. US Secretary of

Belarus’ Vasil Kiryienka held his nerve to claim a thrilling solo victory on stage 18 of the Vuelta a Espana on Thursday. The Team Sky rider

President Hamid Karzai was quick to praise Afghanistan’s football team on Thursday, hours after they united the nation with a convincing 2-0 win over

Computer firm founder Michael Dell has gained shareholder approval for his offer to take the company private. That ends a seven month long battle

Government forces in the southern Philippines have launched an offensive against Muslim rebels as fighting escalates in this part of Asia’s largest

Amid the preparations for Germany’s elections and in the context of sustained concern over Europe’s euro currency and debt crisis, we sought expert

Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad has confirmed that his country’s chemical weapons will be placed under international control. In an interview

Austerity in Europe risks creating a lost generation, according to a new report by Oxfam. The charity says by 2025 between 15 and 25 million people

MEPs have called for a “clear and strong” international response to last month’s chemical weapons attack that left more than 1,000 people dead. The

The European Parliament has given the European Central Bank new powers to supervise up to 6,000 of the eurozone’s banks. ECB President Mario Draghi

America’s Floyd Mayweather will be looking to extend his winning streak to 45 fights when he takes on Mexican sensation Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in a

The deadly chemical weapon attack on civilians in Syria three weeks ago tore the civil war across a red line that US President Barack Obama had

A satirical party has spiced up a dull German election campaign with a television advert depicting a 90-second sex scene, blurred but leaving little

The state of emergency in Egypt has been extended for another two months. The presidency said it was making the move because of the security

A time-lapse video charting the construction of the building that replaced the World Trade Center towers has been released – as the US marks 12 years

The number of people out of work in Greece continues to rise. The jobless rate hit a record high in June, from the deep recession made worse by

American researchers believe North Korea has restarted a nuclear reactor capable of producing plutonium for weapons. A US-Korea institute says

Diplomatic efforts to place Syria’s chemical weapons under international control are intensifying as American and Russia’s officials meet for talks

Japan is to formally complain about a cartoon that appeared in a French weekly newspaper that pokes fun at Tokyo being awarded the 2020 Olympics

A tobacco epidemic in India could be killing up to 1.5 million by the end of the decade, a new report has claimed. The International Tobacco

It is confirmed that, weather permitting, operations to re-float the shipwrecked Italian vessel Costa Concordia will start on Monday, at a cost

In Mexico teachers protesting against education reforms have clashed with police during a demonstration which brought Mexico City to a standstill

In China an ambitious father says his 5 year old son has flown an ultralight aircraft across a park. The stunt follows similar exploits in which the

In Spain, supporters of far right nationalist groups have attacked a bookshop in the Catalan Cultural Centre in Madrid. The attack came on

Julia Roberts and Ewan McGregor took to the red carpet at the Toronto International Film Festival for the premiere of their latest film ‘August

The head of a Western-backed rebel council has spelled out his group’s rejection of Russia’s plan for chemical weapons in Syria. “We announce our