BBC News

Feb 07, 2012 07:50AM

Russia 'wants Arab role in Syria'

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov calls for a solution to the Syria crisis based on Arab League initiatives, after seeing leaders in Damascus.

Feb 07, 2012 07:57AM

Maldives leader quits amid unrest

Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed resigns after weeks of demonstrations and a mutiny by some police officers.

Feb 07, 2012 06:51AM

Chinese workers released in Sudan

A group of Chinese workers kidnapped by rebels in Sudan last month has been freed and flown to Kenya, officials from both countries say.

Feb 07, 2012 07:44AM

Glencore-Xstrata in $90bn merger

Anglo-Swiss mining group Xstrata announces a $90bn merger with Glencore, the world's largest commodity trader.

Feb 07, 2012 06:53AM

Euro 'could survive Greece exit'

EU Commissioner Neelie Kroes piles pressure on Greece to agree tough reforms, saying a euro exit would be "no man overboard".

Feb 07, 2012 06:33AM

Obama to give back campaign funds

US President Barack Obama's election campaign is to return some $200,000 of funding linked to the family of a Mexican fugitive.

Feb 07, 2012 07:54AM

Explosion rocks Nigeria barracks

An explosion hits a military barracks in the northern Nigerian city of Kaduna, in what may be a suicide attack.

Feb 07, 2012 07:22AM

Japan refinery tunnel collapses

Five workers are missing after an undersea tunnel collapses at one of Japan's biggest oil refineries, emergency services say.

Feb 07, 2012 05:57AM

Brazil sues Twitter over alerts

The Brazilian government files a lawsuit against Twitter, demanding it block material that helps motorists evade drink-driving traps.

Feb 07, 2012 07:06AM

Freeze prompts Europe emergencies

As freezing weather grips much of Europe, Italy takes steps to conserve gas while emergency situations have been declared in other countries.

Feb 07, 2012 04:39AM

Iranians 'detained for BBC links'

Reports from Iran say several people have been detained for alleged links to the BBC's Persian Service, which is banned in the country.

Feb 07, 2012 05:54AM

Spanish artist Antoni Tapies dies

Spanish painter and sculptor Antoni Tapies, who was one of the world's leading contemporary art figures, dies aged 88.

Feb 06, 2012 06:03PM

Skydiver planning 36km record bid

Felix Baumgartner, the Austrian planning to sky dive from a record-breaking altitude, has announced he will make the attempt later this year.

Feb 06, 2012 09:26AM

SA 'resurrected singer' detained

A South African man who claims to be a famous Zulu musician who apparently died in 2009 is in custody until DNA tests determine his identity, police say.

Feb 07, 2012 05:45AM

US to deport Liberia ex-warlord

Former Liberian rebel leader George Boley should be deported from the US over his role in the civil war of the 1990s, a judge rules.

Feb 06, 2012 05:12PM

Internet cams video feeds exposed

Thousands of Trendnet security camera webfeeds have been breached and shared on the internet, including live video from children's rooms.

Feb 06, 2012 09:22PM

Venezuela holds Colombia fugitive

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos says one of the country's most wanted paramilitary leaders, known as Martin Llanos, has been captured in Venezuela.

Feb 06, 2012 03:14PM

Troops and police clash in Brazil

Brazilian troops clash with police striking over pay and conditions in the state of Bahia, as they try to remove them from the state assembly.

Feb 07, 2012 03:45AM

Charity quits after Mali attacks

Medical charity Doctors of the World pulls out of northern Mali following a recent outbreak of fighting by Tuareg rebels - some of whom used to fight for Col Gaddafi in Libya.

Feb 06, 2012 08:24AM

Somalia moves to evict squatters

Somalia starts a major operation to remove tens of thousands of people who have been squatting in government buildings in the capital.