Bangladesh cyclone kills hundreds

Bangladesh cyclone kills hundreds

The death toll from a cyclone that hit the southern coast of Bangladesh reportedly reaches more than 600.

IPCC to warn of 'abrupt' warming

Climate change may bring "abrupt and irreversible" impacts, the UN's climate advisory panel will announce.

Saudi gang rape sentence 'unjust'

A lawyer for a Saudi rape victim sentenced to 200 lashes and jail says this contravenes Islamic law.

US seeks end to Pakistan crisis

America's John Negroponte goes to Pakistan to boost "moderate forces" and speaks to ex-PM Benazir Bhutto.

Georgia ends state of emergency

Georgia's president lifts the state of emergency imposed last week, and replaces his prime minister.

Kosovo set to vote in local polls

Voters in Kosovo are to take part in local elections, amid continuing uncertainty over the status of the province.

Iran calls for US nuclear apology

Iran's president says the US should apologise for the way it has treated Tehran over its nuclear programme.

Russia cult in cave siege

Police in Russia try to coax members of a doomsday cult out of a cave they are threatening to blow up.

Firm offers online DNA analysis

A company launches a service that will enable people to access an online profile of their own genome.

F1: McLaren lose Brazilian appeal

McLaren lose their appeal against the result of the Brazilian Grand Prix as Kimi Raikkonen is confirmed as world champion.

Football: Owen injury blow

Michael Owen suffers a thigh injury in England's friendly win over Austria and is out of the Euro 2008 qualifier against Croatia on Wednesday.

Darfur talks 'expect more delays'

Sudan's stalled Darfur peace talks may not restart this year because of continued boycotts, a mediator says.

Madagascar death penalty defended

A Madagascar minister personally defends the death penalty days after 12 people were sentenced to death.

US Senate blocks Iraq funds bill

Republicans in the US Senate block a Democratic proposal to tie an Iraq war funding bill to a troop pull-out timetable.

Baseball star Barry Bonds charged

A US federal grand jury charges baseball home run king Barry Bonds with perjury over a steroids inquiry.

Junta 'accepts higher Burma toll'

Burma's ruling generals concede that 15 people died during their crackdown on protests, a UN envoy says.

Loans cut for Chinese polluters

Chinese authorities withdraw loans to 12 firms accused of flouting environment laws, in the first move of its kind.

Watchdog cancels Russia poll plan

The international election watchdog, the OSCE, says it will not cover Russian polls because of visa problems.

EU 'should grow beyond Europe'

The UK foreign secretary says the EU should work towards including countries from the Middle East and North Africa.

UN chief in Lebanon election plea

The UN head urges Lebanese MPs to elect a president on time to avoid reaching "the brink of the abyss".

Iran bans Garcia Marquez novel

A novel by Colombia's Gabriel Garcia Marquez is pulled from shelves after Iran's censors notice its sanitised title.

New life for India's nuclear deal

India's communist parties approve of government talks with a UN watchdog on a US nuclear deal.

Mittal tops table of India's rich

Steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal is again ranked as India's wealthiest person by Forbes Asia magazine.

Second body is missing girl Dinah

Police searching a house in Kent say that a second body found is that of missing teenager Dinah McNicol.

Credit losses 'may reach $400bn'

Finance houses' losses from the credit market slump may be around $400bn (£190bn), Goldman Sachs says.

Fat pills give modest weight loss

Patients taking anti-obesity drugs lose only "modest" amounts of weight, research reveals.

US wants freeze on tuna fishing

The US calls for a temporary ban on bluefin tuna fishing in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea.

Colossus loses code-cracking race

An amateur has won a code-cracking challenge that marks the end of a project to rebuild Colossus.

LA debut for reunited Spice Girls

The Spice Girls perform live for the first time since their reunion at the Victoria's Secret fashion show.

Iraqi bloggers

For an inside view of life in Iraq, we cherry-pick recent postings from Iraqi bloggers - those who left - and some who were trying to leave.