February 11, 2013
Pope Benedict XVI in shock resignation
Pope Benedict XVI is to resign at the end of this month after nearly eight years as the head of the Catholic Church, saying he is too old to continue at the age of 85. The unexpected development surprised governments, Vatican-watchers and even the…
February 11, 2013
Heavy gunfire in northern Mali town of Gao
Malian troops and suspected Islamist militants are exchanging heavy gunfire on the streets of Gao in northern Mali. A BBC correspondent in the town says the clashes began near the central police station but have since spread. It comes a day after a…
February 11, 2013
Five dead on Canary Islands cruise ship
Five crew members have died after a lifeboat they were in fell from a cruise ship docked in the port of Santa Cruz de la Palma in the Canary Islands. The accident happened on the Majesty, operated by UK-based Thomson Cruises, during a routine safety…
February 11, 2013
More Than 20 Die in Stampede at India’s Ganges Festival
More than 20 people were killed in a stampede Sunday during a religious holiday in northern India.Officials say the stampede broke out when pilgrims were heading home from a festival that attracted millions of people in the northern city of…
February 11, 2013
Christopher Dorner hunt: $1m reward for ex-LAPD officer
Authorities in Los Angeles have offered a $1m (£630,000) reward for information leading to the arrest of a fugitive ex-policeman suspected of three murders. Christopher Dorner, 33, has been on the run for the past week, following the attacks in…
February 7, 2013
EU leaders set for crucial budget summit
European Union leaders are due to begin a two-day summit in Brussels to try to strike a deal on the next seven years of EU spending. High EU expenditure at a time of cutbacks and austerity across the continent is the main issue dividing the 27…
February 7, 2013
Hamas and Fatah in unity talks, says Khaled Meshaal
Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal has told the BBC he is in talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas about forming a national unity government. Mr Meshaal also said preparations were being made for presidential and parliamentary elections. The split…
February 7, 2013
Teams start assessing tsunami-hit Solomon Islands
Aftershocks continued to rock the Solomon Islands, a day after a powerful earthquake triggered a tsunami that left at least six people dead. A metre-high wave swamped several villages on Santa Cruz island, in the far east of the Pacific nation,…
February 7, 2013
India child sex victims ‘humiliated’ – Human Rights Watch
Child victims of sexual abuse in India are often mistreated and humiliated by police, says the US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) in a new report. Government systems to deal with the issue of abuse are inadequate, it says. The report says sexual…
February 5, 2013
Gay marriage: MPs back legislation
MPs have approved same-sex marriage in England and Wales in a key Commons vote, despite the opposition of almost half the Conservative MPs. The Commons voted in favour of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill, by 400 to 175, a majority of 225, at the…