Foreign Office officials believe elements of Taliban ready to talk but fears grow of long Afghan conflict, and growing casualties

Britain will today urge the Afghan government to put more effort into the pursuit of peace talks amid fears that the war could be prolonged ? and more British lives lost ? as a result of incompetence and lack of political will in Kabul.

A speech to be delivered in the US by the foreign secretary, David Miliband, will reflect growing anxiety in London that President H...

US woman accused of plotting to murder unnamed Swede and raising money for her cause on the internet

An American woman who called herself Jihad Jane has been charged over an alleged plot to murder a Swedish man.

Colleen Renee LaRose, 46, from Philadelphia, is also accused of conspiracy to provide support to terrorists, making false statements and attempted identity theft.

Irish police yesterday arrested seven people over an apparent plot to kill Lars Vilks, a Swedish cartoonist who had a bounty ...

Grenades set off in offices of World Vision humanitarian group

Attackers armed with grenades bombed the offices of an international aid group in north-west Pakistan today, killing six people working for the organisation, police said.

The attack targeted World Vision, a large Christian humanitarian group helping survivors of the 2005 Kashmir earthquake in Mansehra district.

The dead were all Pakistanis and included two women, said a police official, Mohammad Sabir.

"It was a brutal and senseless a...

? Spiritual leader repeats call for autonomy within China
? Annual address marks 51st anniversary of failed uprising

The Dalai Lama today lashed out at Chinese authorities, accusing them of trying to "annihilate Buddhism" in Tibet as he commemorated a failed uprising against China's rule over the region.

The Tibetan spiritual leader's remarks showed his frustration over fruitless attempts to negotiate a compromise with China, and came amid reports that hundreds of Tibetans have been rounded up i...

Russian oligarch awarded damages over claims he arranged polonium poisoning of friend and former spy

The exiled Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky was today awarded libel damages of £150,000 over "savage" allegations he was behind the murder of Alexander Litvinenko, the poisoned Russian dissident who was his close friend.

In a chaotic high court battle in London, the 64-year-old tycoon successfully argued his reputation had seriously been damaged by a Russian state television broadcast in April ...

New law prohibits parties taking part in this year's election from having members with a court conviction

Burma's military government is to force Aung San Suu Kyi's political party to expel her if it wants to participate in the upcoming election, under the terms of a new law announced today.

The political parties registration law, published in official newspapers, requires the National League for Democracy (NLD) and other parties to re-register within 60 days with a new election commission.

It p...

Leader among Tripoli officials slapped with Europe-wide travel ban as relations with Berne take turn for worse

In the bad old days before Muammar Gaddafi cleaned up his act, international isolation and confrontation with the west were a normal state of affairs for Libya. But now the Jamahiriya ? the "state of the masses" ? is mired in an embarrassing crisis with Switzerland that has escalated into a Europe-wide travel ban for the country's leaders and top officials.

From Gaddafi downwards, no s...

As global warming and habitat degradation accelerates, people indigenous to the Arctic circle say they have much to teach the world about how to adapt, survive, and thrive

Elina Helander-Renvall comes from Utsjoki, a place so obscure that even many Finns have little idea where it is. Utsjoki, or Ochejohka, Uccjuuha, and Uccjokk, depending on which local language you are speaking, is Finland's northern-most municipality. Straddling the border with Norway, it shivers, unregarded, deep inside the...

Richard Purssell describes 'shocking event' in Haifa court on first day of civil suit brought by Corrie family against Israel

A British witness told a court today about how he had watched an Israeli military bulldozer run over and kill the American activist Rachel Corrie while she was trying to stop Palestinians' homes being demolished in Gaza.

Richard Purssell, who was also a volunteer activist in Rafah at the time, seven years ago, described the "shocking and dramatic event" in an Israeli cou...

Rome school instals condom machine

Cardinal deplores initiative for 'trivialising sexuality' as headmaster of Kepler school urges others to follow

For its critics in the Vatican, it is a matter of "deep concern". For its proponents, it is "evidence of great courage".

Amid national controversy, the Kepler scientific secondary school today became the first in the Italian education system to install condom vending machines for students. The machines, in the girls' and boys' toilets, will sell cut-price condoms just a few miles fro...

‘Doomsday’ seed bank growing strongly
Arctic vault now contains the world's most diverse repository of crop seeds, operators say

Britain urges political settlement with Afghan insurgents
Foreign Secretary says the time is right while military and civilian surges are putting pressure on the Taliban

UN launches independent review of climate change panel
Science academy group will lead review set up to restore faith in global warming research after errors in 2007 report

Mohammed artist has no regrets about drawing
Despite alleged murder plot against him and risk of offending Muslims, Swedish artist says the point of drawing the prophet is 'to show that you can’

Microwork is the new, new buzzword in global outsourcing
A San Francisco start-up is getting work to employees in the developing world, one tiny virtual task at a time

Obama renews promises to Haiti president
The U.S. knows the crisis in Haiti is far from over, Obama tells visiting President Rene Preval

Chinese use Twitter to report police intimidation
Twitter is blocked in China, but that hasn't stopped people from getting around Internet controls and posting sometimes hour-by-hour diaries of their police encounters

Quake experts praise Chile's response time, despite criticism
President Bachelet - who leaves office Thursday - reacted appropriately, experts say, after reports of delayed help for hungry and homeless

Nobel committee to consider record number of nominations
Officials say 237 nominations have been submitted for 2010 Nobel Peace Prize

Actor Corey Haim dies at 38
Coroner's office says Canadian-born actor died early Wednesday; autopsy scheduled