Betancourt in plea to Farc rebels
Ingrid Betancourt urges Colombia's Farc rebels to free all hostages, as peace marches take place around the world.

Obama urges focus on Afghanistan
US presidential hopeful Barack Obama says Afghanistan should be the focus of the "war on terror", on a visit to Kabul.

German hostages freed in Turkey
Three German climbers taken hostage by Kurdish armed rebel group the PKK have been freed, officials say.

Coalition 'bombs Afghan police'
At least 13 police and civilians are killed in two incidents involving international forces in Afghanistan, officials say.

Nine face stoning death in Iran
At least eight women and one man are sentenced to death by stoning in Iran for adultery and sex crimes, reports say.

Bomb blasts hit Spanish resorts
Four bombs explode near Santander in northern Spain, but there are no reports of casualties.

Zimbabwe talks 'to move ahead'
Efforts to resolve the political crisis in Zimbabwe are close to making progress, Kenyan PM Raila Odinga tells the BBC.

Arab nations 'agree Sudan action'
Arab League ministers meeting in emergency session say they have agreed a plan to defuse the crisis over Sudan's President Bashir.

UK calls for Iraq hostage release
Gordon Brown calls for the release of five British hostages in Iraq after claims one of them has taken his own life.

Brazil police arrest bank thief, find stolen Picasso
Police in Brazil find an engraving by Pablo Picasso stolen in June after arresting a man for a completely unrelated offence.

Dog rescues Australian woman from kangaroo attack
An Australian woman is attacked by a kangaroo but saved by a pet dog who leapt to her aid, her son says.

FROM BBC SPORT >>
Brilliant Harrington retains Open
Padraig Harrington successfully defends his Open title, winning by four shots after a superb final round.

FROM BBC SPORT >>
Hamilton fights back for victory
Lewis Hamilton wins the German Grand Prix despite a questionable strategy from his McLaren team.

Painful memories
The French village which witnessed a WWII massacre

Dirty war
The hunt for the corpses of Mexico's 'disappeared'

Smile, Beijing!
Beijing told to mind its manners during Olympics

Metal riches
Thieves cash in on Jamaica's metal trade

Best in show
Which games stood out at the E3 show in Los Angeles?

Joy and grief
Strong emotions as Israel-Hezbollah swap prisoners

Spain-Africa link decision 'near'
Spain says a study is nearly complete to determine whether an undersea tunnel can be built linking the country to Morocco.

UK 'must check' US torture denial
The British government should no longer rely on US assurances it does not use torture, a parliamentary report says.

Pope warns of 'spiritual desert'
Pope Benedict XVI ends World Youth Day celebrations by warning young people to build a world free of greed.

Missing Semtex 'left unguarded'
A lapse in security is blamed for the theft of 28kg (61lb) of plastic explosive and detonators from a site in France.

UK PM says Mid-East deal possible
UK PM Gordon Brown says he is hopeful of a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians, following talks in the region.

Al-Qaeda 'may be shifting focus'
The top US commander in Iraq says al-Qaeda may be shifting its focus and sending fighters from Iraq to Afghanistan.

Church 'wounded' over gay boycott
Bishops attending the Lambeth Conference hear the row over gay clergy has left the Anglican church a "wounded community".

Fresh push in global trade talks
Trade negotiators from 30 countries meet in Geneva on Monday to make a fresh push towards a global trade deal.

Autism parents 'infection risk'
Caring for children with problems such as autism or Down's syndrome may weaken parents' immune systems.

Cern lab goes 'colder than space'
A giant physics lab on the Swiss-French border is being cooled to a temperature lower than that of outer space.

Batman film takes a record $155m
The new Batman film The Dark Knight sets a box office record after taking $155m on its opening weekend in the US.

Unsafe chargers 'flooding' the UK
Trading Standards says hundreds of thousands of unsafe chargers for mobiles and games consoles could have come into the UK

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