'System' failed US in bomb plot
"Unacceptable" intelligence failures allowed an extremist to board a US plane with explosives, US President Barack Obama says.

Brazil 'needle boy' out of danger
Doctors in Brazil say a two-year-old boy who was pierced with at least 31 sewing needles is out of danger after a third operation.

Argentina media heirs' DNA tests
An Argentine judge orders heirs to a media empire to take genetic tests to establish if they are victims of forced adoption.

Homes burn in West Australia fire
Nearly 40 homes burn down in fires raging in farming areas north of Perth, the capital of Western Australia.

UN seeks access to Hmong in Laos
The UN refugee agency asks Laos for access to more than 4,000 ethnic Hmong forcibly repatriated from Thailand.

Britain sought to discourage Shah
Britain was keen to discourage the deposed Shah of Iran from trying to settle in England in 1979, archives reveal.

Kurd sentenced for Turkey bombing
A Turkish court sentences a Kurd to life for a 2005 attack that left five dead, including a British and Irish tourist.

Swine flu pandemic 'not yet over'
The WHO head warns the global swine flu pandemic is not over and the virus could still mutate into a more dangerous strain.

Japan asked not to give Thatcher 20 "karate ladies", papers show
Japan was asked not to greet Britain's first female prime minister with a security escort of 20 "karate ladies", newly-released government papers show.

Minuscule stinger strikes man in last week of 'the world's best job'
The man who landed what was dubbed "the best job in the world", taking care of a tropical Australian island has received a nasty jellyfish sting in his last week in the role.

Live - South Africa v England
Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad take their fourth wicket as England close in on victory in the second Test against South Africa in Durban.

Villa undone by last-gasp Torres
Fernando Torres hits a 93rd-minute winner as Liverpool claim a late victory over Aston Villa to move up to seventh in the Premier League.

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Conflict child
Tough life for baby born as Israel attacked Gaza

'Our turn now'
Gorkha campaign for India state gathers pace

River world
Sound and images from a floating market in Vietnam

Lincoln legacy
Past and present debated in Lincoln bicentenary year

Reality check
Augmented reality will be mainstream in mobiles in 2010

Meet the family
Life for British Asian brides who live with their in-laws

New low for Japan Airlines shares
Japan Airlines' shares fall to another new low on growing worries the carrier will file for bankruptcy.

Lehman creditors get back $11bn
Administrators of the bust investment bank Lehman Brothers announce plans to repay $11bn in assets to former investors.

US home prices up for fifth month
US house prices rose in October for the fifth month in a row, according to the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller Home Price index.

Secret mobile phone codes cracked
A computer scientist publishes details of the secret code used to encrypt the majority of mobile phone conversations.

Nokia expands claim against Apple
Nokia ramps up its legal fight against Apple, claiming that almost all of its products infringe its patents.

Google is sued by Chinese author
A Beijing judge tells Chinese novelist Mian Mian, who is suing Google over its online library plan, to hold settlement talks.

Sheen 'threatened to kill wife'
Actor Charlie Sheen put a knife to his wife's throat and threatened to kill her in a fight that began over Christmas, she tells police.

Tyra Banks to leave chat show
Former model Tyra Banks announces she will no longer present her chat show after its fifth season.

Music therapy for tinnitus hope
Personalised music therapy may help cut noise levels experienced by people who suffer from tinnitus, say researchers.

'Back to nature' cuts flood risks
Reconnecting flood-plains to rivers will help reduce the risk of future flooding, a study by US researchers suggests.

Rise in diabetes limb amputations
The number of people having a limb amputated because of type-two diabetes has risen greatly in England, a study shows.

'Children die' in Nigeria clash
The Red Cross in Nigeria says many of those who died in clashes in Bauchi state on Monday were children.

Sudan MPs pass key referendum law
Sudanese MPs pass a key law paving the way for a referendum on southern independence, ending months of wrangling.

US/UK 'special relationship' was under strain
Files from the National Archives shed light on strained Anglo-American relations at the height of the Northern Ireland Troubles.

Mexico drugs boss scene 'altered'
Six Mexican forensics experts are accused of altering the crime scene after drugs cartel boss Arturo Beltran Leyva was killed.

Brown pledges support to Suu Kyi
UK PM Gordon Brown writes a personal letter to Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, praising her courage.

British anger at China execution
The Chinese ambassador is called to the Foreign Office amid a growing row over the execution of a British man.

US rejects Russia shield concerns
The US rejects fresh concerns raised by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin about its planned missile defence system.

Body found at diplomat's home
Police in Austria discover the body of a woman apparently stabbed to death at the Lebanese ambassador's home.

Yemen warns West on terror threat
The West is not helping enough against al-Qaeda, Yemen says, as details emerge of the alleged US jet bomber's time there.

Shot Iran reformer 'got threats'
The nephew of Iran's opposition leader was threatened days before being killed in street protests, supporters say.

India hit by new state protests
Large parts of the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh are shut down in a strike by new state campaigners.

New complaints against India cop
Police in India register fresh complaints against a former senior police officer convicted for molesting a 14-year-old girl.

Brown pledges to 'go for growth'
The PM will use his new year message to pledge to "get Britain moving forward" and warn voters not to "wreck the recovery".

Firms move production back to UK
Manufacturers are moving production back to the UK amid concerns about quality and higher freight costs, a report says.

More snow set to hit parts of UK
Parts of Wales and central and north-west England are forecast to be hit by heavy snow on Wednesday.

Woman critically ill after shooting
A woman remains seriously ill after being shot in an incident in which police believe her ex-partner killed their daughter.

NHS stress phone service launched
An NHS hotline aimed at helping people struggling with stress has been launched by the government.

Cousin 'sad' over executed Briton
The cousin of a British man executed in China says he is "sad and disappointed" by his death.