Syria troops step up Homs bombing Heavy artillery fire rocks the restive Syrian city of Homs, in what anti-government activists are calling one of the fiercest assaults yet.
Abbas to head interim government Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says he will head an interim unity government to prepare for elections in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Romanian PM resigns over protests Romania's Prime Minister Emil Boc steps down to "defuse political and social tension" after a series of austerity protests.
Many trapped in Lahore collapse A factory building collapses in the Pakistani city of Lahore with many people, including women and children, feared trapped.
Talks on Greece bailout restart Party leaders in Greece resume crisis talks on new austerity measures demanded by EU leaders in return for funds needed to avoid defaulting on its debts.
China in EU carbon scheme 'ban' China tells its airlines not to pay charges to the EU's Emissions Trading Scheme, aimed at cutting carbon emissions.
Woman runs for Mexico presidency Mexico's governing conservative party selects its first woman candidate to run in the country's presidential election.
China stresses Tibet stability The Tibetan regional government warns its officials to maintain stability in the area or face dismissal or criminal charges ahead of the Tibetan new year.
US and Israel 'in unison' on Iran The US is working closely with Israel to use diplomacy to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power, President Barack Obama says.
More floods threaten Queensland Floods continue to threaten Queensland in eastern Australia, with 3,000 evacuated and the town of St George expecting to be worst affected.
Deadly quake hits the Philippines At least seven people die after a 6.7 magnitude earthquake struck the central Philippines, official reports say.
JFK mistress reveals new details Mimi Alford, a former mistress of President John F Kennedy, reveals new details of their relationship in a book, according to US media reports.
Depardieu to star as Strauss-Kahn Gerard Depardieu is to star in a movie about the sex scandal that caused IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn to resign.
Man, 104, is 'oldest' new citizen A 104-year-old man is thought to be the oldest person to have become a new British citizen after a ceremony held at Surrey County Council's headquarters.
Egypt 'to try foreign NGO staff' Egypt says it is to try 43 people - including Americans and other foreigners - over the alleged illegal funding of non-governmental organisations.
Syrian army in fresh assault on Homs Activists say new round of shelling has killed about 50 more people, mostly civilians, as regime believes itself ?immune from intervention?
China bars airlines from EU tax plan Beijing?s ban on Chinese airlines complying with a European Union charge on carbon emissions, escalates a dispute that risks becoming a trade war
Odds stacking up against Gingrich With little money, a relatively weak on-the-ground campaign organisation and facing ever-rising attacks from fellow conservatives, the former House Speaker has little chance to stage a comeback
New York Giants win Super Bowl The win is a repeat of the 2008 National Football League championship and is likely to be the most-watched TV broadcast of the year in the US
Pro-European elected Finland president Sauli Niinist, the pro-European candidate from the ruling National Coalition party, will be the next president of Finland after a convincing win
Iran softens line on cutting oil to Europe Iran has indicated that its threat to cut oil supplies to European states in order to pre-empt an EU oil embargo may be only a symbolic one
Protests chip away at Putin?s authority With the demonstrations showing no sign of fading away, pressure is growing on the Kremlin to engage in more active political reforms
Malaria Deaths May Be Double WHO Estimates A new study from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation suggests that the number of malaria deaths in 2010 was twice as high as the World Health Organization (WHO) estimate of 655,000. The discrepancy stems largely from the fact that previous studies, operating on the faulty assumption that malaria mainly kills the very young, overlooked hundreds of thousands of deaths. Data compiled in the new study indicate that 42 percent of malaria deaths occur in older children and adults. Still, both the new study and the WHO agree that malaria deaths overall are on the decline. Discuss
Nature and Nurture Both Active in Addictions Brain scans of pairs of siblings, only one of whom is a cocaine addict, show that both have brain abnormalities that make it difficult for them to exercise self-control. The findings show that these brain abnormalities are not caused by drug use and help explain why some people are more likely to develop an addiction to drugs than others. Still, researchers do not yet understand why it is that some with this brain abnormality are able to overcome their predisposition to abuse drugs and others are not.
More Than 100 Missing in Ferry Sinking Some 246 people were rescued following the sinking of a passenger ferry off of the east coast of Papua New Guinea, but scores are still unaccounted for and feared dead. About 350 people, many of them students, were aboard the MV Rabaul Queen when it sank on Thursday. It is possible that many of the missing were trapped inside the ferry when it went under, but rescuers are still searching in the hopes of locating more survivors.
16: Зочин
A new study from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation suggests that the number of 
Brain scans of pairs of siblings, only one of whom is a 
Some 246 people were