Ministers take over climate talks
Ministers try to break the deadlock at the Copenhagen climate conference amid threats of protests by environmentalists.

US jail to house Guantanamo inmates
President Obama orders the government to buy a prison in Illinois to take a number of inmates from Guantanamo Bay.

Alzheimer's risk linked to level of appetite hormone
High levels of a hormone that controls appetite are linked to a reduced risk of developing Alzheimer's, research suggests.

US House expands Iran sanctions
The US House of Representatives approves new sanctions against foreign firms that help Iran import oil.

Obama 'optimistic' on healthcare
US President Barack Obama says he is cautiously optimistic a landmark healthcare bill will be passed in the Senate

German probe into Afghan strike
Germany opens an inquiry into a Nato strike in Afghanistan that killed 142 people, amid calls for the defence minister to resign.

Boeing Dreamliner makes first flight
Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner passenger aircraft successfully completes its first test flight in the US.

Move to ban loud TV adverts in US
The US House of Representatives approves a bill forcing broadcasters to limit the volume of television advertisements.

Italy probes pasta 'price fixing'
Italy's financial police raid the offices of the country's largest five pasta makers as part of an investigation into alleged price fixing.

What the Dickens? Author's toothpick sells for thousands
An ivory and gold toothpick once owned by author Charles Dickens sells at a New York auction for more than $9,000.

Clooney film leads Golden Globes chase
Up In The Air, starring George Clooney, is leading the nominations at this year's Golden Globe awards.

FROM BBC SPORT >>
Man Utd ease past under-strength Wolves
A vastly-changed Wolves side survive for half an hour before losing 3-0 to Manchester United at Old Trafford.

FROM BBC SPORT >>
Mercedes eager to sign Schumacher
Mercedes chief executive Nick Fry drops the strongest hint yet that seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher will come out of retirement to race next year.

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Risky business
The dangers facing Russia's human rights advocates

Global warming?
Why Copenhagen climate talks leave Russia cold

Drawing blood
Berlusconi's fans and foes battle in cyberspace

Bon appetit!
Liberte, Egalite, Obesite: Fighting flab the French way

Power vacuum
Nigerians fear crisis with their leader stuck in hospital

Yemen divided
Crises multiply for beleaguered Sanaa government

BA in legal challenge to strike
British Airways is to take legal action to try to prevent a 12-day cabin crew strike set to begin on 22 December.

Europe strikes 'banana wars' deal
Europe has agreed a deal to cut tariffs on banana imports, signalling the end of the world's longest-running trade dispute.

US producer prices see big rise
US producer prices rose more than expected in November, led by a big increase in the cost of petrol, official figures show.

Australia introduces web filters
Australia plans new laws forcing internet service providers to filter out access to websites containing banned content.

FROM JERSEY >>
Teletext to close mid-December
The Teletext information service will close across the UK on 16 December 2009,says Channel Islands service Channel TV.

Ships tracked with smart software
Monitoring of global shipping movements could help container vessels burn less fuel and speed up turnaround in port.

Cobain's daughter in guardianship
Courtney Love and late Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain's daughter is placed under the temporary guardianship of her grandmother.

Polanski film to debut in Berlin
Film-maker Roman Polanski's latest feature, The Ghost Writer, is to premiere at the Berlin Film Festival in February.

'Super-Earths' orbit nearby stars
Planet-hunters discover two "super-Earths" - rocky planets orbiting two nearby Sun-like stars.

Satellites weigh California water
A Nasa satellite mission has weighed the water lost by the US State of California's heartland since 2003.

Women have 'more sensitive touch'
The sense of touch is more sensitive among women than men because their fingers are smaller, a study suggests.

Uproar at S Leone woman chief bid
Sierra Leone traditionalists besiege a woman's house and stop her going home after she tried to become a chief.

Summit moved to keep Bashir away
A France-Africa summit is put back and moved to prevent Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir attending.

US evangelist Oral Roberts dies
Renowned US evangelist Oral Roberts, who pioneered religious broadcasting, dies in California at the age of 91.

Chile weightlifter has surprise baby
A Chilean weightlifter gives birth to a baby boy during a training session, without having known she was pregnant.

'Ten killed' in Philippines clash
At least nine rebels and one soldier are killed in fighting on southern Mindanao island, an army spokesman says.

China rejects releasing dissident
China rejects calls from the US and the EU to release a prominent dissident as interference in its internal affairs.

Berlusconi sets 'love over hate'
In his first message since an attack left him in hospital, Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi says love will triumph over hate.

EU's Muslims 'prefer mixed areas'
Most of Europe's Muslims want to live in mixed communities, not segregated neighbourhoods, a survey of 11 cities says.

Israel fury at UK's Livni warrant
Israel condemns as "cynical" the issuing of a war crimes arrest warrant in the UK for former Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni.

Iraq cities rocked by car bombs
A series of car bombings in Iraq kill at least eight people and wound scores in Baghdad and Mosul.

Deadly bombing in Pakistan town
At least 27 people are killed in a bomb attack in the central Pakistani town of Dera Ghazi Khan, officials say.

FROM BBC SPORT >>
India edge Sri Lanka in thriller
India beat Sri Lanka by just three runs in a sensational first one-day international.

Cameron pledges green home grants
More than three million homes could get grants worth up to £6,500 to improve energy efficiency if the Tories win power.

Two UK soldiers die in bomb blast
Two British and two Afghan soldiers are killed by a suspected suicide bomber while on patrol in Helmand province.

Lower speed limits for blackspots
New advice to councils to cut the speed limit on roads with accident blackspots is being published by the government.

Anger over road deaths sentence
Relatives of a former police inspector who killed four people while drink-driving in France criticise his suspended sentence.

Response due over Nimrod tragedy
The UK government is to give its detailed response to a highly critical report into the Nimrod crash which killed 14 men based at RAF Kinloss.

Defra 'should compensate farmers'
A government agency should compensate two farmers for losses incurred when it failed to pay out EU subsidies on time, says the parliamentary ombudsman.