Focus on the big picture

Violence in Syria has escalated sharply in the past two days, with heavy bloodshed reported Friday in at least three flash points as Arab League monitors expressed exasperation.

A photo released by an opposition group, the Local Coordination Committees in Syria, appeared to show bodies of children, who activists said were killed in government attacks, at a mortua...

Russia remains a staunch defender of Syria, providing it with a political lifeline as well as arms and ammunition.

Khaled Meshal has effectively abandoned his long-time base in Syria, where a popular uprising has left thousands dead, and has no plans to return, Hamas sources in Gaza said on Friday.

Egyptians marked the first anniversary of their revolution. Protesters accused the Muslim Brotherhood of bowing to the military.The resentments of many political activists toward the Musl...

The UN Security Council is considering a draft resolution against Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, amid an upsurge in violence.

Violence breaks out in Senegal after the country's top court rules that President Abdoulaye Wade can run for a third term in office.

Danny Boyle reveals the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony will be called Isles of Wonder, in an announcement six months ahead of the Games.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai is in the UK to meet PM David Cameron following France's decision to speed up the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.

Demi Moore suffered convulsions after smoking an undisclosed substance, according to a tape of an emergency call made on Monday.

The Taliban in Afghanistan have moderated a lot of their once-radical positions and now support education for girls. As the U.S. pursues peace talks with the Taliban, the question is will...

Syrian dissident soldiers teamed up with civilians to occupy neighborhoods on Damascus's outskirts, a development that could lay the groundwork for violent resistance to sweep the capital.

Dozens of people were killed and wounded when a suicide car bomber attacked a funeral procession in Baghdad on Friday, days after an al Qaeda-linked insurgent group warned it would step u...

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said he will propose accelerating the handover of foreign troops' security responsibilities in Afghanistan to Afghan forces to 2013, a year earlier than t...

A media adviser to Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard resigned Friday amid a controversy surrounding leaked information that led to a chaotic confrontation with Aboriginal activists.

Antibiotics were once the wonder drug. Now, however, an increasing number of highly resistant -- and deadly -- bacteria are spreading around the world. The killer bugs often originate in ...

In 2010, Berlin's Botanical Garden received a rare and precious gift from the Seychelles: a nut from the Coco de Mer palm, prized around the world for centuries. Now that they've managed ...

It is a premiere for Germany. Never before have artifacts from Islam's holiest site, the Kaaba in Mecca, been on display in the country. A new exhibit in Berlin's famous Pergamon Museum t...

The US Republican candidates' debate in Florida quickly devolved into a horror show of absurdities on Thursday night as candidates argued about immigration and moon colonies. Mitt Romney ...

Eli Beer: smart bike, phone and idea ISRAELIS know all too well the need for first aid—and the difficulties of providing it. When Eli Beer was four, in 1978, he saw the carnage after a h...

FIRST came the yodelling, then the pain. The online entrepreneurs and venture capitalists at DLD, a geeks’ shindig this month in Munich, barely had time to recover from their traditional...

RETIRED policemen, judges and presidents who support radical drug-law reform still greatly outnumber those who pipe up while still in the job. But calls for a rethink are increasingly co...

THAT a company can conceal who really owns it is a longstanding privilege in many countries. This is not just convenient for the shareholders. It makes money for the authorities that reg...

CARBON emissions vary hugely between countries. That is well known, as is the finding that rich people emit more than poor ones. But a newly revised paper * by Emilio Zagheni of the Max ...

Rescue workers feverishly dug through the wreckage of three buildings in downtown Rio de Janeiro Friday, hunting for survivors of a collapse that killed at least 12 people and left 17 mor...

The Philippines would conduct more joint military drills with the US, and not bring back the American military bases.

The US economy increased 2.8 percent year-on-year in the fourth quarter of 2011, the fastest pace of the year.

At least 24 people were killed when a bomb exploded near a Baghdad marketplace on Friday in the latest attack on a mainly Shi'ite neighbourhood since a political crisis erupted in December.

Despite mounting political and economic pressure, Iranian officials have maintained a defiant tone on European and US threats of more sanctions.

Use by French firm of substandard silicone gel raises questions about manufacture and regulation of breast implants

No description available

New, Supreme Court-ordained electioneering vehicles have made American democracy more than ever a money game

$100-million needed this year to save the lives of 500,000 children in the Sahel region, Unicef says

Legislation to outlaw face-covering clothing reflects increasingly conservative society

General David Richards says military move into southern Afghanistan was "amateurish" and "verging on the complacent".

One of Britain's biggest users of faulty breast implants is making women sign away their rights to legal action if they want to take up its offer of cut-price replacements.

The NHS will be 'in peril' if the Government's controversial health reforms are prevented from going ahead, a group of senior GPs will warn on Saturday.

The wife of Regimental Sergeant Major Darren Chant, the most senior non-commissioned officer to be killed in Afghanistan, has condemned the Government's treatment of war widows claiming t...

David Cameron will be acting like a "dictator" if he allows homosexual couples to wed, Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu says in an interview with The Telegraph.

Jan. 27 (Bloomberg) -- Catherine Mann, professor at Brandeis International Business School and former Federal Reserve economist, says inflation, unemployment, and GDP rates are under thei...

Jan. 27 (Bloomberg) -- Dan Alpert, managing partner of Westwood Capital LLC, discusses the creation of an educational website for tenants of Stuyvestant Town in New York City. Alpert talk...

Jan. 27 (Bloomberg) -- Greg Miles, an editor at Bloomberg News, and William Glasgall, a managing editor at Bloomberg News, discuss some of the stories that Bloomberg editors are watching ...

Jan. 27 (Bloomberg) -- Peter Dixon, global equities economist at Commerzbank AG, says record wide spreads between sovereign debt of Portugal and Germany shows the "Portugal situation is e...

Jan. 27 (Bloomberg) -- Robert Hormats, the U.S. State Department's undersecretary for economic, energy and agricultural affairs, says China is "not playing by global rules" when it comes ...

Court approves 85-year-old Abdoulaye Wade's bid for re-election and bars music icon Youssou Ndour from running.

Days of tough talks loom before any vote is held as Russia says the proposed resolution crosses its "red lines".

Head of Arab League mission says violence is rising "in a significant way" ahead of UN Security Council meeting.

The attack by gunmen suspected of being members of Boko Haram led to more than an hour of running gun battles.

Meeting in Ethiopian capital had been called after the South shut production, saying Khartoum was stealing oil.

Rescue teams searched through matchstick rubble Saturday for thousands of people missing in flooded areas of northeastern Japan, beginning one of the most complex relief efforts in history.

Japanese authorities said Sunday that efforts to restart the cooling system at one of the reactors damaged by Friday's earthquake had failed, a major setback in the struggle to contain wh...

ABORIGINAL Tent Embassy members have identified a unionist as the person who told protesters of Tony Abbott's whereabouts.

CAMPBELL Newman has endured his most testing day since becoming leader of Queensland's merged conservative party.

AUSTRALIA has wrapped up the Fourth Test inside an hour on the Fifth day to win the Border-Gavaskar series 4-0.

A TRUCK driver rescued a family trapped between two rising creeks in Qld as the NSW government faced calls to declare flooded areas disaster zones.

AFTER a nervous few days waiting, Australian producer Grant Hill has officially been named an Oscar nominee.

BreakingNews: Suspicious device discovered at San Ysidro, Calif., border crossing pedestrian area - NBC San Diego http://t.co/5zp9JAlz

BreakingNews: Update: President poll ruling sparks street clashes in Senegal; policeman killed - Reuters http://t.co/pKN5Ml8x

BreakingNews: Former 16-year Boston Mayor Kevin White dies at age 82 - @boston.com http://t.co/2EmF7qa4

BreakingNews: Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer sets election dates to fill Rep. Gabrielle Giffords vacated House seat http://t.co/sgI1P8yu

BreakingNews: Judge declares mistrial in New Orleans Danziger Bridge cover-up case - @WWLTV http://t.co/zHeCcnFA

Hong Kong shares rose 0.31 percent, a sixth straight gain, on hopes China will soon introduce new monetary easing policies after the Chinese New Year...

Hong Kong shares were flat in the morning, giving up early advances as profit-takers moved in after five straight sessions of gains. The benchmark...

Hong Kong stocks edged slightly higher in early trade after a lacklustre session on Wall Street triggered by weak economic data and profit taking. ...

Hong Kong stocks rose 1.47 percent in early trade, the first session after a three-day Chinese New Year holiday, reflecting gains in US markets. Th...

Hong Kong stocks rose 0.12 percent at the beginning of trade, extending the previous days rally following a positive lead from Wall Street. The ...

Over the last month, Islamist extremist group Boko Haram has carried out multiple bombings and shootings across the north of Nigeria; hundreds of people have been killed. What's behind th...

Thousands took to the streets in a Damascus suburb Friday for a funeral procession for a man they say was killed overnight as violence spawned by anti-government protests continues in Syr...

A crooked Somali cop may have been the one who made the kidnapping of two foreign aid workers in October possible, the safety adviser for their employer told CNN.

The founder of a French company that makes breast implants linked to a health scare was charged Friday with involuntary injury, his attorney told a CNN television affiliate.

A suicide car bomber targeted a Shiite funeral procession in the Iraqi capital Friday, killing 31 people and wounding 60 others, two police officials said.

Space-starved Hong Kong has long been plagued by high rents and steep hotel rates, vexing university students and tourists alike. But help may be at hand, thanks to one Hong Kong firm: t...

Earlier this month, security staff at Dolce & Gabbana's Hong Kong boutique reportedly barred Hong Kong natives from taking photos of the store — while not enforcing similar rules on tour...

Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) has published a list of frequently asked questions on its website to help investors understand the key features and risks specific to ...

Hong Kong is now the top tourist destination worldwide trumping London, which held the leading seat in previous rankings, according to Euromonitor International's latest Top 100 City Des...

Hong Kong will help London develop as the next offshore yuan trading centre, shrugging off traditional competition between the two cities as part of a broader plan to boost international...

A man was stabbed to death in a suspected road rage incident yesterday. Officers were called to Teehey Lane in Bebington, Wirral, just after 3pm. A man, believed to be from the local are...

Queens Park Rangers announced last night that it will carry out full security searches for fans coming to today's showdown FA Cup tie with Chelsea.The move comes after a sick thug sent Q...

A glum-faced glamour model left court yesterday knowing she could be jailed – for falsely claiming more than £16,000 in benefits.

TO all who knew him, he was the most devoted, benevolent doctor in Nazi-occupied Paris.

Blankets of snow up to four inches deep fell on higher ground yesterday as the whole country was warned to brace itself for a covering.

Passengers offered $14,460 apiece to compensate them for lost baggage and psychological trauma after their cruise ship ran aground.

France and Afghanistan agree NATO should speed up its timetable for handing all combat operations to Afghan forces, President Sarkozy said.

Participants at a memorial to 2 million Jews murdered at Auschwitz are condemning plans to hold a ball that attracts extreme rightists.

A U.S. citizen kidnapped by gunmen in Nigeria's oil-rich southern delta has been freed after a week in captivity, the U.S. Embassy said.

An interracial poster distributed on South African college campuses by a student youth group has caused a stir.

Former US Federal Reserve governor Kevin Warsh says the central bank's record monetary easing may set back the US economic expansion and that he is concerned policy makers are pushing inv...

Flat-screen maker LG Display posted a much smaller quarterly loss yesterday, helped by solid demand from smartphones and tablet makers such as Apple and as falling television panel prices...

Slowing growth in China is emerging as a concern in some of this quarter's earnings reports from US multinationals that have long relied on strong growth in China and other emerging marke...

In the brutal world of online commerce, where a competing product is just a click away, retailers need all the juice they can get to close a sale. Some exalt themselves by anonymously pos...

Japan's core consumer prices fell for the third consecutive month in December, and mild deflation is expected to persist this year as energy prices stabilise and worries about Europe's de...

After retiring from the State Department, her options include everything from women’s rights to the World Bank.

Julia Gillard flees public outcry, taking her political
opponent with her, reports Sam Bungey

Former FBI agent Robert Fitzpatrick tells his story of trying to stop the FBI from protecting crime lord Whitey Bulger. By T.J. English

Living through a shipwreck? Priceless. Why no one’s taking Costa Concordia’s deal. By Barbie Latza Nadeau

T. Byram Karasu says bereavement isn’t a disorder to be added to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual.

CHECK out who has signed for which club during the January transfer window

STAR was held down by friends while having convulsions bombshell audio recording reveals

CLICK here to read Mystic Meg's stars for today

MANCHESTER UNITED boss Alex Ferguson admits a clash with Liverpool is still the one he relishes most

SEE if our top racing tipster can find you a winner among today's runners and riders

AP - Two days of bloody turmoil in Syria killed at least 74 people, including small children, as forces loyal to President Bashar Assad shelled residential buildings and fired on crowds ...

AP - Republican insiders are rising up to cut Newt Gingrich down to size, testament to the GOP establishment's fear that the mercurial candidate could lead the party to disaster this fall.

AP - Senegal's highest court ruled Friday the country's increasingly frail, 85-year-old president could run for a third term in next month's election, a deep blow to the country's opposi...

AP - Twitter, a tool of choice for dissidents and activists around the world, found itself the target of global outrage Friday after unveiling plans to allow country-specific censorship ...

AP - The American economy may not be truly healthy yet, but it's healing.

Joe Paterno's son soaks in the surroundings of grief and finds comfort

Peyton Manning and Jim Irsay "had a long talk" Friday, coming to terms with comments made to the media this week, first by the Colts quarterback and then by the team's owner two days later.

LeBron James scored 31 points, Dwyane Wade scored 28 in his return from a sprained right ankle, and the Miami Heat beat the 3-point-obsessed New York Knicks 99-89 on Friday night.

New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski reportedly has a high ankle sprain.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says the recession has helped build TV audiences for NFL games.

Andy Murray believes he is closer than ever to matching the world's best three players, despite losing an epic five-set Australian Open semi-final to Novak Djokovic.

AC Milan drop out of the running to sign Argentina striker Carlos Tevez from Manchester City.

Watford dominate but Rafael van der Vaart's long-range strike ensures a happy end to the week for Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp.

Marouane Fellaini scores a second-half header as Everton come from behind to beat Fulham and earn their spot in the fifth round.

Preview followed by live coverage of Saturday's game between QPR and Chelsea in the FA Cup.

LeBron James scored 31 points, Dwyane Wade scored 28 in his return from a sprained right ankle, and the Miami Heat beat the 3-point-obsessed New York Knicks 99-89 on Friday night. Chris ...

If anyone knows how Novak Djokovic feels after sweating and scrapping for almost five hours in the Australian Open semifinals, it's his next opponent -- Rafael Nadal. A day after Nadal be...

Peyton Manning and Colts owner Jim Irsay insist they are just fine after a week filled with complaints and comments suggesting a rift had developed following one of the most miserable se...

Rob Gronkowski's playing status for the Super Bowl was listed as questionable on Friday after the star tight end missed the New England Patriots practice for the second straight day with ...

Commissioner Bud Selig expects baseball to expand its playoffs this season. Players and owners have already agreed to add an additional wild-card team in each league, but are still decid...

The Russian spacecraft Progress M-14M was launched late on Wednesday night (25th) from the Baikonur, Kazakhstan base toward the International Space Station (ISS), announced the Spacefligh...

US Congressman Barney Frank is going to tie the knot with his boyfriend. The US politician is 71 years old

OK! Magazine published a photo of Oksana Grigorieva, which was taken on January 25th

A 13-year-old boy saved his own life by biting off the snake's head. The heroic and yet unbelievable tale made the front pages of many newspapers in Israel

Hundreds of prisoners organized a desperate action of protest in Kyrgyzstan. The inmates mutilated themselves under patriotic slogans. As many as 1,087 prison inmates stitched up their mo...

The credit ratings agency Fitch has downgraded five eurozone countries, with a double-drop for the major economies of Italy and Spain. The move, ahead of an EU summit on Monday, comes soo...

Observers have warned of a significant increase in violence in Syria. Reports from across the country state that 100 people may have been killed on Friday alone. The UN Security Council i...

A freeze on French operations in Afghanistan, imposed after the deaths of four soldiers last week, has been lifted. President Nicolas Sarkozy says troops will remain only until the end of...

Germany marked Holocaust Memorial Day on Friday with a special session of parliament and a call for the nations citizens never to forget the danger posed by right-wing extremism.

Spains jobless rate soared to a 17-year record high in the final quarter of last year. It had the greatest percentage of unemployed people in the entire industrialized world. And the outl...

For the first time, the Justice Department has made public a series of sensitive messages that passed to the highest levels of the agency within hours of an ambush that killed a U.S. bord...

The Food and Drug Administration has detained several shipments of imported orange juice after finding traces of carbendazim, an illegal fungicide. The government says the juice is safe t...

A magnitude-5.5 earthquake rattled Yamanashi prefecture in central Japan on Saturday morning, the Japan Meteorological Agency reported. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuri...

Cuban food has evolved very little since Fidel Castro came into power — the U.S. embargo has made it hard to import ingredients from abroad. But a handful of Cuban chefs, including one wh...

Organizers say it's the first major parade for the men and women who fought in Iraq. They're hoping thousands turn out, just as people there did for the World Series champions last fall.

Hackers are attacking sites and looking to expose information on European officials in response to the signing of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement. ACTA critics say its even worse ...

St. Petersburg, Russia-based Andrey N. Sabelnikov says he is absolutely not guilty of participating in the creation of the huge spam network that Microsoft shut down last September.

This weeks collection of games relies less on graphics and more on solid gameplay. If you dont mind simple graphics and just want a good pick-up-and play game, this is your collection.

Windows 8 on ARM is coming along nicely, thank you, according to a couple of sources with whom CNET spoke.

CNET takes a hands-on look at the new Mog online music system in a BMW 650i. Relying on an iPhone, the Mog interface lets the driver choose from 14 million tracks.