Homs suffers 'heaviest' shelling
Syrian opposition groups say the city of Homs has come under the heaviest shelling in days, despite the president's pledge to engage in dialogue.
Greek parties 'to finalise deal'
Greek PM Lucas Papademos is meeting coalition parties in an attempt to seal an austerity deal to secure a new EU/IMF bailout.
Capello quits as England manager
Fabio Capello resigns as England manager, the Football Association confirms.
Maldives president 'forced out'
Former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed says he was forced to resign at gunpoint in a coup, a charge the country's new leader denies.
America and Asia 'will join up'
Researchers say most of the world's continents will merge somewhere over the Pacific "ring of fire" in 50-200 million years.
Russians claim Antarctic success
Russian scientists claim victory in the race to drill into Lake Vostok, a huge body of water under the Antarctic ice which may shed light on its past.
US-Japan marine deal resurrected
The US and Japan resurrect a deal to move thousands of US Marines from Okinawa, but the future of a major base on the island remains unclear.
A380 wing crack checks extended
Checks are ordered on all Airbus A380 superjumbos after cracks were found in wing components, extending an earlier safety ruling covering 20 planes.
US to cut Baghdad embassy staff
The United States is looking to cut the size of its embassy in Iraq - the largest and most expensive US diplomatic mission, officials say.
Sudan launches Darfur peace body
Sudan's president launches a body intended to kick-start development and end the fighting in the war-torn western region of Darfur.
Santorum hails campaign momentum
Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum pledges to push for victory in March's Super Tuesday votes, after a hat-trick of wins on Tuesday night.
VIDEO: Europe's extreme cold snap explained
The BBC's Lucy Hockings and weather presenter Helen Willetts look at why Europe is experiencing such unusually cold weather.
VIDEO: Fake rhino attempts zoo escape
A zoo in Tokyo has been simulating animal escapes in order to practice their emergency drills.
VIDEO: 'I carried Mars rock in hand luggage'
The Natural History Museum in London has acquired its largest Martian meteorite, which could hold new clues to life on Mars.
VIDEO: One-minute World News
Watch the latest news summary from BBC World News. International news updated 24 hours a day.
VIDEO: Michelle Obama's sack race triumph
Michelle Obama has been showing off her fitness prowess in a series of chat show appearances in the US.
VIDEO: Models demand better conditions
Models in the US have launched a rights group calling for workplace standards in what is a largely unregulated industry.
VIDEO: US court backs gay marriage
A US court has ruled that a ban on same-sex marriages in California is unconstitutional.
VIDEO: Nepal national park breeds crocs
A breeding centre in Nepal's Chitwan National Park is preparing endangered Gharial crocodiles for release back into the wild.
Nations Cup Day 19 as it unfolded
All the action from the semi-finals as they happened at the Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.
News Corp profits swing to growth
Media giant News Corporation sees its net profits rise 65% in the three months to the end of December 2011 compared to 2010.
Groupon reports unexpected loss
In its first set of results as a public company, Groupon reports an unexpected loss of $42.7m (£27.0m), when a small profit had been expected.
Regional cybercrime hubs launched
Three new regional police hubs for investigating cybercrime are launched across England.
Apple seeks revised patent rules
A letter from Apple's legal team reveals that the firm wants Europe to revise rules covering patents that are essential to industry standards.
Taylor art auction fetches £14m
Three paintings from Elizabeth Taylor's personal art collection are sold for almost £14 million at an auction in London.
Don Cornelius death ruled suicide
Coroners rule Don Cornelius's death was suicide, nearly a week after the Soul Train creator was found with a gun shot to his head.
Threshold broken for tiny lasers
Researchers build efficient lasers just 100 billionths of a metre across that may be used to make faster computer chips in the future.
Corals inflate to escape the sand
Time-lapse footage reveals how mushroom corals inflate and deflate to free themselves from smothering sand.
Gene therapy 'gave me sight back'
Three US citizens who lost their sight in childhood have reported a dramatic improvement in vision after having gene therapy in both eyes.
Parkinson's cells 'made in lab'
Scientists in the US have successfully made human brain cells in the lab that are an exact replica of genetically caused Parkinson's disease.
Zambia 1-0 Ghana
Emmanuel Mayuka scores a late goal to earn Zambia a shock win over Ghana and a place in the Africa Cup of Nations final.
Five killer whales 'sue' SeaWorld
Five killer whales are named as plaintiffs in a lawsuit which argues that they deserve the same constitutional protection from slavery as humans.
'Oldest living twins' aged 102
Two 102-year-old sisters are recognised as the world's oldest living twins by Guinness World Records.
Cafe in Somalia hit by car bomb
At least 10 people are killed and more than 20 injured when a car bomb planted by Islamist militants explodes near a cafe in Somalia's capital.
Rumours over top China policeman
A top Chinese policeman in charge of a major crackdown on organised crime goes on leave, amid rumours of an investigation and a bid for asylum.
Court backs liberal's vote ban
The Russian Supreme Court backs a decision that disqualifies liberal candidate Grigory Yavlinsky from running for the presidency on 4 March.
Brazil police strike talks fail
Talks to end a police strike in the Brazilian state of Bahia break down, as troops blockade the state assembly occupied by striking officers.
Egypt PM dismisses US aid threat
Egypt's prime minister says it will not be persuaded by the potential loss of US aid to end a probe into foreign-funded non-governmental organisations.
Canada 'can use torture material'
Canada ordered its intelligence agency to use information that may have been extracted through torture if public safety is at risk, it emerges.
Redknapp cleared of tax evasion
Harry Redknapp says his "nightmare" is over after being cleared of tax evasion along with Milan Mandaric.
Coogan reaches hacking settlement
Comedian Steve Coogan and ex-footballer Paul Gascoigne are among the latest people to have settled their claims for damages over News of the World phone hacking.
Police hold 213 in raids on gangs
More than 200 people are arrested during raids across London by the Metropolitan Police's new dedicated unit tackling gang crime.
MSPs pass £30bn Scottish budget
MSPs have approved the Scottish government's £30bn budget in a Holyrood vote which saw 70 members backing it and 52 members rejecting it.
Day in pictures: 8 February 2012
24 hours of news photos: 8 February 2012
In pictures: Maldives 'coup' inflames tensions
Protests lead to the resignation of President
In pictures: Snowy Sunday
Much of UK with several inches of snow
Super Bowl photos
New York Giants beat New England Patriots
Day in pictures: 7 February 2012
24 hours of news photos: 7 February 2012
Day in pictures: 6 February 2012
24 hours of news photos: 6 February 2012
In pictures: Making charcoal from Liberian rubber trees
Making make use of old rubber trees in Liberia
Week in pictures: 28 January-3 February
News photos from around the world: 28 January-3 February
Can autocrats' wives rein in their husbands?
Does an autocrat's wife have to stand by her man?
Satellites spy on Europe’s farms
How drones and satellites are catching farming cheats
Change in the air for Italy
Can Italy's technocrat government pull off economic reform?
Stand-up comedy Qatari-style
Heard the one about the emir and a Qatari stand-up comedian?
Why do people dress up their pets?
Why do people dress up their pets?
Surge in anti-China sentiment in Hong Kong
Surge in anti-mainland sentiment in Hong Kong
GPU helps put Muppets on screen
How graphics chip advances aided the puppets' return
