Activists say Syrian forces have shelled the city of Homs and killed more than 200 people - a claim denied by the government - ahead of a key UN vote.

The number of civilians killed and injured in the Afghan conflict has risen for the fifth year in a row, a UN report reveals.

The FBI investigates how activists linked to Anonymous obtained a recording of a phone call between US and UK police on their operations against hacking.

US soldier Bradley Manning, charged with leaking thousands of classified documents to Wikileaks, will face a court martial, says the US Army.

George Esper, who reported on the fall of Saigon for the Associated Press during the last days of the Vietnam war, dies at the age of 79.

Freezing weather sweeping across Europe is causing a shortage of vital Russian gas supplies to several countries, officials say.

At least four people are killed in clashes between Egyptian protesters and police, amid ongoing anger over deaths after a football match.

Civic groups from around the US are urging New York's attorney general to investigate the New York Police Department surveillance operations.

Barack Obama challenges Congress to keep the economic recovery going as new data shows unemployment is down to its lowest rate in three years.

US prosecutors close an investigation into allegations of criminal conduct over doping claims in a cycle team partly owned by Lance Armstrong.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will visit China next week to discuss the future of Canada's oil products.

The Hubble space telescope captures an image of a "barred spiral" galaxy that could help us better understand our own Milky Way.

A zoo in Kazakhstan, where overnight temperatures have dipped to nearly -40C, is giving monkeys a wine concoction as a remedy against flu.

A fireman guides a plane to land at an airport in India after air traffic controllers fail to turn up for work, it emerges.

A major US breast cancer charity reverses a decision to cut funding to reproductive health group Planned Parenthood, after a furious outcry.

Steve Appleton, the chief executive of memory-chip maker Micron, has died in a plane crash near Boise, Idaho.

Influential Colombian emerald dealer Victor Carranza is investigated for alleged links with paramilitary groups in the 1990s.

A Cuban woman who writes a blog critical of the Communist authorities says she will not be able to travel to Brazil after Cuba refused her an exit visa.

At least 37 people have been killed in South Sudan following a shoot-out at a peace meeting aimed at ending recent violence, officials say.

Despite the loss of his mother Ghana midfielder Anthony Annan is determined to continue playing at the Africa Cup of Nations in her memory.

Cambodia's UN-backed genocide court rejects an appeal by Khmer Rouge jailer Duch and increases his sentence to life imprisonment.

Thousands of former Maoist fighters in Nepal begin the process of demobilisation, five years after they ended their armed revolt.

Unions representing French pilots and aircrew plan to strike from Monday to Thursday.

The UN's highest court rules that Italy was wrong to allow its courts to make claims for compensation against Germany for Nazi war crimes.

The BBC's Director General, Mark Thompson, accuses the Iranian authorities of intimidating those working for its Persian service.

Two US women tourists and their Egyptian guide who were kidnapped in the south of Egypt's Sinai peninsula have been released, security sources say.

Five people were arrested after gaining entry to the Syrian embassy in London during a protest against the Syrian regime, Scotland Yard says.

Heavy snow is forecast for most of England and Wales later, with warnings of likely disruption to rail services and on the roads.

The US economy created 243,000 jobs in January, while the unemployment rate fell to 8.3%, official figures show.

Virgin Atlantic is forcing successful job applicants to pay for their own criminal record checks, Radio 4's Money Box reveals.

Hungarian airline Malev ceases trading after 66 years after being ordered by the EU to repay state aid it has received.

John Terry is stripped of the England captaincy, the Football Association has confirmed.

Chris Robshaw says England's young side will not be daunted by Saturday's Six Nations opener at Murrayfield.

The Qatar Masters is reduced to 54 holes after strong winds allow only three hours of play on Friday.

Movie billboards in Paris featuring The Artist actor Jean Dujardin might affect his chances of winning an Academy Award, according to French press.

Almost a year after the film reigned supreme at the Oscars, the stage version of The King's Speech has its world premiere.

R&B and gospel singer David Peaston, best known for the tracks Two Wrongs (Don't Make it Right) and Can I?, dies aged 54.

A cardboard cut-out version of the founder of Iran's Islamic revolution is mocked online after touring Tehran.

More demonstrations are expected in Moscow on Saturday as part of ongoing protest against fraud in December's parliamentary elections in Russia.

Severe flooding is threatening parts of New South Wales and Queensland in eastern Australia, with towns cut off and thousands of residents evacuated.

The Libyan authorities are being urged to investigate the death of a former ambassador who, it is believed, was tortured in custody.

Appeal judges at a UN-backed tribunal in Cambodia have rejected a claim by the man who ran a notorious Khmer Rouge detention centre, that he was not responsible for the crimes.

Protesters have gathered on the streets of Egypt's capital Cairo amid calls for more rallies over the deaths of 74 fans at a football match on Wednesday.

Rolls-Royce will open a new half a billion dollar plant in Singapore later this month.

The oldest woman in Cuba and possibly the world celebrates her 127th birthday this week.

Watch the latest news summary from BBC World News. International news updated 24 hours a day.

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