Obama aide stokes US-Israel row

A top Obama adviser criticises Israel over settlement homes in East Jerusalem, thwarting Israeli hopes of ending the row.

PM Maliki extends Iraqi poll lead

Iraqi PM Nouri Maliki's bloc strengthens its lead over its main rivals with partial election results now in from all 18 provinces.

Ferrari's Alonso wins Bahrain F1

Fernando Alonso wins the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix for Ferrari after early leader Sebastian Vettel suffers exhaust problems.

US fury at Mexico consular deaths

Three people connected to the US consulate in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez have been killed, the White House says.

French hostages 'freed in Darfur'

Two French hostages seized in the Central African Republic in November have been freed, the French foreign minister says.

China denies currency undervalued

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao rejects criticism that Beijing keeps the yuan undervalued in order to boost exports.

US bank regulation bill expected

A new bill to tighten regulation of US banks is due to be unveiled, but it may struggle to get backing in the Senate.

BA strike is unjustified - Adonis

Transport Secretary Lord Adonis attacks the planned strike by British Airways cabin crew staff, calling it "totally unjustified".

Market abuse 'unacceptably high'

Market abuse in the UK's financial services sector is "unacceptably high", says the head of the City watchdog.

EU 'nearing' Greece bail-out deal

The EU is putting the finishing touches to a multi-billion euro bail-out for Greece after weeks of crisis, senior officials tell the BBC.

Net clash for web police projects

A row is brewing over separate projects to use the web to bring people closer to their local police forces.

China's stern warning to Google

China's top internet official warns that Google will "pay the consequences" if it does not comply with censorship laws.

HSBC admits huge Swiss data theft

About 24,000 clients of HSBC's private banking operation in Switzerland had personal details stolen, the bank admits.

Tweeting 'fundamental' in life

Twitter co-founder Evan Williams believes social networks will become a fundamental way the public communicates with government.

Japan aims its home fuel cells at Europe

Japan is embracing fuel cell to provide electricity and heat in the home. Now it wants to export the systems to the UK and the rest of Europe.

Investigation questions Prius driver's story: report

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A federal investigation of the Toyota Prius involved in a dramatic incident on a California highway last week found a pattern of wear on the car's brakes that raises questions about the driver's account of the event, the Wall Street Journal said in its online edition on Sunday.

Calif. lawsuit claims Toyota hid defect evidence

SANTA ANA, California (Reuters) - Southern California prosecutors filed the first U.S. consumer protection lawsuit against Toyota Motor Corp on Friday, claiming it had engaged in "fraud" by hiding evidence of dangerous vehicle defects.

Second U.S. woman probed in plot to kill Swede: report

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Authorities in Ireland are investigating whether a second American woman was involved in a suspected international plot to kill a Swedish cartoonist for mocking the Prophet Mohammad, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

Huge opposition rally in Thailand

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of the Thai capital, Bangkok, for a big rally demanding that the government calls new elections.

Obama aide stokes US-Israel row

Israel's announcement of plans to build 1,600 homes for Jews in East Jerusalem is "destructive" to peace efforts, a top aide to Barack Obama has said.

Many killed in Afghan bomb blast

At least 30 people are killed and 46 wounded in four suicide bombings in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar.

China dismisses criticism over currency

China has dismissed criticism that it is keeping its currency, the yuan, deliberately undervalued to boost Chinese exports.

Violent attacks blight Acapulco

Thirteen people have been killed in an outbreak of drug-related violence in the southern Mexican beach resort of Acapulco.

Fake invasion news panics Georgia

A Georgian TV station broadcast a fake news report saying that Russian tanks had invaded the capital, Tbilisi on Saturday night.

Climate change denial 'deja vu'

The new head of Greenpeace Kumi Naidoo on the risks of man-made climate change denial.

Ivory and tuna top wildlife talks

Sales of ivory and a ban on trading bluefin tuna top the agenda for the two-week CITES meeting in Doha, Qatar.

Hopes for rescued US dolphins

Rescuers who worked for two days to try to save 16 dolphins stranded off Massachusetts in the US are still hoping that some will survive.

Cernan 'disappointed' by Moon plans

The last man on the Moon, Eugene Cernan, has said he is disappointed at President Barack Obama's decision to push back further Moon missions.

Lionfish eat way through Caribbean

A poisonous "alien species" of fish is eating its way through the Caribbean and quickly multiplying.