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Surgeon carries out Congo op by text

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 08:14:14 GMT

A doctor volunteering in war-torn Congo performed a life-saving amputation on a teenage boy using text message instructions from a colleague in London.

Setback for Georgia after Nato rejection

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 GMT

Georgia's hopes of joining Nato were dealt a blow last night, when Western European countries blocked a bid to offer it a path to membership.

UN inquiry looks at new suspects in Hariri killing

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 GMT

A special UN commission investigating the killing of the former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri reported that it has uncovered fresh evidence that could lead to more suspects in the three-year-old assassination case.

Mugabe seeks revenge on soldiers that rebelled

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 GMT

An army investigation was underway in Zimbabwe last night after President Robert Mugabe's loyal generals vowed to take strong measures against junior soldiers who rampaged across Harare to vent their anger at their suffering in the country's economic collapse.

Knut bears brunt of financial crisis

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 GMT

The world's most famous polar bear is to be banished from Berlin zoo because of lack of cash – the first ursine victim of the credit crunch.

Rwandan pop star jailed for inciting genocide

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 GMT

A UN court in Tanzania has sentenced a former pop star to 15 years in prison for his part in inciting Rwanda's 1994 genocide.

A royal audience for Condoleezza, the Palace pianist

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 GMT

Condoleezza Rice is taking her farewell international tour, which this week included a stop at Buckingham Palace to dazzle guests with her piano skills. But for a woman who was once trumpeted as the most powerful in the world and destined for the presidency, her star is rapidly dimming.

Victory for opposition as court ousts Thai PM

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 GMT

Anti-government protesters began to lift a blockade of Bangkok's international airport yesterday, after a court ruling that dissolved the government of the Prime Minister, Somchai Wongsawat, over election fraud but left Thailand stuck in its worst political crisis for decades.

India demands Pakistan hand over 20 fugitives

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 GMT

India has demanded that Pakistan hand over 20 of its most wanted fugitives as a sign of good faith in the aftermath of last week's terror attacks.

Mugabe's witch-hunt for the soldiers that rebelled

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 GMT

Knut the bear searches for a new home

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 GMT

The world's most famous polar bear is to be banished from Berlin zoo because of lack of cash – the first ursine victim of the credit crunch.

The Big Question: Will the ending of the airport sit-in resolve the Thai crisis?

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 GMT

We warned of Mumbai attacks, says US

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 18:54:16 GMT

India was warned of a terrorist attack by US intelligence officials before the Mumbai massacre, it emerged today.

Anne Penketh: It's grim in Gaza

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 18:27:44 GMT

I met Karen AbuZayd, the head of UNRWA, when she was sitting in the basement dining room of a trendy London hotel beside a mirror on which an artist has written in gold letters: "this is shit."

Chinese chef is first to win Michelin three stars

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 18:01:15 GMT

Once upon a time, every Chinese carried a Little Red Book, which provided a recipe for uniformity, dullness and oppression. Another red book, a Big Red Book – the Michelin Guide – exploded its own reputation for culinary parochialism today and promoted a Chinese chef and a Chinese restaurant into the pantheon of international cuisine for the first time.

Venice suffers second day of flooding

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 17:52:55 GMT

Sea water powered by a fierce scirocco wind laid siege to Venice for a second day today, flooding basements, destroying domestic appliances and shopkeepers' merchandise and bringing the city to a halt.

French athlete Barber fined for biting police

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 17:38:12 GMT

A debate about the aggressive behaviour of the French police was fuelled today by the conviction of the former athletics champion, Eunice Barber, for resisting arrest two years ago.

Police arrest Jennifer Hudson's brother-in-law

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 17:00:43 GMT

Police arrested the estranged brother-in-law of Jennifer Hudson in connection with the shooting deaths of the entertainer's mother, brother and young nephew, taking him from a prison where he had been held on a suspected parole violation.

Police arrest Hudson brother-in-law

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 17:00:43 GMT

Highest tide in 20 years floods Venice

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 15:04:33 GMT

Large parts of Venice were flooded today as heavy rains and strong winds lashed the lagoon city, with sea levels at their highest level in 22 years.

Court ruling brings down Thai government

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 12:16:31 GMT

A court today dissolved Thailand's top three ruling parties for electoral fraud and banned the prime minister from politics for five years, bringing down a government that has faced months of strident protests seeking its ousting.

Israel begins burying victims of India attack

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 11:54:54 GMT

Israelis today began burying the six Jews killed in the murder spree in the Indian city of Mumbai, the grimness of the occasion deepened by the conviction that the victims were targeted because of their religion.

India demands Pakistan hand over terror suspects

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 11:26:05 GMT

India picked up intelligence in recent months that terrorists were plotting attacks against Mumbai targets, an official said today, as the government demanded that Islamabad hand over suspected terrorists believed living in Pakistan.

Facebook user pokes PM and gets locked up

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 10:57:26 GMT

Send good karma, post a photo, criticize the prime minister - all things you can do with the click of a mouse at Facebook.

Court ruling adds to confusion for stranded Britons

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 10:31:42 GMT

Thousands of British tourists stranded in Thailand faced chaos and confusion today as a court banned the country's ruling party.