Michael Day in Rome sees Benedict’s first audience since his shock decision

Midfielder joins Rennes for the rest of the season

Tom Leece is Film and TV editor at Fourth & Main

Senior BBC News executives are fighting to save their jobs ahead of a report expected to heavily criticise the corporation’s handling of the Jimmy Savile scandal.

The specialist subject of American playwright, Richard Nelson, is the tension in the so-called Special Relationship between the UK and the US.

Why wouldn't they? Some of the 5,000 sailors facing redundancy from the Royal Navy are being targeted by recruiters from the Australian navy offering a fast track to citizenship. They are even offering the reverse of the Queen's shilling waiting, at the end of the gang-plank, as the sailors disembark from their British vessels.

Tens of thousands of protesters have marched through Belgium's capital to protest against new austerity measures brought on by Europe's financial crisis.

Nearly half of the 33 miners who survived more than two months trapped underground last year have had their requests for early retirement approved. The 14 men, who cited either physical or psychological reasons for needing to stop working, will receive £330 a month from the government.

Chile's government has granted early retirement requested by nearly half of the 33 miners who survived more than two months trapped deep underground.

A trade union leader is to step down from his post at the end of the year, it was announced today.

Turkey's civilian leaders prepared to use an unprecedented opportunity this week to choose generals they trust after the top commanders of all four military branches resigned in protest over the detention of comrades facing coup conspiracy charges.

Cisco Systems is to cut 15 per cent of its staff and sell a set-top-box factory as part of a plan to cut annual expenses by $1bn (£620m) as the network equipment maker tries to revive its fortunes.

The space shuttle Endeavour and its crew of six left the International Space Station and headed home to end Nasa's next-to-last shuttle flight on Sunday, pausing just long enough to perform a victory lap and test equipment for a future interplanetary ship.