Fighting escalates in the Libyan port of Misrata and elsewhere as government forces attempt to retake the rebel-held city after a two-month siege.

The leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales describes David Cameron's Big Society initiative as "toothless".

Hillary Clinton announces joint reconstruction plans as she visits Japan to show US solidarity five weeks after the quake disaster.

Rory McIlroy suffers more final-round anguish as Matteo Manassero clinches the Malaysian Open by two shots.

A World War I soldier's postcard discovered in a Cambridgeshire village hall is returned to his relatives.

North Carolina becomes the latest state to be hit by severe storms and tornadoes that have swept across the southern US, killing at least 43 people.

The nationalist, eurosceptic True Finns party makes a strong showing in Finland's general election, raising possible questions over Portugal's EU bail-out.

President Goodluck Jonathan is on course to win Nigeria's election with almost twice as many votes as his main rival, results suggest.