Cyprus says it has begun exploratory drilling for oil and gas in the eastern Mediterranean in defiance of Turkish anger at the plans.

Anti-Gaddafi forces have captured two key positions close to the southern city of Sabha, says a spokesman for Libya's transitional authorities.

Italy's sovereign debt rating is cut by Standard & Poor's, the latest move in a deepening and continuing European debt crisis.

The SNP should stop dodging questions on independence and start providing the answers, Scottish Secretary Michael Moore demands.

A project to reorganise 999 fire control centres wasted nearly half a billion pounds and was a "complete failure" says an MPs committee.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu offers peace talks with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to prevent his bid for Palestinian statehood at the UN.

Clever New Caledonian crows are able to use mirrors to find hidden food, according to scientists.

Teenagers who watch films showing actors smoking are more likely to take up smoking themselves, new UK research suggests.