Silvio Berlusconi 'too busy' to attend trial

Beleagured Italian Prime Minister tells court he has to attend three-day UN world summit on food security being held in Rome

Anti-hero security guard gives himself up

Toni Musulin, a security guard who became a sensation after he disappeared with €11.6 million, has turned himself in

Survival rate rises for troops in Afghanistan

Improvements in the speed and quality of battlefield medical care means that fewer soldiers are dying from their wounds

Nuclear watchdog - Iran may have more secret sites

IAEA releases first report after visiting mountain bunker of Qom - but issues warning over continued secrecy by Tehran

Lost childhood of Briton sent to Australia

Laurie Humphreys was one of thousands of orphans sent Down Under. The golden life they were promised turned to abuse

World leaders vow to aid starving at UN summit

More aid will be given to farmers in developing countries but a plea to try to end world hunger by 2025 won't be met

We can feed the world says the Pope

Global warming and greed of speculators should not stop the poor from starving, Pope Benedict told a UN summit on hunger

India's elephants get new home comforts

Around 140 elephants held in zoos and circuses around India will go to 'elephant camps' after campaign against neglect

Mangled anthem sparks South African rugby fury

Ras Dumisani's version of the national anthem leaves rugby players furious and diplomats in France under the spotlight

Col Gaddafi invites 500 Italian women to villa

Libyan leadered ordered his guests to dress with no miniskirts or cleavage on show, and urged them to convert to Islam

China rounds up dissidents as Obama arrives

Beijing authorities detain dozens of activists to prevent them trying to approach US president who arrived in city today

Risky operation to separate conjoined twins

A delicate operation is underway at an Australian hospital to separate an orphaned pair of conjoined twins from Bangladesh

Top Sicilian Mafia fugitive captured in Italy

Italian police have captured the number two leader of Sicily's Cosa Nostra Mafia, Domenico Raccuglia, after 15 years on the run

Obama demands release of Aung Suu Kyi

US President calls for Nobel peace laureate to be freed in unprecedented meeting with Burma Prime Minister Thein Sein

Obama accepts Copenhagen climate deal unlikely

World leaders meeting in Singapore say a final agreement on greenhouse gases will probably have to wait until mid 2010

Neda grave desecrated by regime supporters

Fiancé of student shot dead at Iranian protest says he was beaten by officials who wanted him to blame killing on the opposition

Last message of 'legendary' climber from death peak

Body of the renowned mountain climber Tomaz Humar is found after he broke his spine on a treacherous peak in Nepal

British hostages refusing to eat or drink

Somali pirates say that the Chandlers, the couple kidnapped from their yacht on their way to Tanzania, are seriously ill

Leaders say sorry to transported children

Promise of a new life turned out to be a horrific childhood of abuse through starvation, slave labour and sexual abuse