EU, Microsoft agree on browser ballot

The European Commission and Microsoft have finalised the proposal for a 'browser ballot' in Windows, following the Commission's concern that Microsoft was unfairly using its operating system monopoly to gain control of the browser market.The browser...

Volcano eruption in Philippines prompts evacuations

Tens of thousands of people were evacuated from areas near Mount Mayon in the Philippines on Tuesday, after the lava started flowing out of the volcano. Local scientists caution that Mayon might be on...

Suicide bomber kills at least twenty in Pakistan town

Local officials in the town of Dera Ghazi Khan in Pakistan said on Tuesday that at least twenty people were killed after a suicide car bomber attacked the house of a provincial governor. The Al Jazeera...

Boeing 787 "Dreamliner" makes maiden flight

Boeing's newest commercial aircraft, the 787 "Dreamliner", made its first test flight Tuesday in Everett, Washington at 18:00 UTC. Boeing claims that the new 290+ seat wide-body, twin engine jetliner is more fuel efficient than previous Boeing models.The...

Alleged tax-haven scheme linked to Canada's largest brokerage firm

In a continuing crackdown on tax evasion, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has alleged that brokers with a branch of RBC Dominion Securities, Canada's largest brokerage company, helped clients set up accounts...

Guantanamo inmates to be transferred to Illinois

The White House is expected to announce today that several inmates from the United States' controversial detention camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba are to be relocated to a prison facility, to be acquired by the Federal Government, on the US mainland.The...

Cyclone Mick wreaks havoc on Fiji

Cyclone Mick, the first storm of the 2009–10 South Pacific cyclone season, has left at least four people dead after battering Fiji on Monday.The storm inflicted widespread damage throughout the nation, although the island of Viti Levu bore the brunt...

Two killed as Islamic militants storm Philippine jail

At least 31 inmates are believed to have escaped and a further two, including a prison guard, killed after a group of up to one hundred Islamic militants stormed a prison in Isabela City on Basilan island in the southern Philippines. The escapees are...

At least eight die in Afghan capital suicide bombing

At least eight people have died in the Afghan capital Kabul after a suicide bombing hit the Wazir Akbar Khan diplomatic and governmental residential district, according to officials.The car bomb exploded...

At least 22 killed in blast in central Pakistan

A car bomb has killed at least 22 people and injured 70 injured in Dera Ghazi Khan, Pakistan according to local officials. The bomb exploded in a market in the town in the central Punjab province."The whole market has collapsed," said local resident...

Mark Ingram wins 2009 Heisman Trophy

Ingram, the third consecutive sophomore to win the award for the top American Football player in NCAA Division I, was visibly emotional about receiving the award. The award was the first for Alabama.The margin of victory was the closest ever for the...

Maori flag to fly along side the New Zealand Flag on Waitangi day

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key has announced that Cabinet decided on Monday that the controversial Maori sovereignty flag Tino Rangatiratang from 2010 is to be to be flown on New Zealand’s national day, Waitangi Day on Auckland Harbour Bridge, Premier...

WHO: Polio reemerging in Africa

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said earlier today that polio has reemerged in several countries in Africa. WHO Africa regional director Luis Gomes Sambo made the announcement at the beginning of a Zimbabwe conference regarding child immunisation."Several...

Dubai receives bailout from Abu Dhabi

The government of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates has agreed to give US$10 billion to its neighboring emirate, allowing the state-owned Dubai World conglomerate to repay its immediate debt obligations. Dubai says more than $4 billion of the injection...

Africa makes first draft version of UNCCC treaty, with harder goals

At the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, after four days of negotiations, Africa countries have made the first draft version of future possible treaty, to replace the 1997 Kyoto protocol. Africa leaders demand 5% of GDP of developed...

Berlusconi to remain in hospital after assault

The Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, is to remain in the San Raffaele Hospital in Milan, following yesterday's assault which left him with facial damage, two broken teeth, a broken nose and cuts to his lips. The assault on the 73-year-old media...

Google mobile phone rumours ramp up

Rumours have increased over the possible release of a Google branded smartphone in the New Year, running its Android mobile operating system. Speculation has been rife after it was reported that Google have distributed handsets to its employees for testing...

Ryan Giggs named BBC Sports Personality of the Year

Welsh footballer Ryan Giggs was named as the 2009 BBC Sports Personality of the Year in a ceremony Sunday night. The 36-year-old Manchester United and Welsh international player has won a record eleven Premier League titles in his career, and made over...

Iran releases five detained Britons

Iranian authorities have released five British yachtsmen who were detained last week in the Persian Gulf. A statement from Iran's Revolutionary Guards said that, after investigation, it reached the conclusion that their illegal entry was a mistake.Britain's...

British actress Maggie Jones dies age 75

British actress Maggie Jones has died at the age of 75. The actress was best known for playing the role of Blanche Hunt in the British soap opera Coronation Street. She died on Wednesday morning in hospital. Jones played Blanche for 35 years but did...

Religious and political leaders criticise Swiss ban on minarets

Religious and political leaders from around the world have criticised the ban on building minarets as part of the Swiss referendum held in November.Leaders from the Vatican and the Muslim community around the world have deplored the vote as an attack...

Pakistani Member of Parliament killed by suicide bomber

A Pakistani provincial politician was killed earlier today by a teen-aged suicide bomber in the northwestern Swat valley.Shamsher Ali Khan, a member of the Awami National Party, was receiving guests at his residence in the town of Kanju, when a young...

Chelsea Clinton engaged to banker Marc Mezvinsky

Chelsea Clinton, the daughter of Bill Clinton, U.S. President from 1993 to 2001, has announced that she is engaged to her long-term boyfriend. The 29-year-old announced her engagement to Marc Mezvinsky to friends via e-mail. Mezvinsky is the son of Ed...

Porfirio Lobo wins Honduran presidential elections

Porfirio Lobo, a wealthy rancher, has won the presidential election in Honduras, with about 56% of ballots cast, according to results. Election officials say voter turnout was high, in spite of a call by ousted President Manuel Zelaya to boycott the...

Somali pirates seize Greek-owned tanker

Somali pirates have seized the Greek-owned Maran Centaurus, an oil tanker with 28 crew members on board, yesterday, according to reports.Officials say the tanker, which can transport more than two million barrels of oil, was sailing from Saudi Arabia...

4-year-old boy killed by dog in Liverpool, England

A four-year-old boy has been killed by a dog in the city of Liverpool in Merseyside, England. The child has been identified as John Paul Massey. The animal belonged to his uncle. The boy's 63-year-old...

LHC sets new particle energy acceleration record

The world's Large Hadron Collider accelerated its protons to an energy of 1.18 TeV at 00:44 GMT+1 today. This set a new world record, surpassing the 0.98 TeV record set at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory's Tevatron collider, which was commissioned...

US President Obama delivers address on Afghanistan plan

Tuesday evening, United States President Barack Obama went to the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, to deliver a televised address to announce his new approach to the War in Afghanistan.President Obama announced an increase of 30,000...