Summary: China marked the start of the 100day countdown to the Beijing Olympics on Wednesday with songs a mass run and even prayers hoping to put behind it the tumultuous events of the past month which have taken much of the gloss off preparations
Summary: Easing tensions between Andean neighbours Ecuador and Colombia is vital if efforts to release dozens of hostages held by Colombian guerrillas for years in hidden jungle camps are to succeed France said on Tuesday
Summary: Afghan security forces clashed with a group of suspected Taliban militants holed up in a house close to Kabuls old city on Wednesday witnesses and police said
Summary: A police officer and a suspected riot leader were shot dead in a gun battle in an ethnic Tibetan part of western China state media reported on Wednesday in a sign that tensions remain high following a wave of unrest
Summary: About 300 Philippine soldiers backed by heavy artillery and mortar shelling overran a base of Islamic militants deep in the hills of a remote southern island on Wednesday a senior general said
Summary: Democratic Sen Barack Obama trying to quell a political firestorm that has roiled his presidential campaign strongly denounced his former pastor on Tuesday and called his racially charged comments appalling
Summary: A colossal squid caught from deep Antarctic waters was defrosted on Wednesday by New Zealand scientists keen to discover more about the littleknown giant predator
Summary: A woman haemorrhages to death as she lies screaming in agony in a spartan hut in a remote region of Afghanistan There is no doctor or midwife to help and the hospital is several days journey away
Summary: Soaring global food prices and reluctant donors are pushing North Korea back towards famine which could see the secretive government turn even more repressive to keep control a paper released on Wednesday said
Summary: Turkeys parliament approved a longawaited revision of a law criticised by the European Union for limiting free speech in the candidate country but writers and activists say the reform does not go far enough
Summary: Europe is launching a 2 billion euros 157 billion pounds scheme to boost drug discovery in a bid to reestablish itself as the pharmacy of the world and close a growing gap with United States and Asia
Summary: Hope08 the nationwide year of grassroots mission has set the challenge to Christians to give a million hours of kindness to the UK this May bank holiday
Summary: Supermarkets face tougher scrutiny of expansion plans and relations with their suppliers after the countrys competition watchdog announced the outcome of a twoyear probe into the sector on Wednesday
Summary: Consumer confidence in April plummeted to its lowest level since the economic slump of 1992 a survey showed on Wednesday that will make grim reading for Prime Minister Gordon Brown on the eve of local elections
Summary: AP - Tony Parker scored 31 points, Tim Duncan added 29 points and 17 rebounds, and the San Antonio Spurs advanced to the Western Conference semifinals with a 92-87 Game 5 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night.
Summary: House prices in Britain fell for the sixth month running in April to stand 10 percent lower than a year ago the first annual fall in more than 12 years the Nationwide building society said on Wednesday
Summary: Lawyers for former detainees are preparing to sue the government and intelligence services for alleged complicity in abuse of terrorism suspects by the United States and Pakistan
Summary: One million immigrants from Eastern Europe have come to Britain since 2004 but half of them have already gone back home a report showed on Wednesday
Summary: They work under the cover of night armed with seed bombs chemical weapons and pitchforks Their tactics are anarchistic their attitude revolutionary Their aim to beautify
