These news headlines are brought to you by BBC.CO.UK
Bill Clinton resoundingly endorses Barack Obama, who is formally nominated by US Democrats as their presidential candidate.
EU leaders are considering imposing sanctions on Russia over the crisis in Georgia, the French foreign minister says.
A Lebanese army helicopter hit by gunfire is forced to make an emergency landing in the south of the country, the army says.
China's government departments misused, embezzled or mismanaged more than $6.7bn in 2007, the state auditor says.
The Thai PM says he will not use violent means against thousands of protesters besieging Government House.
Ethiopia is prepared to withdraw troops from Somalia even if the government is not stable, Ethiopia's PM says.
Police probe a hooded gang's brutal attack on monks at a monastery in northern Italy, which left one victim in a coma.
A Briton accused of hacking into secret Nasa military computers loses his appeal against extradition to the US.
The area covered by sea ice in the Arctic is now the second smallest on record, scientists reveal.
Aaron Sorkin, who created The West Wing and wrote Charlie Wilson's War, is making a film about Facebook.
The draw for the Champions League group stages takes place in Monaco at 1700 BST on Thursday.
South Africa captain Graeme Smith misses the third one day match against England on Friday because of a tennis elbow injury.
World number two Jelena Jankovic reaches the US Open third round, along with Svetlana Kuznetsova and Elena Dementieva.
Grief in the Kashmir valley during separatist protests
With the Games over, where does China go next?
Desperate situation in south Sudan, in images and sounds
Czech attitudes change following landmark ruling
Meeting the Sunni militia driving Iraq's new security policy
The galas, gossip and glamour of the Venice Film Festival
Crowds of people welcome home to Sudan the passengers and crew who were hijacked on a plane diverted to Libya.
Fears of a possible storm prompt Louisiana to declare a state of emergency and New Orleans to prepare evacuation plans.
Two Chinese policemen have been killed in a clash in the north-west region of Xinjiang, reports say.
A former spokeswoman for the UN war crimes court in The Hague is charged with revealing confidential information.
Abie Nathan, the maverick Israeli peace activist who flew a private plane to Egypt in 1966, dies at the age of 81.
Afghan security forces begin taking over command of the capital, Kabul, from the Nato-led force, Isaf.
UK house prices are down 10.5% on a year ago, the first annual double-digit fall since 1990, the Nationwide says.
Diageo, owner of Guinness and Johnnie Walker, says it faces a "challenging" market after seeing little change in annual profits.
Social factors - rather than genetics - are to blame for huge variations in ill health and life expectancy around the world, a report concludes.
The most sparsely populated county in Wales is Britain's happiest place - but Edinburgh the least happy, say researchers.
The Venice Film Festival opens with the premiere of comedy Burn After Reading, with George Clooney and Brad Pitt.
Laptops taken to the International Space Station were infected with a computer virus, Nasa confirms.
What do you want the world to talk about?
Business News from BBC.CO.UK
UK house prices are down 10.5% on a year ago, the first annual double-digit fall since 1990, the Nationwide says.
More than one in 10 British workers fear they will lose their job in the next year because of the economy, the TUC says.
Diageo, owner of Guinness and Johnnie Walker, says it faces a "challenging" market after seeing little change in annual profits.
The cost of crude rises for a fourth straight day on fears that Tropical Storm Gustav may disrupt oil production.
Hovis-maker Premier Foods has seen its profits fall and debt level rise in the first half of the year, on higher raw material prices.
UK investment fund Henderson Group says it is setting up a new Irish parent firm to cut its tax bill.
The US mortgage giant announces a shake-up of top executives in an attempt to restore confidence.
Credit Agricole reports a 94% fall in second-quarter profits after the bank is hit by a loss at its investment banking division.
Japanese carmaker Toyota cuts its vehicle sales forecast for next year by nearly 7% as Western demand softens.
China's state-oil firm CNPC has agreed a $3bn (£1.63bn) oil services contract for Iraq.
US firms could have to use international accounting standards by 2014, under a proposal put forward by the SEC.
Ringing the changes - BT puts phone boxes out for 'adoption'
Penguin launches an online dating website with Match.com to bring lovelorn literature fans together.
Is there scope for Spanish firms to beat the trend?
Taking to the water to beat the housing market slump
Inequality up as workers' incomes stagnate
Boom turns to bust for Spain's property market
Prospectors scour the UK countryside for black gold
How UK could be affected if tensions with Russia grow
A Nepalese man and relatives of 12 others killed in Iraq four years ago sue American firm KBR on charges of human trafficking.
Housebuilder Taylor Wimpey reports a £1.54bn loss for the past six months after having to reduce the value of assets.
A mortgage rescue scheme and councils buying unused land feature in a Liberal Democrat plan to revive the housing market.
Marks & Spencer suspends a member of staff who told the press about its plans to cut redundancy payments.
Savers putting their money in funds investing in UK stocks and shares would have made more by putting it in a savings account.
E.ON confirms it is cutting 1,800 sales jobs as it closes two-thirds of its German service centres.
Mattel wins a multi-million dollar payout in a copyright court case against the maker of the popular Bratz dolls, MGA Entertainment.
New orders for long-lasting US manufactured goods rise by a surprise 1.4% in July, led by a big rise in aircraft sales.
The Advertising Standards Authority calls an iPhone advert "misleading" for saying all of the web is available on the phone.
A union fails in its legal challenge to a restructuring at the Ministry of Defence which it says could cost 5,000 jobs.
The number of households with no-one aged over 16 working has fallen slightly compared with a year ago, official statistics show.
Irish bookmaker Paddy Power lowers its 2008 profit target, blaming key sporting results and the weak economy.
The dollar loses some ground against the euro, a day after hitting a six-month high against the single currency.
Heineken reports a slight fall in half-year profits as a result of the cost of buying UK brewer Scottish & Newcastle.
The World Bank says there are more poor people in the world than previously thought, with one in four in poverty.
Mortgage lending by major banks flattened out in July but the amount borrowed for day-to-day spending slowed, figures show.
A review of Home Information Packs is needed during the current housing market slowdown, according to an estate agents' group.
Buy-to-let investors have been hit by the mortgage squeeze alongside other homeowners, new figures suggest.
Latest official figures show the number of UK households with internet access rose to 16.5 million this year.
The US may face $4bn in annual trade sanctions for failing to scrap illegal subsidies paid to US cotton growers, a report suggests.
US consumer confidence gets a boost in August from falling oil prices, research suggests.
The price of oil climbs as Tropical Storm Gustav heads towards the Gulf of Mexico - home to many offshore energy installations.
A flagging housing market and rising unemployment meant US interest rates were held, Federal Reserve minutes show.
Global output by Japan's top three carmakers picked up in July, reflecting strong demand despite the global economic slowdown.
China Mobile, the world's largest mobile phone network, sees quarterly profits rise 51% thanks to strong subscriber growth.
Dorset firms look forward to 2012 Olympic gold
Current Canadian News from CTV
A funeral is to be held today for an 89-year-old Madoc woman whose family says she died of listeriosis.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper made it clear Wednesday he considers the Arctic to be Canadian territory -- and he has no plans to loosen his grip on the disputed North.
A communication "foul-up" is being blamed for the collision between an overhead construction crane and a light-rail transit train in Calgary that sent six people to hospital.
The president of Maple Leaf Foods is defending the federal food inspection system and said his company is taking full responsibility for the ongoing national outbreak of listeriosis.
Quebec officials have recalled two types of cheese after a pair of store samples tested positive for the Listeria bacterium, but it's not related to the strain traced back to a Maple Leaf Foods plant.
Federal officials defended the country's food inspection process on Wednesday, in the wake of a massive nationwide outbreak of listeriosis that has been linked to at least 15 deaths.
In another sign that a fall federal election is all but a certainty, Gov.-Gen. Michaelle Jean has cancelled plans to attend the Paralympics in Beijing.
Conventional wisdom suggests Stephen Harper must be mad to thrust the country into an election at a time when he has little hope of winning a majority.
Saskatchewan's corrections minister says jail officials were tipped to the possibility of an escape more than a week before six prisoners busted out.
Canadian police forces working with the DEA say they have broken up an international drug organization in an operation they dubbed "Project Scarecrow."
Meteorologists are investigating to find out if a tornado that touched down in a small Saskatchewan community is responsible for flipping a trailer and injuring six people.
While he says Canada's mission in Afghanistan is headed in the right direction, the outgoing Canadian ambassador to the country warns not to expect any miracles by the time our military commitment ends in 2011.
The average weekly earnings of employees stood at $789.23 in June, up 0.1 per cent from May and 2.5 per cent more than a year ago.
Powered by a strong dollar, Canadians travelled outside the country more in the first quarter. Travel from overseas countries to Canada also increased, but travel from the United States declined.
Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. says the nuclear reactor at Chalk River, Ont., can meet the country's demand for medical isotopes if required.
The majority of Canadians have left a store out of frustration over long lines, according to a new Maritz Research study released Wednesday.
The federal government will easily manage to avoid slipping into a deficit position despite the slumping economy and will almost certainly record higher surpluses than forecast, says a new analysis by the Conference Board of Canada.
A freelance Canadian journalist who was kidnapped with an Australian and a Somali colleague has not been harmed by her captors, says an organization that defends media freedom.
A tractor-trailer carrying liquid argon gas has overturned north of Peterborough, Ont., prompting an evacuation in the area.
Sceince and Nature News from BBC.CO.UK
The area covered by sea ice in the Arctic is now the second smallest on record, scientists reveal.
The most sparsely populated county in Wales is Britain's happiest place - but Edinburgh the least happy, say researchers.
A powerful Nasa space telescope has unveiled an image of the sky viewed through "gamma-ray glasses".
Scientists claim gene therapy has the potential to restore hearing in mice, offering hope for humans as well.
Scientists use a numerical model to predict the risk of infection through airborne transmission of foot-and-mouth virus.
President Mutharika announces plans for a massive irrigation project to boost Malawi's food production.
Brazil's Supreme Court puts off ruling on the status of an indigenous reserve disputed by Indians and farmers.
Nasa's robotic rover Opportunity is driving out of a giant crater on Mars nearly a year after its dangerous descent.
Laptops taken to the International Space Station were infected with a computer virus, Nasa confirms.
A soldier's family are frightened out of their home by a spider thought to have been brought from Afghanistan.
Water scarcity is a leading cause of food shortages and environmental decline - so why is it ignored?
Why reforming the economics of food production and supply would be beneficial for a number of environmental and social ills.
Climate change threat to Lebanon's cedar trees
Rangers tackle the wildlife trade in DRC's gorilla park
Why is more than half our food now wrapped in plastic?
Why the weekend BBQ is likely to be a washout
It is time to re-think what creatures need our help
Gallery of statues depicting Roman rulers is unearthed
Early stone tools developed by modern humans were no more advanced than ones used by the Neanderthals, research shows.
Archaeologists in Turkey discover parts of a colossal marble statue depicting the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius.
Images from Google Earth help scientists to reveal that cattle may have a "sixth magnetic sense".
A human exoskeleton robotic suit is helping people paralysed from the waist down to stand, walk and climb stairs.
A breakfast fry-up every day raises the risk of bowel cancer by 63%, researchers have calculated.
A rapid response service will be set up to help trap and kill grey squirrels across southern Scotland.
The UK population is set to become the largest in the European Union, according to a report.
Britain is to formally present its case to the UN to extend its territorial rights around Ascension Island.
Wind turbines are a hazard to bats because changes in air pressure can cause fatal internal injuries, a study reveals.
Six international teams competed this weekend in the first-ever hydrogen-powered motorsport race.
Entertainment News from CNN.COM
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Some 43 years after a Beatles concert was banned by Israel, Paul McCartney has announced he'll perform there in September.
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Offbeat News from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, ABC
The Catholic Church has issued guidelines on what Filipinos should wear to mass in Manila after some parishioners complained about distracting skimpy attire.
A 22-year-old American man has been arrested after an early-morning naked bath in the historic Barcaccia fountain at the foot of Rome's Spanish Steps, an Italian news agency reports.
A Church of England-backed book suggests youth workers should try to make religion relevant to children by showing them episodes of cartoon show
The Simpsons.
A judge in the US capital has lost his $US54 million lawsuit against a dry cleaner over a pair of misplaced trousers.
Indian authorities are releasing dozens of crocodiles bred in captivity to scare away poachers and protect their endangered counterparts.
A Melbourne council is hoping DNA testing will help it identify the animals involved in dog attacks.
An Alice Springs man's love of fried chicken saw him roll his car at a takeaway drive-through last night.
When it comes to luxury sports cars, Ferrari begs to differ with the Pope.
A Dutch woman has lost her compensation claim for mental distress she suffered from missing out when her neighbours won a lottery windfall.
An Italian Mayor hopes to shame men into not using prostitutes by photographing cars that pick them up and publishing the details in local newspapers.
Reality TV show
Big Brother has apologised to the Mexican Government for allowing contestants on
Friday Night Games to throw goo-filled balloons at the Mexican flag.
Outgoing British Prime Minister Tony Blair has revealed he has worn the same pair of shoes to his weekly question-and-answer session in Parliament since becoming the country's leader in 1997.
The Mexican Government has complained to Australia's media regulator after contestants on
Big Brother TV show
Friday Night Games threw goo-filled balloons at the Mexican flag.
Authorities in India say rats are gnawing at beer cans and making holes in caps of whisky bottles stored in police storehouses in the east of the country and apparently getting drunk.
Cartoon character Homer Simpson has been kidnapped in Malaysia and Hollywood is offering a reward of 1,000 ringgit ($A346) for his safe return.