At least 45 people die in twin suicide attacks on Pakistani security forces in the eastern city of Lahore, police say.

New York City is to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to rescue workers who say their health was damaged by dust at Ground Zero.

The UN's top humanitarian official criticises Israel's Gaza blockade and settlement plans, as Israel seals off the West Bank.

Pope Benedict XVI defends celibacy for Catholic priests, amid a new controversy about child sex abuse.

Eleven rare Siberian tigers die at a zoo in north-eastern China, raising fears over treatment of captive animals in the country.

Mogadishu's mayor tells residents to leave parts of the Somali capital, as fierce fighting against insurgents continues.

Former US President George W Bush's advisor, Karl Rove, says he is proud of waterboarding as he believes it prevented attacks.

An activist from New Zealand who boarded a Japanese whaling ship last month is arrested by Japan's coastguard.

A report into the collapse of US bank Lehman Brothers criticises senior executives and auditor Ernst & Young for serious lapses.

More than 2,000 atheists from around the world meet in Melbourne, Australia, to celebrate their lack of religious belief.

A South African sex worker goes to court, saying she was unfairly sacked from a Cape Town massage parlour.

Returning Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher pledges to improve after Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg leads Friday practice in Bahrain.

Alastair Cook hits 158 not out and Kevin Pietersen 99 as England close day one of the first Test against Bangladesh on 374-3.

German campaigner tells of childhood Catholic abuse

Legal battle in Israel over Franz Kafka manuscripts

Why Kerala has India's biggest alcohol problem

What do humans and bonobos have in common?

Door creaks ajar for undocumented Haitians in the US

Can an election be held in a land of refugees?

The wife of Liberia's ex-President Charles Taylor - on trial in The Hague for war crimes - has a baby girl.

Ivory Coast's Didier Drogba is named African Footballer of the Year, while Algeria were named team of the year.

Speculation is growing that Tiger Woods will make his return to competitive golf within the next month.

Sebastian Pinera is sworn in as president of quake-hit Chile, as a 6.9-magnitude aftershock strikes the centre of the country.

The US calls Burma's new election laws a setback for dialogue, as a UN envoy condemns 'gross' human rights violations.

Taiwan's justice minister, Wang Ching-feng, steps down, days after saying she would not authorise executions.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy is holding separate talks in London later with Gordon Brown and Tory leader David Cameron.

BA cabin crew will go on strike for three days from 20 March and for four days from 27 March in a dispute over pay and staff levels.

Israel charges two of soldiers over the use of a Palestinian boy as a human shield during its offensive against Hamas in Gaza.

First results from Iraq's election suggest a tight contest may be developing between PM Nouri Maliki and main rival Iyad Allawi.

The third season of the Indian Premier League cricket tournament is set to begin amid heavy security in Mumbai.

Security is tight in the Pakistani city of Karachi as funerals are held for a Sunni Muslim cleric and four others killed on Thursday.

In Havana, one of the last bastions of the committed smoker, Matt Frei experiences Cubans' love affair with the cigar.

Water has been rapidly disappearing in Cyprus since the 1970s, yet despite the warnings, Cypriots don't seem to be taking the shortage as seriously as they should.

Joe Biden is in the region to encourage talks between the Palestinians and Israel. What can be achieved?