BP well no longer a 'threat'
The Macondo well, which spilled an estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, has been secured and no longer constitutes "a threat", says a senior US official.

Miracle no one killed in NZ quake - PM
Chimneys and walls crumbled to the ground, roads cracked in half and residents were knocked off their feet as a powerful magnitude-7.1 earthquake rocked New Zealand's South Island.

Karzai sets up Taliban panel
Afghan President Hamid Karzai says he has formed a council to pursue peace talks with the Taliban.

Iran 'stoning woman' to be lashed
An Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning for adultery, has also been sentenced to 99 lashes for a photo published of her without a headscarf, according to her son.

Thousands protest Gypsy crackdown
Thousands of people are demonstrating in Paris against new government security measures, including a crackdown on the Gypsy population.

China landslide toll rises to 24
The death toll from rain-triggered landslides that hit a remote village in China has risen to 24, with another 24 people still missing

Pakistan on alert as victims buried
Anti-terror police are on high alert in Pakistan as mass burials took place for the victims of a suicide bomber who killed at least 59 people at a Shi’ite Muslim rally.

UK tax mistake affects six million
British tax collectors say a new computer system has revealed that almost six million people have paid the wrong amount of income tax, and 1.4 million will be told to repay an average of £1 500 each.

Earl spins into Canada
The remnants of Tropical Storm Earl have spun toward Nova Scotia, still packing high winds and rain but leaving little damage behind.

Shoe, eggs hurled at Blair in Dublin
Anti-war protesters have hurled shoes and eggs at Tony Blair as he arrived for the first public signing of his fast-selling memoir.

Clinton: Time is now for Mideast peace
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has sought to inject urgency into Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, warning the negotiations may be “the last chance for a very long time to reach an agreement".

Suicide bomber kills 5 Afghan police
A suicide bomber perched on the back of a motorcycle has killed five Afghan policemen and one civilian in the increasingly violent northern province of Kunduz.

NZ declares curfew after quake
Authorities have declared a curfew after a major earthquake hit New Zealand’s second biggest city, bringing down power lines and bridges.

Russia: Car bomb wounds minister
A senior official in the province of Dagestan in Russia's Caucasus has been wounded and his driver killed by a bomb planted in their car, a police spokesperson says.

Pakistan suicide attack: Toll hits 65
Pakistan police say the death toll from a suicide attack on a Shiite Muslim procession has risen to 65 as critically wounded people died in hospital.

Aus: Sea lion mauls 11-yr-old boy
An 11-year-old boy is recovering after a sea lion mauled him at a popular Sydney zoo’s aquarium show as horrified visitors looked on.

Venezuela inmates on hunger strike
More than 4 500 inmates in three prisons in Venezuela have gone on hunger strike to protest overcrowding and mistreatment, protesters say.

NZ skydiving plane crashes, 9 die
Nine people have died after a light aircraft belonging to a skydiving company burst into flames and crashed near a popular tourist spot in New Zealand’s Southern Alps, police say.

Ex-UK spy jailed for 1 year
A former MI6 spy has been sentenced to one year in prison for trying to sell top secret information to Dutch secret agents.

Security boost after Thai attacks
Thai authorities have announced they are boosting security in the country's capital after a series of grenade attacks possibly linked to recent political unrest.