Federalism or retreat? Eurozone is divided over its future
The eurozone now faces stark choices for its future: a radical leap towards federalism or a step backwards in the European project.
In Iceland, hunters and watchers battle over whales
A slick black head breaks the surface, drawing delighted shrieks from whale watchers in a growing, and lucrative activity.
After the ash, Iceland volcano rakes in tourism cash
Iceland's volcanoes gained notoriety for their ability to ground airlines. But they also draw tourists eager to see the source of the chaos.
India's unsolved bombings
Explosions in Mumbai ticked a wearily familiar list of boxes in a country which is no stranger to bombings that go unclaimed.
German grannies take up new calling as 'Mary Poppins'
In Germany the idea of a teenager spending a months abroad looking after children while she studies has given rise to a new concept.
Mongolia mining success brings booming sex trade
Prostitution is illegal in Mongolia, but the sex industry is booming, due in part to the explosion of the country's mining sector.
Belgium's highways shine into space - but for how long?
When Belgian astronaut Frank De Winne feels homesick when in space, all he needs to do, provided it's night, is look down for the bright spot for even nowadays, Belgium keeps its highways switched on. The almost 100 percent illumination of the country's highways can indeed be seen from space with a telescopic lens, said European Space Agency (ESA) spokesman in the German city of Cologne.
Key facts on Australia's carbon tax
Australia has released details of the nation's long-awaited carbon tax, which the government hopes to move to an emissions trading scheme after three years.
US veteran fighting fit at 59 in Afghan war
Who says soldiering is a young man's game? Staff Sergeant Eric Ferguson joined the US army in 1973 and -- now approaching his 60th birthday -- he is still on active duty, leading distribution convoys through some of the most dangerous parts of Afghanistan.
Star trio facing life after Harry Potter
The stars of the Harry Potter films each face the tricky task of forging a new career as the series comes to an end.
Iconic Mexican bar is oasis in crime central
The Kentucky Club & Grill in Ciudad Juarez remains an oasis of calm in a city considered the most dangerous on the planet.
Growing urban population strains Chinese cities
A forest of buildings and cranes rises through thick fog above roads jammed with cars in a Chinese city the size of Austria and home to more than 32 million people.
Tokyo, the megacity that works
On a satellite image of the Earth at night, there is no brighter spot. Greater Tokyo, home to an astonishing 35 million people, is by far the biggest urban area on the planet.
Unfasten your seatbelts aboard the ZERO-G
What child has not dreamed of breaking free from gravity's chains and floating, weightless, above Earth's surface?
That fantasy, long-since dismissed in the adult mind as a violation of Nature, came true this week for a small group of scientists, French parliamentarians and journalists.
Open-air operas, a classic -- if chilly -- English tradition
They sit on the grass in their posh frocks and dinner jackets, eating picnics between the two acts of Rossini's "Il turco in Italia". It's summer in England, and the open-air opera has returned.
Historic lighthouse guards modern Singapore
Standing off the southern tip of Singapore is a white granite lighthouse built more than 150 years ago to guide ships entering a sleepy tropical outpost of the British empire.
Exam pressure can drive South Korea teens to suicide
The crushing pressure on South Korean teenagers to perform well in exams can leave some students so distraught they feel life just isn't worth living. Dozens of teenagers kill themselves every year -- often around the time of an annual college entrance exam -- amid fears they didn't do well enough to enter the college of their dreams.
'Dramatic' solar flare could disrupt Earth communications
An unusual solar flare was observed by a NASA space observatory. The potent blast from the Sun unleashed a firestorm of radiation on a level not witnessed since 2006, and will likely lead to moderate geomagnetic storm activity.
Indian street kids work at dawn, then dream of school
Getting India's millions of street children into schools is just one of the big challenges facing the government.
Radiation fears surround France's old uranium mines
It looks like any other another leafy woodland path in Brittany, but campaigners say ramblers on this particular trail may face levels of radiation at least 10 times higher than normal.