French minister apologises for calling state dinner 'revolting'
An embarrassed French minister has apologised to the head chef at the Elysee Palace after she was caught on camera describing the food at a China-France state dinner as "revolting".
Two ex-Vatican bank chiefs face money laundering trial
Italian prosecutors on Friday said two former top executives at the Vatican bank will go on trial for money laundering, while the bank's ex-chairman was declared innocent.
Nurse charged over UK hospital poisoning deaths
A male nurse has been charged with the murder of three patients who were poisoned with contaminated medical products at a British hospital, police said.
Nigeria arrests two Britons over 'oil theft plot'
Two British nationals were among 14 people arrested on suspicion of attempted bribery in connection with an alleged plot to steal oil from a pipeline, Nigeria said.
First gay marriages take place in England and Wales
Gay couples across England and Wales said "I do" on Friday night as a law authorising same-sex marriage came into effect at midnight, the final stage in a long fight for equality.
Jeweller Graff unveils $55-mn diamond-encrusted watch
British jeweller Graff unveiled Thursday what it described as the "most valuable watch ever created" -- a timepiece replete with more than 110 carats of diamonds costing $55 million (40 million euros).
Boxing: Golovkin yields Best Eastern European Fighter title to Klitschko
Kazakhstan's Gennady 'GGG' Golovkin has yielded the first place in the 10 Best Eastern European Fighters ranking to Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko.
IMF bails out Ukraine as UN rejects Russia's Crimea annexation
The IMF announced a $14-$18 billion bailout for Ukraine on Thursday as the UN General Assembly refused to recognise Russia's annexation of the Crimea peninsula.
Smoking ban reduces pre-term births, childhood asthma
Bans on smoking in public and the workplace led to a 10 percent drop in premature births and in emergency asthma treatment for children.
Mimosa, French perfume-makers' secret ingredient
Like miniature pompoms bursting with colour and fragrance, mimosa flowers turn the hills around France's perfume capital, Grasse, a golden yellow for a couple of fleeting weeks each year.
Earth Hour to tap crowdfunding for green campaigns
Lights will go off in some 7,000 cities around the world for this weekend's Earth Hour event, which will aim to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for environmental projects worldwide.
Obama meets Pope Francis, looks for Catholic boost
Barack Obama will meet Pope Francis for the first time Thursday for talks on a shared agenda to fight inequality which the US President hopes will help boost support at home.
Australian 'Great Escape' survivor still has vivid memories
Australian Paul Royle, one of only two men alive from World War II's daring "Great Escape", says he still has vivid memories of the audacious prison breakout on its 70th anniversary.
Ex-Libyan PM fears country will become terror base
Former Libyan prime minister Ali Zeidan on Tuesday warned that Islamist groups were sabotaging attempts to rebuild his country in order that it become a haven for extremists, in an interview with Britain's newspaper The Times.
Comet-probing robot to wake from hibernation
A fridge-sized robot lab hurtling through the Solar System aboard a European probe is about to wake from hibernation and prepare for the first-ever landing by a spacecraft on a comet.
Prince Harry and his girlfriend Cressida arrive in Almaty
British Prince Harry has brought his girlfriend Cressida Bonas to Kazakhstan for some skiing.
Obama in Brussels for EU-US summit
President Barack Obama pays his first visit ever to European Union headquarters, cementing US-EU opposition to the takeover of Crimea after hitting out at Russian expansionism as a "sign of weakness".
China-France set to tie up deals on Xi visit
China and France are expected to sign scores of business deals on the first full day of President Xi Jinping's state visit Wednesday after he was wined and dined in the gastronomic capital of Lyon.
Couples ready to tie the knot in UK's first gay marriages
When the clock strikes midnight on Friday, gay and lesbian couples across England and Wales will begin exchanging vows as an historic law legalising same-sex marriage finally comes into force.
Nazarbayev calls to form strong economic ties with Netherlands
Nursultan Nazarbayev has participated in the meeting with members of the Kazakh-Dutch Friends of Kazakhstan in the Netherlands club.