Struggling Alitalia in last-gasp bid for survival
Five years after a botched rescue, Italy's troubled carrier Alitalia gasped for survival on Tuesday buried by a mountain of debt, unpaid gas bills and only the slimmest of options.
British vans telling migrants to 'go home' ruled inoffensive
Britain's advertising watchdog said Wednesday that government posters urging illegal immigrants to "go home or face arrest" were not offensive despite hundreds of complaints.
Piaf legend lives on, 50 years later
Even as she lay dying, Edith Piaf carefully controlled the image that made her a star -- and 50 years after her death a legend -- in her native France and around the world.
Cellular breakthrough earns trio Nobel for medicine
A trio of American scientists won the Nobel Prize for Medicine on Monday for pioneering work on the body's cell transport system.
GSK to seek green light for malaria vaccine
British drug maker GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) said on Tuesday it hoped to get the green light for a prototype vaccine against malaria after trials showed it offered children a partial shield against the disease.
Single again: Bridget Jones returns
Bridget Jones returns after a 14-year break on Thursday, in a new book which sees the famed British singleton widowed with two children but still grappling with modern life and unsuitable men.
Singapore, China giants 'mull Spain gas investment': report
Singapore state investment giant Temasek and Chinese oil group Sinopec aim to snap up a multi-billion-euro stake in Spain's Gas Natural.
'God Particle' in focus as Nobel season kicks off
The Nobel season kicks off Monday amid expectations that the physics prize will honour the discovery of the "God Particle", while a Pakistani girl who was shot and nearly killed by the Taliban could receive the peace prize.
Matisse cut-outs going on show in London
The biggest exhibition of Matisse's paper cut-outs -- a technique the French artist invented in his final years -- is going on show in London.
Pope says Church should rid itself of 'worldliness'
Pope Francis on Friday called for the Catholic Church and its faithful to rid themselves of earthly concerns like St Francis of Assisi during a pilgrimage to the saint's Italian hometown.
Ireland votes on scrapping upper house of parliament
Cash-strapped Ireland voted in a referendum on Friday on whether to back Prime Minister Enda Kenny's controversial proposals to abolish the upper house of parliament.
Israel: European rights resolution on circumcision 'racist'
Israel labelled as "racist" and "anti-religious" Friday a resolution of the pan-European human rights body calling for regulation of circumcision practices.
Malala picks up another award as Nobel beckons
Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani girl shot by the Taliban for campaigning for girls' schooling, added another award to a growing list on Friday.
Prince Harry reviews global armada in Sydney
Britain's Prince Harry, in full military uniform, reviewed a global armada of warships in a day of pomp and ceremony watched by tens of thousands of people on Sydney Harbour.
Ireland set to vote on abolishing upper house of parliament
Ireland votes on Friday on whether to abolish its upper house of parliament, a historic move that Prime Minister Enda Kenny argues will save money but which critics say is a power grab.
Screams as migrants in Italy boat disaster drowned
Locals on the tiny Italian island of Lampedusa fought back tears as they spoke of the desperate rush to haul dozens of drowning immigrants out of the sea as hundreds around them sank into the black waters.
Astana Opera singer is invited to work in Italy
A singer of Astana Opera Medet Chotabayev has received a job offer from Italy.
Last will and testament of Alfred Nobel, prize creator
Swedish inventor and scholar Alfred Nobel (1833-1896), who made a vast fortune from his invention of dynamite in 1866, ordered the creation of the Nobel prizes in his will.
Gambia pulls out of Commonwealth
The Gambian government announced Wednesday that the former British colony is pulling out of the Commonwealth with immediate effect, saying it would "never be a member of any neo-colonial institution".