Vatican police under scrutiny in leaks trials
The Vatican gendarmerie has been an intriguing protagonist in the cloak-and-dagger "Vatileaks" case, set to wrap up on Saturday with a verdict in the trial of a Holy See computer technician.
Fifth of US youth with HIV unaware during first-time sex
Twenty percent of young people born with HIV in the United States don't know they're infected when they have sex for the first time, according to a new study released Friday.
Spain anti-bank protest decries second evictee suicide
Hundreds of people demonstrated in Madrid on Friday after a woman due to be evicted killed herself in northern Spain, the second such suicide in two weeks, which the protesters blame on predatory mortgage lenders.
Bridget Jones set to return in third novel next year
The accident-prone British thirty-something Bridget Jones is to return in a third novel next year, her creator Helen Fielding announced on Friday.
CIA chief Petraeus resigns over affair
Chief US spymaster David Petraeus has resigned over an extramarital affair, bringing an abrupt and ignominious end to a brilliant government career.
US not ready for Basel III bank rules: Treasury
The US Treasury announced Friday that it would not implement the Basel III rules for strengthening banks on January 1, saying the banks were not yet ready to meet the tougher capital standards.
Interpol elects French woman as first female president
Interpol on Thursday elected a French police commissioner known for her drive against organised crime in Bordeaux and Corsica as its first female president at its general assembly in Rome.
Money flowed in for 2012 elections, but with little gain
Despite their funding deluge from wealthy donors, Republicans failed to overwhelm President Barack Obama and Democrats at the ballot box. So was throwing all that money at the 2012 election worth it?
EU budget talks collapse
The first round in two weeks of tough talks on the European Union budget collapsed Friday after austerity-minded states refused to plug a 2012 budget shortfall in funds destined for Europe's needy.
Britain to end aid to India in 2015
Britain's government said on Friday it will stop all aid to India in 2015 and slash its remaining handouts, bowing to domestic pressure over its foreign development budget at a time of austerity.
Darwin earns 4,000-plus votes in US election
Charles Darwin earned more than 4,000 votes in a US congressional race from voters protesting the unopposed candidacy of an ardent creationist.
Obama warns taxes must rise on rich
US President Barack Obama on Friday claimed a mandate to raise taxes on the rich to pay for deficit reductions, firing his first post-election shot in a year-end budget showdown with Republicans.
Self-Googler Daniel Craig says wanted out of 007
Daniel Craig wanted to get out of the role of James Bond from his first appearance as the famed British spy, he said in an interview published as the latest 007 movie was released in the US Friday.
Poland urges no veto on tricky 2014-2020 EU budget
Poland on Friday urged net beneficiary EU members not to block talks on the contentious 2014-2020 budget proposed by Brussels which the 27-member bloc is expected to focus on at an upcoming summit.
'Grrr!': Rolling Stones release greatest hits
The Rolling Stones on Monday release a greatest hits album titled "Grrr!" featuring two new tracks recorded over the summer in Paris, as fans count down to a string of 50th-anniversary concerts.
Russian Orthodox patriarch visits Holy Land
Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill was in Jerusalem on Friday for his first visit to the Holy Land since becoming head of the powerful church in 2009.
Iranian jets fired on US drone in Gulf: Pentagon
The Pentagon revealed Thursday that two Iranian fighter jets fired on an unarmed US Predator drone in the Gulf last week but the aircraft was not hit, in an incident that underscored tensions in the region.
Writer's epic journey gets 'Ulysses' to Dublin stage
Dermot Bolger was commissioned in 1993 by a US museum that holds the original manuscript of James Joyce's famed novel -- which chronicles a day in the life of a Dublin man -- to adapt the book for the stage.
Uranium-polluted water escapes from Finnish mine
Radioactive emissions 50 times higher than normal have been detected in waters close to a nickel and zinc mine in central Finland.
Chinese sub-launched nuclear deterrent at hand
For the first time China is close to reaching a "credible" nuclear deterrent based on land-based, submarine-launched and air-dropped nuclear weapons.
