12/19/2011 8:14:50 AM
AP - Even as the world changed around him, North Korean leader Kim Jong Il remained firmly in control, ruling absolutely at home and keeping the rest of the world on edge through a nuclear weapons program.
12/19/2011 8:39:00 AM
AP - North Korea's heir apparent Kim Jong Un has swiftly risen to power since being made a four-star general a year ago, but he is even more of an enigma than his late father was during 17 years of absolute power.
12/19/2011 9:16:41 AM
AP - Congress is facing yet another down-to-the wire showdown as House Republicans shun a bipartisan payroll tax cut bill approved by the Senate and prepare to write a package to please rank-and-file GOP lawmakers clamoring for a more conservative version.
12/19/2011 7:49:31 AM
AP - Congressional investigators said Monday that four House members received VIP discounted loans from the former Countrywide Financial Corp., the lender whose subprime mortgages was largely responsible for the nation's foreclosure crisis.
12/19/2011 7:55:19 AM
AP - Time appeared to be running out to rescue 39 people still missing more than a day after an oil rig capsized and sank in stormy, freezing waters off the eastern coast of Russia.
12/19/2011 8:25:41 AM
AP - With funeral parlors overwhelmed, authorities in a flood-stricken southern Philippine city on Monday organized the first mass burial of some of nearly 700 people who were swept to their deaths in one of worst calamities to strike the region in decades.
12/19/2011 8:25:48 AM
AP - More than 32 mostly coal-fired power plants in a dozen states will be forced to shut down and an additional 36 might have to close because of new federal air pollution regulations, according to an Associated Press survey.
12/19/2011 8:25:49 AM
AP - As Deloris Gillespie went up the elevator to her fifth-floor Brooklyn apartment, carrying groceries, a man was waiting. His face was one her neighbors later recognized, and she surely must have, too.
12/19/2011 8:37:44 AM
AP - The mother of a missing 20-month-old girl filed paperwork seeking sole custody a day before the girl disappeared from the father's home, and she said she wants answers from "the last man to see my daughter."
12/19/2011 6:31:07 AM
AP - Sophie Clarke slayed the competition on "Survivor: South Pacific."
12/19/2011 7:14:59 AM
Reuters - North Koreans poured into the streets on Monday to mourn the death of iron leader Kim Jong-il as state media hailed his untested son as the "Great Successor" of the reclusive state whose atomic weapons ambitions are a major threat to the region.
12/19/2011 6:02:48 AM
Reuters - A tax break for 160 million U.S. workers was in doubt on Monday in the face of strong opposition from Republicans in the House of Representatives who have rejected a two-month extension overwhelmingly approved by the Senate over the weekend.
12/19/2011 7:59:05 AM
Reuters - European finance ministers will pursue plans to enhance the IMF's arsenal and press on with a drive for tighter fiscal rules in an attempt to assuage doubts they can overcome their sovereign debt crisis.
12/19/2011 7:29:07 AM
Reuters - Car maker Saab ran out of room for maneuver on Monday when its Dutch owner filed for bankruptcy, calling time on a nine-month battle to rescue the struggling Swedish marquee.
12/19/2011 8:36:51 AM
Reuters - Republican presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich suffered a big drop in support in Iowa with Ron Paul taking the lead weeks before a key caucus in the state, according to a Democratic polling firm.
12/19/2011 7:15:42 AM
Reuters - After 10 months of secret dialogue with Afghanistan's Taliban insurgents, senior U.S. officials say the talks have reached a critical juncture and they will soon know whether a breakthrough is possible, leading to peace talks whose ultimate goal is to end the Afghan war.
12/19/2011 7:24:25 AM
Reuters - Syria agreed on Monday to let Arab League observers into the country to monitor implementation of a deal it agreed last month to pull troops from protest-hit towns, free political prisoners and start talking to dissidents.
12/18/2011 9:17:16 PM
Reuters - Disaster agencies Monday rushed to deliver body bags, food, water, and medicine to crowded evacuation centers in the southern Philippines as officials considered digging mass graves for hundreds killed in weekend flash floods.
12/17/2011 4:19:00 PM
The Christian Science Monitor - If you were part of an alien reconnaissance team visiting Earth this December, you'd be forgiven for thinking the world is ruled by someone named Tim Tebow.
12/17/2011 3:30:50 PM
The Christian Science Monitor - A weary Senate, battered by fiscal crisis and gridlock, wrapped up the year on Saturday with votes to fund the government through FY 2012 and extend a payroll tax cut, set to expire on Dec. 31.
12/19/2011 9:15:00 AM
The "Great Successor" who is in line to succeed his father as leader of North Korea is thought to be in his late 20s and to have gone to school in Switzerland. He may speak English. But as with many things in North Korea, much is a mystery.
12/19/2011 9:03:00 AM
The regime appears to have tried to position Kim Jong Un as a sort of reincarnation of former leader Kim Il Sung, whom the young man greatly resembles physically.
12/19/2011 8:04:00 AM
The race may feel more fluid than usual this year, but just as many caucus-goers were undecided this late in the game four years ago.
12/19/2011 8:00:00 AM
Tougher laws are a major reason for a sharp increase in the prevalence of arrests among young people. In the mid-1960s, about 22 percent of Americans reported having been arrested at least once by age 23.
12/19/2011 7:15:00 AM
Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, a nephew of the Saudi king, has a history of investing in media and technology companies, and said the deal represents an interest "in promising, high-growth businesses with a global impact."
12/19/2011 7:15:00 AM
Also in the news: World pays tribute to Vaclav Havel; WikiLeaks hearing continues; oil rig collapses off Russia's Far East coast.
12/19/2011 6:55:00 AM
Known for its sometimes irreverent way of illustrating world events, The Economist magazine has over the years been quite creative when it's cover subject was North Korean leader Kim Jong Il (who died Saturday at the age of 69). It's done it again.
12/19/2011 6:54:00 AM
Saab CEO Victor Muller personally handed in the bankruptcy application to a court in southwestern Sweden. The filing ends a desperate struggle to stay in business after previous owner General Motors Co. blocked takeover attempts by Chinese investors.
12/19/2011 5:47:00 AM
South Korea's Yonhap news agency says North Korea has conducted a short-range missile test on the day the country announced the death of leader Kim Jong Il.
12/19/2011 2:29:00 AM
Conservatives will be officially sworn into power in Spain this week for the first time in nearly eight years. Since 2004, the country's Socialists have legalized gay marriage, liberalized abortion laws and presided over the country's biggest-ever financial boom â€" and now downturn. The new year is likely to be marked by extreme austerity and diminished expectations.
12/19/2011 2:27:00 AM
About half of African-American women in the U.S. are obese, compared to 30 percent of white women. Black women not only carry more weight, but they start piling on extra pounds years before their white counterparts. Around age 8 or 9, girls become less active, and the decline is steepest for black girls.
12/18/2011 9:22:00 PM
The death of North Korea's mercurial and enigmatic leader was announced Monday by state television. Kim's iron rule and nuclear ambitions for his isolated Communist nation dominated world security fears for more than a decade.
12/18/2011 5:01:00 PM
A new Pentagon study shows that almost 30 percent of drone pilots surveyed suffer from what the military calls "burnout." It's the first time the military has tried to measure the psychological impact of waging a "remote-controlled war."
12/18/2011 10:04:00 PM
The North Korean leader, who took over after his father died in 1994, was 69. He had been preparing one of his sons to be the next leader of the communist nation.
12/18/2011 7:17:00 PM
A computer-crimes investigator testified Sunday he found more than 10,000 diplomatic cables and other sensitive information on the work computer of the Army private charged with spilling a mountain of secrets to WikiLeaks.
12/19/2011 9:15:45 AM
Scenes of public grieving greet news of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's death at the age of 69, reportedly of a heart attack.
12/19/2011 9:03:29 AM
Syria signs an agreement to allow observers to monitor its implementation of an Arab League initiative to end the crackdown on protests.
12/19/2011 7:13:53 AM
Former Italy midfielder Cristiano Doni is arrested by Italian police in a match-fixing investigation.
12/19/2011 7:57:23 AM
Mourners sign condolence books for late Czech leader Vaclav Havel and file past his closed coffin in Prague.
12/19/2011 8:29:05 AM
At least one person dies in fresh clashes between protesters and troops in the Egyptian capital Cairo, bringing the death toll since Friday to 12.
12/19/2011 8:00:52 AM
Spain's incoming conservative Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, promises deep public spending cuts while offering companies tax breaks.
12/19/2011 6:53:14 AM
Libyan military leader Abdel Hakim Belhaj is suing the UK government over his rendition and torture by Gaddafi regime.
12/18/2011 7:53:46 PM
A mass burial is being organised in the Philippines for scores killed by flash floods, which left at least 650 dead on the southern island of Mindanao.
12/19/2011 7:27:00 AM
A man is found guilty of trying to murder his fiancee who was buried alive in a box in woods in West Yorkshire.
12/18/2011 6:04:54 PM
Exposure to sunlight may help impede the spread of chickenpox by inactivating viruses on the skin, say researchers.
12/18/2011 8:24:30 PM
Bangladeshi woman Hawa Akther Jui, whose husband is accused of cutting off her fingers after she began a college course without his permission, has spoken to the BBC about her determination to carry on with her studies.
12/18/2011 11:22:46 PM
Former US Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, who led the delegation of the six-party nuclear talks on North Korea, says he believes Kim Jong-un is ''not ready'' to take over from his father, Kim Jong-il, who has died at the age of 69.
12/19/2011 6:39:07 AM
An unmanned golf cart caused mayhem at the end of a high school American football match in Texas.
12/19/2011 8:49:25 AM
Watch the latest news summary from BBC World News. International news updated 24 hours a day.
5/31/2010 10:50:43 PM
Newsnight's Sue Lloyd-Roberts has visited North Korea on an official trip to view celebrations marking the birthday of the country's founder Kim Il-sung.
12/18/2011 8:28:26 PM
Protesters have stoned security forces in Cairo as the death toll for three days of anti-military unrest in the Egyptian capital reaches 10.
12/18/2011 5:42:50 PM
The United Arab Emirates may be a Muslim country but at Christmas time, shops, malls and hotels are decked out in Christmas trees, lights, decorations and tinsel.
12/18/2011 8:27:33 PM
Pope Benedict XVI has denounced the problem of overcrowding in Italy's jails, during a visit to the main prison in Rome.
12/18/2011 1:02:06 PM
Manchester City defeat Arsenal to reclaim top spot in the Premier League while there are also wins for Manchester United, Liverpool and Spurs on a busy day of action that also features Championship and SPL games.
12/19/2011 8:44:38 AM
South Korean markets fall after North Korea's state media announces the death of the country's leader Kim Jong-il.
12/19/2011 9:22:49 AM
Troubled Swedish carmaker Saab files for bankruptcy after failing to secure fresh funds from potential Chinese investors.
12/19/2011 6:38:13 AM
BT sues Google over claims that the US firm's Android system, search and other services infringe its intellectual properties.
12/19/2011 6:26:19 AM
Electronic Arts is about to launch "Star Wars: The Old Republic" to challenge World of Warcraft as the leading online roleplaying video game.
12/19/2011 3:24:54 AM
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows tops the North American box office in a slow weekend of takings.
12/19/2011 5:11:40 AM
The contents of the house where Michael Jackson lived before he died sell at a Los Angeles auction for almost $1 million (£646,000).
12/19/2011 3:37:19 AM
Scientists assemble a remarkable 140-year record of water quality in the River Thames that details the inexorable rise of nitrate pollution.
12/19/2011 8:26:02 AM
Scientists catch a rare glimpse of the elusive pygmy hippo in Liberia.
12/15/2011 7:25:08 PM
Legalising same-sex marriage may create a healthier environment for gay men, say US researchers.
12/15/2011 7:19:09 PM
Penicillin doses for children - which have stayed the same for 50 years - need to be reviewed because youngsters are getting heavier, experts have said.
12/19/2011 1:54:40 AM
Reaction to Manchester City and Manchester United's victories, plus more.
12/19/2011 4:59:44 AM
Five-time Olympic champion Ian Thorpe says it is "premature" to judge his comeback despite more disappointing results in Italy.
12/19/2011 6:30:08 AM
Experts say they have confirmed for the first time the precise origin in west Wales of some of the rocks at Stonehenge.
12/18/2011 6:12:31 AM
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez unveils a diamond and pearl-encrusted coffin containing the remains of independence hero Simon Bolivar.
12/19/2011 6:08:01 AM
An explosion near the world's largest refugee camp in Kenya, close to the Somali border, kills at least one policeman, police say.
12/18/2011 10:45:51 PM
Australia sends rescue vessels to help search for scores of people believed missing after a boat carrying asylum-seekers sank off Indonesia.
12/19/2011 7:06:27 AM
Russian rescue officials say they are still hoping for a miracle, a day after an oil rig with 67 people on board capsized in icy seas.
12/17/2011 3:08:03 PM
A US woman on parole in Peru after serving 15 years in prison for aiding left-wing rebels says she was stopped from leaving the country.
12/19/2011 2:06:27 AM
Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal and his Kingdom Holding Co announce a $300m investment in social media site Twitter.
12/17/2011 11:45:16 PM
The last convoy of US troops to leave Iraq crosses the border into Kuwait, nearly nine years after the invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.
12/19/2011 9:17:53 AM
An initial agreement on health workers' pensions is set to be announced during a day of key negotiations for public sector staff
12/19/2011 8:04:50 AM
Donald Neilson, the multiple murderer known as the Black Panther, died on Sunday, the Ministry of Justice says.
12/18/2011 6:01:51 PM
New rules to stop the resurgence of risky mortgage lending are likely to be imposed in 2013 by the financial regulator.
12/19/2011 7:27:11 AM
The brother of Sean Hoare, the former News of the World journalist who made phone hacking allegations, says the practice was "used widely".
12/18/2011 10:23:03 PM
N Korea's leader Kim Jong-il has died
12/18/2011 4:21:42 AM
The search for survivors in the Philippines
12/17/2011 6:58:02 PM
A Rwandan prison where inmates cook on biogas
12/16/2011 11:45:33 PM
Photos from around the world this week
12/16/2011 6:38:14 AM
24 hours of news images: 16 December
12/15/2011 10:35:55 AM
Readers' pictures on the theme chilly
12/14/2011 6:17:26 PM
Contemporary Nigerian photography
12/15/2011 3:50:35 AM
A hospital in West Bengal treats hundreds
12/18/2011 6:13:52 PM
Was 2011 the most eventful year yet?
12/18/2011 6:03:14 PM
A love letter to America's disappearing mail offices
12/19/2011 6:02:56 AM
24 hours of news images from around the world
12/19/2011 7:46:36 AM
So, you think you're quick, Mr Vettel?
12/18/2011 6:36:21 PM
Somali piracy takes a heavy toll on Filipino mariners
12/18/2011 6:25:36 PM
Gesture-controlled devices are just around the corner
12/18/2011 7:25:02 PM
New film to spotlight Rabindranath Tagore and his muse
