Pirates demand ransom over supertanker

Somali pirates who hijacked Saudi oil super-tanker have demanded a ransom as Greek carrier and Thai boat are latest victims

Student bonfire caused weekend fire in US

A bonfire by college students caused the wildfire in Santa Barbara that destroyed 210 homes, including celebrity mansions

Britain urged to open the door to Europeans

Ministers must decide whether to maintain the ban on workers from Bulgaria and Romania for another three years

Obama close to naming first black attorney general

A series of reports claimed Eric Holder had accepted an offer from the president-elect to head the Justice Department

Lawyers drawn into fight for Senate superpower

Disputed contests with a colourful cast will determine whether the agenda of the President-elect agenda is given a clear run

Down Under goes mad for 'Australia'

The landscape is beautiful and the plotlines dramatic but early reviews of Baz Luhrmann's epic are disappointing

Watches clock up a record £1.45m

The mirror-image watches were made in 1815 and presented to Emperor Jiaqing of China by King George III the following year

ANC hurries into general election

The election on March 25 is expected to be the closest in South Africa’s history and commentators are predicting disturbances

UN artwork costs go through roof

A £15m work featuring multicoloured stalactites covering the UN ceiling is unveiled and heavily criticised on its cost

Impoverished land awash with millions of dollars

Millions are starving in Somalia, but in Eyl piracy is big business and the northeastern province Puntland is experiencing a boom

Keep talking and remain calm, says freed hostage

Jean-Yves Delanne and his wife Bernadette were held hostage by Somali pirates before being freed by French commandos

Police arrest 18 in Mafia raids

Some arrested allegedly had ties to the Patriarca family, which for years controlled organised crime in Providence and Boston

Oldest polar bear dies at 42

Orphaned as a cub in Russia and raised in captivity, Debbie was one of the world’s most-famous and loved bears

Israel sends tanks into Gaza

Israeli tanks entered the Gaza Strip, drawing mortar fire from Palestinian militants and undermining a tenuous truce

Closure gives respite from junk e-mails

McColo Corp, a Californian company accused of providing the gateway for much of the world’s junk e-mail, has been shut down

Indian police escape prosecution over torture

Human rights activists expressed outrage that no charges will be brought over the treatment of Muslim terror suspects

UK cocaine users 'helped fund Betancourt kidnapping' claims Colombia VP

Colombian vice-president says otherwise ethically-minded Britons are driving terror and environmental destruction in Latin American country

Pirates strike again as new cargo ship hijacked

Three days after seizing an oil tanker in the boldest act of piracy yet, bandits have taken control of a Hong Kong ship

Inauguration chaos as Obamania prompts ticket row

Senator vows crackdown on profiteering as supposedly free tickets sold on internet for thousands of dollars

Berlusconi plays 'cuckoo' prank on Merkel

Italian Prime Minister hides behind lamppost to play a practical joke on German Chancellor at summit talks