Latest News Headlines

Earl weakens as it nears US coast
Hurricane Earl weakens as it nears the US East Coast, though officials warn it remains "large and powerful".

Explosion on Gulf of Mexico rig
An explosion rips through an offshore oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, west of the site of the blast in April that caused a huge oil spill.

Tanker aground off north Canada
A tanker carrying 9m litres of diesel fuel runs aground off the coast of northern Canada but no environmental damage is reported.

Middle East talks 'constructive'
Israeli and Palestinian leaders meet in Washington for the first direct peace talks in nearly two years and agree a framework for negotiations.

Burger King is sold for $3.26bn
Burger King is being sold to private equity firm 3G Capital in a deal valued at $3.26bn (£2.1bn), it has been announced.

Canadian to command space station
The Canadian Space Agency announces astronaut Chris Hadfield will become the first Canadian commander of the International Space Station in 2013.

'Lights out' help migratory birds
A growing number of New York sky-scrapers switch off their lights at night to help reduce the number of migratory birds hitting the buildings.

US accuses 11 of honey smuggling
US authorities indict 11 German and Chinese executives for conspiring to illegally import $40m worth of honey from China.

Discovery Channel gunman killed
Police shoot dead a gunman who took three hostages at the Discovery Communications HQ near Washington and free his prisoners.

Yemeni flight pair freed without charge
Two Yemenis arrested in Amsterdam on suspicion of planning a terror attack are released, prosecutors in the Netherlands say.