Sebastian Pinera is sworn in as president of quake-hit Chile, as a 7.2-magnitude aftershock strikes the centre of the country. Link

Greek public and transport services grind to a halt and clashes break out during a third strike over austerity measures. Link

A Stockholm court rules a Swedish man can be extradited to Poland for trial over the theft of a sign from Auschwitz. Link

US Vice-President Joe Biden says Middle East peace talks must resume, despite a row over Israeli settlement plans. Link

First results from Iraq's election show PM Nouri Maliki's grouping leading in two southern provinces, officials say. Link

Three MPs and a peer tell a court they are not guilty of charges of false accounting in relation to their expenses claims. Link

Defeated Sri Lankan presidential candidate Gen Sarath Fonseka is to be put on military trial next week, officials say. Link

Survivors of violence in central Nigeria on Sunday have been telling the BBC what happened. Link

Rock legends Pink Floyd win a court battle with record label EMI over online royalties and how their music is sold online. Link

Bank of America has apologised to a woman in Pennsylvania after one of its contractors entered her house and confiscated her parrot. Link

Protests by opponents of the prime minister appeared to delay the announcement of the preliminary results and could undermine public acceptance of the outcome. Link

A Republican on the Senate Banking Committee called Senator Christopher J. Dodd?s plan to proceed without more negotiations ?very disappointing.? Link

It now appears possible to sequence a patient?s genome at reasonable cost and with sufficient accuracy to be useful. Link

It has been hard for Basil A. Paterson, a Harlem political power, to watch his son become embroiled in scandal. Link

A 7.2-magnitude quake hit central Chile on Thursday as the inaugural ceremonies for the new president were under way. Link

Police and paramedics use an array of dashboard devices, a boon for their jobs that also presents a clear risk. Link

Proposed changes to the state?s social studies curriculum would portray conservatives in a more positive light. Link

For the second time in two weeks, a general strike closed public services, halting all flights and most transport across the debt-plagued country. Link

Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. called for no delay in resuming peace talks, after Palestinians said Israel must cancel a settlement project before negotiations can begin. Link

World Food Program officials said it would welcome an independent investigation into its Somalia operations after a report that up to half the food aid was being diverted. Link

Facing an election-year backlash over runaway spending and ethics scandals, House Democrats moved Wednesday to ban earmarks for private companies, sparking a war between the parties over which would embrace the most dramatic steps to change the way business is done in Washington. Link

President Obama and the Supreme Court have waded again into unfamiliar and strikingly personal territory. Link

The federal government has spent the past half year seeking to roll back its emergency efforts at propping up the financial markets -- with the notable exception of its involvement in mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Link

KINSHASA, CONGO -- This vast central African nation is known for many things: the massive corruption of the late leopard-hat-wearing dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, grinding poverty, a devastating conflict in the east. But it is worth noting that Congo is also home to a formidable cult of high fashion,... Link

Natalie Randolph, a former player in a women's professional football league and a former high school assistant coach, will get a new job description this week: head coach, high school football. Link

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office was notified in October by then-Rep. Eric Massa's top aide of concerns about the New York Democrat's behavior, two congressional sources familiar with the matter said Wednesday night. Link

Members of Congress do not like to be rushed. Lord Cornwallis surrendered to George Washington at Yorktown in 1781, but Congress didn't get around to appointing Washington general of the armies of the United States until 195 years later, during the Ford administration. More recently, lawmakers built... Link

-- A March 6 Page One article about the D.C. government's plan to combat HIV with free distribution of the FC2, a second- generation female condom, described the condom as being made of a thin polyurethane that conducts body heat and enhances sensation. The original female condom was polyurethane;... Link

ST. CHARLES, MO. -- President Obama made an impassioned case Wednesday for his health-care proposal, delivering a folksy, partisan argument for reform as industry groups prepare a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign to defeat it. Link

Haitian President René Préval pleaded Wednesday for U.S. help plugging a multimillion-dollar budget gap caused by the Jan. 12 earthquake but said he got a cool reception from congressional leaders wary of handing over cash. Link

A UK proposal for mandatory microchipping of dogs has renewed charges of an overactive nanny state. But postal workers and people whose neighbors have aggressive ' dogs like the idea. Link

Nelson Mandela ?let us down,? the London Evening Standard reported ex-wife Winnie Mandela as saying. Many black South Africans expected more economic progress by now. Link

The annual Forbes billionaire list says Mexico's Carlos Slim Helu is the richest man in the world, finally edging out Microsoft founder Bill Gates and signaling the rising wealth in developing nations. Link

PA President Mahmoud Abbas said Wednesday that Israel-Palestinian peace talks are off unless Israel cancels 1,600 newly planned homes for East Jerusalem. US Vice President Biden encouraged talks to go forward. Link

According to the latest Forbes rich list, China now has more billionaires than any country outside the US. India's billionaires, however, are richer. Eight made the Top 100 and two, Mukesh Ambani and Lakshmi Mittal, rank in the Top 5. Link

The most powerful politicians in Lebanon resumed discussions on national defense, with questions of how to rein in Shiite political party Hezbollah's powerful military wing on the table. Link

Commentators have called Israel's announcement of new settlement construction in East Jerusalem during Vice President Joe Biden's visit a humiliation. But the Palestinian leadership still appears willing to give talks a chance. Link

Activists in India have been hospitalized or even killed as they tap the 2005 freedom of information act to expose government corruption. Link

Pennsylvania woman Colleen LaRose, or 'Jihad Jane,' is only the latest in a string of American-born Muslim extremists, experts say. Here's a Top 10 list. Link

US Vice President Joe Biden visited Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah Wednesday and warned that fresh Israeli settlement construction is undermining confidence in the peace process. Link

Three strong earthquakes rocked Chile this morning, just as the country was swearing in a new president. Link

Superintendent John Covington called for the closing or consolidation of almost half of the schools in the Kansas City, Missouri, school district. Link

Congress has stripped the jobs bill of the reinvestment in America's infrastructure that would put people back to work and make the country more prosperous in the long run. Link

Parts of Arkansas were under a tornado watch until early Thursday after a series of powerful tornadoes ripped through dozens of homes, critically injuring two people. Link

Iraq's election commission is expected Thursday to announce partial results of last week's vote. Link

Corey Haim seemed to be winning his battle against drug abuse in the weeks before his death, according to both his manager and closest friend. Link

Photos of the nude and decapitated body of a murdered hiker, sought by a writer on assignment for Hustler magazine, will not be released, a judge in Georgia ordered Wednesday. Link

A British Airways employee appeared in court Thursday on charges related to terrorism. Link

For five days, Alexis Moore carefully planned how she would take her own life. She's not a violent person, so she knew handguns were out. She settled on vodka instead, to be followed by a bottle of Xanax. Link

It's official: Betty White will host NBC's Saturday Night Live on May 8, WNBC News announced Thursday morning. Link

Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Thursday that Pakistan has a key role to play in peace talks with the Taliban, a possible attempt to quash speculation that his government was trying to sideline its neighbor. Link

There were no immediate reports of damages or injuries following the magnitude 7.2 temblor and at least three other aftershocks, which swayed buildings, shook windows and provoked nervous smiles among the dignitaries attending the presidential inauguration in Valparaiso. Link

Greek police fired tear gas to disperse protesters throwing rocks and firebombs outside Parliament as tens of thousands of people marched through Athens to protest measures to cut the country's debt. The strike grounded all flights and brought public transport to a halt. Link

Preliminary election results released by Iraq's electoral commission show Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is winning in two Shiite provinces in southern Iraq. Link

Wrapping up a three-day visit, the U.S. vice president urges both sides to get past the uproar sparked by an Israeli plan for new settlement construction in disputed east Jerusalem and focus on U.S.-mediated peace talks. 'If each waits stubbornly ... this will go on for an eternity,' Biden says. Link

The emerging consensus in Afghanistan is that military action alone will not win the war against the Taliban and a political solution will be necessary. Afghan President Hamid Karzai has reached out to some Taliban leaders. But analysts say the Taliban and the U.S. are not ready for full-scale negotiations — yet. Link

Colleen LaRose, a petite, 46-year-old blonde from the Philadelphia suburbs, is accused of trolling the Internet as 'Jihad Jane' to recruit others who might take part in possible terrorist attacks. She allegedly looked for people like herself — people who don't fit a terrorist profile that now seems to be falling by the wayside. Link

Britain's Foreign Secretary David Miliband talks to Renee Montagne about how political negotiations with the Taliban in Afghanistan will help end the war there. He says it complements military and civilian efforts already underway. Link

The major trade unions in Greece went on a national strike to protest the government's austerity measures Thursday. It's the second general strike in a month. The latest polls show Greeks deeply divided over the plan to restore the economy and restore confidence in the Euro. Link

The league's peace initiative committee said if Israel pursues new settlement building in east Jerusalem, the proposed indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinians would be irrelevant. A final decision on whether to support the process must be made by the foreign ministers of the Arab nations. Link

Viewer reactions to our film, The Suicide Tourist, with so many sharing their own stories... Link

Check out Case Six. It's led to a guilty plea on a stunning police cover-up in the days following Hurricane Katrina-- Link

Tehran is a city inhabited by millions. Those from smaller towns live to get to Tehran; residents of Tehran would die to get out. Every day is marked by endless collisions... Link

View -- it reveals why Pakistan's public schools are a ticking time bomb. The secretary of state referenced it in her Congressional testimony last week. Link

Colgan Air's reaction to our recent investigation into regional airlines - and see what others in the industry say. Link

During the past few months, suspicion that the Cyber Army's constituent hacker groups are connected to the Iranian government was... Link

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) -- Chilean President Sebastian Pinera is urging citizens along the coast to move quickly to higher ground following five strongly felt aftershocks, including the biggest since last month's 8.8-magnitude temblor.... Link

BAGHDAD (AP) -- Partial preliminary results from four of 18 provinces in Iraq show the prime minister's bloc and a secular challenger winning two provinces each.... Link

WASHINGTON (AP) -- American households saw their wealth increase at the end of last year, mainly because the healing economy boosted stock portfolios.... Link

WASHINGTON (AP) -- House Democratic leaders Thursday walked their rank-and-file members through last-minute agreements that could move President Barack Obama's overhaul of the nation's health care system a step closer to reality.... Link

ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- Serious street clashes erupted between rioting youths and police in central Athens Thursday as some 30,000 people demonstrated during a nationwide strike against the cash-strapped government's austerity measures.... Link

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Kansas City School Superintendent John Covington says the decision to close almost half the district's schools was difficult and painful but 'unquestionably the right thing to do.'... Link

MEXICO CITY (AP) -- Mexican telecom tycoon Carlos Slim is the first man from a developing nation to become the world's richest person - a shift that underlines the loosening of America and Europe's stranglehold on the top spots in the billionaires' club.... Link

NEW YORK (AP) -- Without a TV show to do every night, Conan O'Brien is taking his act on the road.... Link

LONDON (AP) -- In a victory for the concept album, Britain's High Court on Thursday ordered record company EMI Group Ltd. to stop selling downloads of Pink Floyd tracks individually rather than as part of the band's original records.... Link

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Pro Football Hall of Famer and former television actor Merlin Olsen has died. He was 69.... Link

SANTIAGO, Chile (Reuters) - A 7.2 magnitude aftershock struck near Chile's capital Santiago on Thursday, the U.S. Geological Survey said. Link

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senator Christopher Dodd said on Thursday that he will present on Monday his own version of a financial reform bill after compromise talks with Senate Republicans broke down. Link

ATHENS (Reuters) - Police clashed with stone-throwing youths in Athens on Thursday as tens of thousands protested draconian cutbacks aimed at pulling Greece out of a debt crisis shaking the euro zone. Link

TEL AVIV (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Joe Biden called on Thursday for Israeli-Palestinian peace talks to start without delay despite Palestinian insistence that Israel first cancel a settlement project condemned by Washington. Link

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama pressed China on Thursday to move to a 'more market-oriented exchange rate' in a speech where he laid out a plan to boost U.S. exports in the coming years. Link

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A cross-sectarian, secularist alliance headed by former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi is ahead in two Iraqi provinces north of Baghdad, early results from the country's electoral commission showed Thursday. Link

KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine's new prime minister, Mykola Azarov, declaring state coffers were empty, promised on Thursday to meet all obligations to the International Monetary Fund and push through a realistic 2010 budget. Link

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of U.S. workers filing new applications for unemployment benefits fell slightly less than expected last week, hinting at a slow labor market recovery. Link

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An overwhelming majority of Americans wants Wall Street subjected to tougher regulation in the aftermath of the bank bailout and the bonus scandals that have rocked the U.S. financial sector, according to a Harris poll released on Thursday. Link

LONDON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - BP will pay $7 billion to Devon Energy for assets that will extend its reach into Brazil and bulk up its position in the Gulf of Mexico, as the world's top oil companies look to acquisitions to refill depleting reserves. Link

SRIHARIKOTA, India (AFP) - India successfully launched its first lunar mission Wednesday, marking a major boost for the country's space programme and a new step in the fast-developing Asian space race. Link

COLOMBO (AFP) - Tamil Tiger rebels struck back against a major Sri Lankan government offensive Wednesday with suicide attacks against merchant ships off the island's northern coast, defence officials said. Link

WASHINGTON, (AFP) - US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates warned of 'pretty dramatic' consequences of not having an accord governing the presence of US troops in Iraq. Link

MOON TOWNSHIP, Pennsylvania (AFP) - John McCain told voters his White House rival Barack Obama was unprepared to handle a national security crisis, citing the US-Russia standoff in 1962 that put the world on the brink of nuclear war. Link

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Google on Tuesday released the open-source code which powers its Android mobile operating system and invited outside programmers to tinker with the software to develop their own features. Link

NEW YORK (AFP) - The US Federal Reserve has offered help to troubled money market mutual funds, as governments announced fresh aid to struggling banks amid signs of thawing credit in the money markets. Link

TOKYO (AFP) - Profits at Toyota Motor Corp. are expected to plunge by half in the year to March, while annual sales are set to drop for the first time in a decade, reports said Wednesday. Link

Three strong aftershocks—one a magnitude-7.2—rattled Chile's central-south regions, prompting tsunami fears and briefly disrupting the flow of international dignitaries to the inaugural ceremony of President-elect Sebastian Pinera. Link

Sen. Dodd will introduce his sweeping plan to overhaul financial regulations Monday without any Republican support, potentially imperiling the White House's effort to redraw financial regulations. Link

Early results in Iraq's parliamentary elections show a tight race between Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and challenger Ayad Allawi, the former interim prime minister. Link

The U.S. trade deficit unexpectedly narrowed to $37.29 billion in January as imports and exports both declined and oil import volumes hit their lowest in more than a decade. Link

The FCC has begun examining whether it needs to ensure that consumers don't lose channels during fee disputes between broadcasters and cable operators. Link

The British oil giant agreed to acquire a big swath of oil assets from Devon Energy for $7 billion, in a deal that will vault BP into the hot new oil region off the shores of Brazil. Link

Gensler took another swipe at Wall Street, saying financial firms' objections to over-the-counter derivatives regulations could leave a large portion of the market in the dark. Link

U.S. auto-safety regulators are considering new standards for car brakes, accelerator pedals and 'black boxes' that record crash data, the Obama administration's top highway-safety official is expected to tell Congress. Link

The rapid growth in China's bank lending and investment spending slowed in February, official data show, a sign that the government's gradual withdrawal of stimulus policies is starting to have an effect. Link

Germany and France launched a proposal that calls for European trading in credit default swaps to be conducted on transparent exchanges and subjected to minimum holding periods. Link

The largest aftershock since Chile's devastating earthquake rocks the South American country minutes before the inauguration of President Sebastian Pinera. Link

Early results from Iraq's key election began coming in Thursday, showing a coalition led by the prime minister ahead in two southern Shiite provinces. Link

The Palestinians threaten to pull out of U.S.-mediated peace talks with Israel before negotiations even start. Link

Protesters clash with police as more than 20,000 people march through central Athens during a nationwide general strike against the government's new austerity measures. Link

For the third time in three years, the world has a new richest man. Link

An Iranian appeals court sentenced a university professor to six years in prison for suspected involvement in the country's postelection turmoil, local media reported Thursday. Link

Heavy fighting between Somali insurgents and pro-government troops has killed at least 43 people over two days, as African Union peacekeepers used tanks to help the beleaguered government beat back an insurgent attack, officials said Thursday. Link

A small but remarkable transformation is happening in Cuba, a nation known for the rugged revolution of Fidel Castro, Che Guevara and a band of ever-macho, bearded rebels, who long punished gays and transsexuals, but is now paying for sex changes. Link

The woes of Britain show that the troubles for Europe, and the West, extend far beyond the traditionally laggard countries of southern Europe. Link

Islamabad's arrests of senior militants have dispersed the Afghan Taliban's leadership to cities across Pakistan, hampering the insurgency. Link

Three strong aftershocks—one a magnitude-7.2—rattled Chile's central-south regions, prompting tsunami fears and briefly disrupting the flow of international dignitaries to the inaugural ceremony of President-elect Sebastian Pinera. Link

Early results in Iraq's parliamentary elections show a tight race between Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and challenger Ayad Allawi, the former interim prime minister. Link

Israel sought to defuse a diplomatic uproar that overshadowed U.S. Vice President Biden's trip to the Middle East, but Palestinians warned that a newly announced Jerusalem building project is an obstacle to renewed peace talks. Link

A British Airways computer expert was charged with plotting suicide bombings—including one he allegedly planned to carry out himself. Link

A second former New Orleans officer pleaded guilty in an alleged conspiracy to cover up a deadly police shooting of unarmed residents after Hurricane Katrina. Link

The FBI is investigating the case of an alleged al Qaeda member from New Jersey who's accused of trying to shoot his way out of a hospital in Yemen. Link

Ukraine's president, moving swiftly to consolidate power and end months of political deadlock, secured a governing coalition in parliament and won approval for a close ally to serve as prime minister. Link

Violence broke out between police and protesters in Athens as 30,000 people gathered to demonstrate against the government's austerity program as part of a nationwide general strike. Link

American suspected of recruiting jihadis on Internet exhibited signs of instability. Link

Top European Union officials say the bloc's decision to act on hedge funds is in line with a G20 decision to reinforce transparency, after the US Treasury secretary warned they may lead to protectionism Link

Pressure on Beijing to begin raising interest rates and to allow the renminbi to appreciate against the US dollar is set to rise as inflation jumped 2.7 per cent last month from a year before Link

Police fired teargas at stone-throwing demonstrators in central Athens at the end of a march by workers taking part in a 24-hour strike to protest against the Socialist government?s economic austerity measures Link

Hungarians who grew up under Communism were loathe to abandon the idea that the state should provide for them. But in October 2008 the country was forced to turn to the IMF for a ?20bn standby credit Link

President Nicolas Sarkozy and other senior figures in France?s governing UMP party are stepping up their contact with Conservative leader David Cameron and his team Link

Ukraine?s president Viktor Yanukovich strengthens his grip on power as a new governing coalition is agreed in parliament and one of his loyalists, Mykola Azarov, is appointed prime minister Link

Joe Biden, the US vice-president, has accused Israel of ?inflaming tensions? and ?prejudicing the outcome? of peace talks, delivering an unusually sharp rebuke to America?s closest ally in the Middle East Link

Chris Dodd, the Senate banking committee chairman, said that he would introduce a financial regulatory reform bill next week in a substantial move forward for one of President Barack Obama?s legislative priorities. Link

Japan?s economy grew less than initially estimated in the fourth quarter of 2009 but the revised gross domestic product data unveiled were still cause for guarded optimism, said the government Link

The new head of the country?s watchdog faces a heavy task in rebuilding trust and boosting capital investment, writes Tom Burgis Link