Gaddafi vows to push Africa unity
Libya's leader, Muammar Gaddafi, has been elected chairman of the African Union by leaders meeting in Ethiopia.

Rudd announces stimulus package
The Australian government has announced a second large stimulus package to jumpstart the cooling economy.

Deadly strike on S Lanka hospital
The International Red Cross in Sri Lanka says nine people have been killed in shellfire which struck a hospital in the north of the country.

Chinese migrant job losses mount
The human cost of the global recession is starting to match the economic cost in China.

Colombian Farc hostages released
Four people who had been held hostage by Colombia's left-wing Farc rebels since 2007 have been released.

Brown wants more trade with China
A protester has thrown a shoe at the Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao as he was giving a speech on the global economy at Cambridge University.

Picasso exhibition comes to an end
More than 700 000 visitors have seen the "Picasso and his Masters" exhibition at the Grand Palais in Paris.

How Moscow copes with extreme weather
Heavy snowfall in Britain has caused major disruption to travel but Moscow manages to function under far worse conditions.

Furry forecaster's winter verdict
Punxsutawney Phil's predictions are for six more weeks of winter.

Stars out for Oscars lunch
The stars in line for an Oscar attend the traditional Academy Award lunch

Super Bowl still a money-spinner
More than 90 million Americans tuned in to watch the Super Bowl, one of the biggest and most lucrative sporting events in the world.

Google Earth goes underwater
A virtual view of the oceans created using scientific research data is being made part of Google Earth.

Your guide to the BBC Embedded Media Player
The BBC Embedded Media Player brings you up-to-the minute reports in video and audio from BBC News.

Your guide to the BBC News Pop-up Player
The BBC News Player brings you up-to-the minute reports in video and audio from BBC News.

Britain sees more snow disruption
Heavy snowfalls have continued to disrupt services across much of the UK.

Snow hits schools and roads in Wales
The worst snowfall of the winter in Wales has brought disruption and delays to road travellers and 500 school closures.

Animal charities in cash row
A Scottish animal welfare charity has launched a scathing attack on its English counterpart, the RSPCA.

Attenborough on creationism
The naturalist and documentary-maker talks about his hero

The gloves to wear in a sweat
Heat fatigue is a serious danger for both soldiers in Iraq and professional athletes. However, a new device called 'the glove' is helping to cool the body temperature through the hands.

Economic Forum gets interactive
The BBC's Tanya Beckett finds out about how the forum is interacting with people through the web.

Nuclear workers join strikes
Hundreds of workers have joined the wave of unofficial strikes over the use of foreign labour.

Snow thought to cost economy £2bn
More than 3,000 schools have been closed and millions faced disruption after severe weather affected the UK.

Pontin's to create 2,000 new jobs
Holiday camp company Pontin's has said it will invest £50m in developing its holiday centres, generating 2,000 new jobs.

Government plans tough Lords rules
The government is preparing measures to strengthen the rules of conduct for peers.

PM condemns wildcat strikes
Gordon Brown has said that protests against the use of foreign labour in the UK are "not defensible".

Peers face expulsion over sleaze
Peers guilty of a criminal offence or rule breach could be expelled from the Lords, under plans being considered by Justice Secretary Jack Straw.

Jade 'serious' Eurovision entry
Britain's Eurovision ambitions have taken another step with the selection of 21 year old soul singer Jade Ewen to represent the country at the song contest in Moscow in May.

E24: The week in entertainment
James Dagwell presents the weekly entertainment show with all the latest news and star interviews from the world of film, music and television.

Cruz on Oscar nomination surprise
Spanish actress Penelope Cruz has spoken about her Oscar nomination for her role in Woody Allen's "Vicky Cristina Barcelona".

Nurse suspended for prayer offer
A community nurse from Somerset has been suspended from her job for offering to pray for one of her patients.

New care for dementia sufferers
People with dementia and their carers are to get more support. A network of clinics to help diagnose the condition is also being set up by the government.

Medics urge ban on gifts to GPs
Drug companies should be banned from giving gifts to doctors, according to a panel of medical experts.