WASHINGTONPresident Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki voiced cautious optimism regarding the situation in Iraq Wednesday, noting greater stability and decreased violence as U.S. troops continue to cede control to their Iraqi counterparts….

One cleric’s legacy of peace
By Bill Law
BBC Radio 4, Crossing Continents
Pakistani madrassas, religious schools, are often seen in the west as incubators for terrorism. Most do not fit that stereotype.Madrassas stress Koranic studies but many also provide what is…

Pandemic flu service to go live
By Nick Triggle
Health reporter, BBC News
The National Flu Service is expected to go live later, giving thousands of swine flu sufferers access to drugs without needing to consult with a GP.The phone…

WASHINGTONOn the eve of his fourth prime-time news conference, President Obama was working the phones, calling lawmakers involved in the health care talks to push them to embrace reform, White House Communications…

HARTFORD, ConnecticutPrincipal Steve Perry doesn’t believe in cursory inspections. For him, every single detail matters. T’s are always crossed, I’s are always dotted. Shirts are always buttoned and tucked in….

Israeli textbooks to drop ‘Nakba’
Israel’s education ministry is to drop from an Arabic language textbook a term describing the creation of the state of Israel as “the catastrophe”.The Arabic word “nakba” has been used with Israeli-Arab pupils since 2007….

Honduras rivals ‘resuming talks’
Delegations from both sides in the Honduran political crisis are to take part in fresh talks, mediators say.But the interim Honduran authorities say they will not bow to international demands for the reinstatement of ousted President Manuel Zelaya….

Obama to defend healthcare plan
US President Barack Obama is preparing to go before the cameras to defend his plans for health reform.At 2000EDT (0100BST) he will hold a news conference, to be broadcast live on three US TV networks,…

Falling sales dent eBay profits
Online auction giant eBay has reported a fall in profits between April and June of almost one-third, but analysts had expected a sharper fall.Net profit was 327.3m (198.6m), down 29% compared with the 460m made…

Q&A: US healthcare reform
US President Barack Obama made reform of the American healthcare system his top priority when he entered the White House.He has pledged to get a reform bill passed this year. But lawmakers in Congress are finding it difficult…

England batsman Kevin Pietersen has been ruled out of the Ashes series after undergoing surgery for an ongoing Achilles tendon injury.
Kevin Pietersen’s Achilles injury has forced him out of the remainder of the…

JERUSALEMIsraeli textbooks for Arab school children will no longer say that Arabs refer to the period surrounding the birth of Israel as al-Nakba, or “the catastrophe,” Israel’s education minister said Wednesday.
Ahmed…

German language adds 5,000 words
Around 5,000 new words have been officially added to the German language – many of them from the English-speaking world.The newcomers appear in the latest edition of the respected German dictionary, Duden. Germans can now…

Artificial brain ’10 years away’
By Jonathan Fildes
Technology reporter, BBC News, Oxford
A detailed, functional artificial human brain can be built within the next 10 years, a leading scientist has claimed.Henry Markram, director of the Blue Brain Project, has already built…

Biden pledges support for Georgia
The US will support Georgia as the former Soviet republic seeks to broaden its democratic credentials, US Vice-President Joe Biden has said.He told the BBC the US backed the territorial integrity of Georgia, following its…

(Entertainment Weekly) For the past three weeks in a row, Michael Jackson’s “Number Ones” has been the biggest-selling album in the country.
For the first time in a month, the No. 1 album…

TEHRAN, IranIran’s supreme leader believes the country’s president should dismiss the top vice president, whose recent appointment has drawn criticism from conservatives, semi-official media reported Wednesday.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been flexing his political…

Germany affirms Magna preference
The German government has said that after initial evaluations of the three bids for Opel, it still favours a deal with Canadian car parts maker Magna.The government supported Magna’s bid in May, but on Monday General Motors (GM)confirmed…

Alberto Contador has moved closer to his second Tour de France victory in three years after finishing second to Luxembourg’s Frank Schleck in the gruelling 169.5km 17th stage of the race from Bourg-Saint-Maurice to…

Investigators on Wednesday morning were searching the Houston, Texas, building where Dr. Conrad Murray has a practice, according to a spokeswoman for the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Officers stand outside…

Newspaper group sues Berlusconi
The publisher of Italy’s second largest-selling newspaper is suing Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.Mr Berlusconi described La Repubblica as “subversive”, prompting L’Espresso media group to sue for defamation. L’Espresso also publishes a magazine of the same name, and both…

New rituals for the British summer
By Laura Schocker
There’s much that’s predictable about a British summer, but it’s not a season preserved in aspic. Alongside the time-honoured traditions are emerging trends that say much about Britain in the…

German arms op man enjoys scratch

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A German dairy farmer who received the world’s first transplant of two complete arms has spoken about his new limbs – and the joy of scratching.Karl Merk had the…

LONDON, EnglandThere could be help at hand for the world’s number one golfer, Tiger Woods, as he aims to recover his form following a recent early exit from the British…

MOSCOW, RussiaA Ukrainian general has been arrested in connection with the murder of a journalist nearly nine years ago, the country’s president said Wednesday.
Ukraine President Viktor Yushchenko has labeled Georhiy Gongadze’s killing the country’s most…