Wacky gadgets ease the pain of Chinese New Year getaway

John Kerry prompts a Gallic shrug by refusing to answer a question in French at his first news conference as US secretary of state.

John Kerry prompts a Gallic shrug by refusing to answer a question in French at his first news conference as US secretary of state.

A theological debate is being held in Glasgow on moves to change the law on physician-assisted suicide.

A wreath is to be laid in the sea off the north east coast of Scotland later to commemorate a lifeboat disaster which claimed the lives of six crew.

In a widely expected move, Venezuela cuts the value of its currency by 32% against the US dollar, in an effort to boost its economy.

Members of an Afghan youth orchestra arrive in the US to tour iconic music venues and use music to shape their country's future, says the BBC's Jane O'Brien.

Members of an Afghan youth orchestra arrive in the US to tour iconic music venues and use music to shape their country's future, says the BBC's Jane O'Brien.

Brazil's annual carnival kicks off in style, but the parades and street parties have a sombre tinge coming after a nightclub fire that killed 238 people.

The BBC's Will Grant reflects on a brutal rape which has shocked the people of Mexico, despite the high level of violence there.

The pensions regulator says individuals have given illegal "pension liberation" schemes an estimated £400m since 2008.

Pakistan civil society under threat as intolerance grows

David Aaronovitch considers how a decade of political chaos shaped George Orwell's vision of a totalitarian future which featured in his novel Nineteen Eighty-four.

Doctors may be failing to spot tell-tale signs in children who are underweight, a study suggests.

The largest independent shareholder in PC-maker Dell vows to oppose a plan by its founder, Michael Dell, to buy back the company.

An Ohio Amish sect leader is sentenced to 15 years in prison, with shorter terms for his followers, for a spate of beard-cutting attacks in 2011.

An Ohio Amish sect leader is sentenced to 15 years in prison, with shorter terms for his followers, for a spate of beard-cutting attacks in 2011.

Sir Alex Ferguson claims the television fixture schedule is harming Premier League sides' chances of success in Europe.

Assassinated Tunisian politician Chokri Belaid is buried after a funeral attended by thousands, amid nationwide protests and tension.

The parents of Hadiya Pendleton, a teenage girl shot dead days after appearing in President Obama's inauguration celebrations, have told the BBC that US gun laws have to change.