Media giant Time Warner says it will spin off its Time Inc magazine unit into an independent, publicly traded company by the end of the year.

A crystal found in a shipwreck could be similar to a sunstone - a navigational aid said to have been used by Viking mariners, scientists believe.

Audubon’s ignoble beginnings and indelible legacy

In Italy as across much of Europe, the Catholic Church is struggling with dwindling congregations and fewer young men joining the priesthood.

Venezuela begins seven days of mourning after the death of President Hugo Chavez, with crowds accompanying his coffin through the streets of Caracas.

A court in Egypt suspends the parliamentary elections which were due to begin next month, adding a further complication to the country's political crisis.

French President Francois Hollande says his country will begin withdrawing troops from Mali in April, a month later than originally planned.

Juventus end Celtic's Champions League campaign by completing a comfortable aggregate victory in Turin.

About 20 UN observers are detained by armed fighters in the Golan Heights on the Syria-Israel border, the UN has confirmed.

Five people arrested by police investigating the disappearance of a student from Walsall are released without charge.

The government may need to borrow more to fund capital spending if the UK's economy is to recover, Business Secretary Vince Cable suggests.

The US rebuilding effort in Iraq achieved little despite $60bn (£40bn) spent since the 2003 invasion and at least $8bn wasted, a US auditor says.

Now Hugo Chavez has gone, what will happen to Venezuela? BBC Mundo's David Cuen explains what is next for the Latin American country.

The number of Syrian refugees who have fled the conflict has reached a million, the UN has said.

A row breaks out in Kenya over whether rejected ballots should be included in the presidential vote count, with Uhuru Kenyatta's alliance accusing the UK of meddling.

Lyse Doucet reflects on the grim milestone reached today - the millionth refugee to flee Syria.

A memorial service is held in South Africa for the taxi driver who died after being dragged behind a police van, with Nelson Mandela's wife in attendance.

Alvin Lee, the rock guitarist who rose to fame in the band Ten Years After, dies aged 68.

US cardinals in Rome cancel a popular daily press briefing as the conclave approaches after stories about the confidential process appear in the media.

MPs have agreed new subsidies for burning wood and plants in the UK's power stations.