The US defence secretary will review allegations of misconduct in Afghanistan by the security firm once known as Blackwater.

Chile sacks the head of its oceanographic service following the quake and tsunami, as the official death toll drops to 452.

Iceland holds a referendum on plans to repay the UK and the Netherlands debts owed from the collapse of Icesave bank.

The first specks of interstellar dust may have been identified in material collected by Nasa’s Stardust spacecraft.

President Obama says the number and role of nuclear weapons will be cut in a US national security strategy.

The White House vows to block a bill that sparked Turkish anger by refering to the World War I “genocide” of Armenians.

India’s foreign secretary will arrive in neighbouring Sri Lanka for a three-day visit involving talks with top officials.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will undergo gall bladder surgery in Germany on Saturday, state TV announces.

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani tells the BBC he expects to retain his position in Sunday’s general election.

Police in the US state of New Jersey ordered a family to cover up their snow sculpture of the famous nude Venus de Milo after a neighbour complained.