National / International News

UK food retailers have agreed to update ministers on DNA testing on processed beef every three months, Environment Secretary Owen Paterson says.

Police make an arrest after a man is repeatedly stabbed by two men demanding the keys to his Mercedes car, police say.

There are an estimated 40 millions guns in India -- and as concerns rise about safety, the number of applications for gun licenses is growing.

Tanmay Chatterjee is a spokesperson for the group Indians for Guns. Chatterjee says, "More and more women are enquiring about the procurement process and are applying for licenses. The rise in the number of applications is very sharp."

But getting a gun license can take years. First, you have to prove there's a direct threat to your life. So the black market for guns is growing, says gun-dealer Joydeep Biswas, whose family has been in the gun business for five generations.

"A large chunk of people want it for self-defense. So yes, people want it for their own personal safety. And they will buy illegal arms irrespective of whether the government gives them a license or not."

One estimate puts illegal gun ownership in India at more than 85 percent of the total. And that, says Biswas, is wiping out businesses like his. "This is a dying trade. We are here because our family has been doing this for generations. In the cases of the gunshops, the new generation is not coming in. We are probably the last generation."

Many of the black market guns are made in India, but they're also coming in from neighboring Nepal and Bangladesh. And as regulation of gun ownership remains tight and concerns about safety grow, the balck arms market will likely continue to thrive.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron urges India to be more open and flexible so that British businesses can thrive in its "rising" economy.

Actor Richard Briers, best known for his role in TV's The Good Life, has died at the age of 79, his agent says.

Actor Richard Briers, best known for his role in TV's The Good Life, has died at the age of 79, his agent has said.

French meat processing firm Spanghero will be allowed to produce certain types of meat as the government partially rescinds its licence suspension.

EU watchdogs plan to take action against Google by this summer, over the web giant's current privacy policy.

A jury fails to reach a verdict in the trial of a restaurant worker accused of murdering Rachel Manning.

Korean-American pastor Peter Chin leads an African American church, and lives in a predominately black neighborhood. It hasn't always been easy, but in this holiday rebroadcast, Chin tells host Michel Martin how he's worked through diversity issues with his family, his congregation and himself.

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The owner of basketball team the Los Angeles Lakers dies at the age of 80, his assistant says.

The birth of a rare giant armadillo has been recorded for the first time in Brazil.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez announces his return home from Cuba, where he had been receiving treatment for cancer since the end of 2012.

England coach Stuart Lancaster hopes Ben Morgan will be fit to return for their Six Nations match against Italy, after missing Saturday's France game.

The story of the arrest and detention of Chinese artist Ai Weiwei is to be staged in London this spring.

Scientists at a nature reserve in Somerset are baffled by a jelly-like slime which has appeared in a number of locations at the site.

A man accused of beheading a British grandmother in Tenerife tells a court he is haunted by voices that direct his actions, and denies murder.

A mother from Cornwall is sent to prison for failing to ensure her three children attend school regularly.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger vehemently denies reports he is going to be offered a two-year contract extension by the club.

Championship side Blackpool appoint former England captain Paul Ince as their third permanent manager this season.