National / International News

Why old age does not have to equal a burden

Oscar winning actor Sir Michael Caine is celebrating his 80th birthday this week.

Meetings broadcast live by Bristol City Council have attracted as few as three people watching live online, the BBC learns.

How a top Italian wine defied the downturn

After his election as pope Wednesday, Jorge Mario Bergoglio chose a name that, for many Catholics, sent an immediate signal of his goal to unite the Roman Catholic Church: Pope Francis. The name also prompted some confusion — over whether it should include "I."

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Twentieth Century history is one of the most controversial subjects in the Japanese school curriculum, reports Mariko Oi.

New wildlife crime legislation targeting landowners is being linked with a sharp drop in birds of prey being poisoned in Scotland.

A £10m government fund set up a year ago to help bring empty shops back into use has barely been touched, according to Freedom of Information requests seen by the BBC.

This is what we need to grow, say businesses and entrepreneurs

How carmakers manipulate emissions tests

What did Hu and Wen do for China?

Pope Francis is the first pope from Latin America, a choice that makes sense strategically as the church becomes less Europe-centric. But how he will direct the church, which is still dealing with the fallout of the sexual abuse crisis and other challenges, remains unclear.

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A power cut in London's West End forces some theatres to cancel their shows.

The acting president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro says it is highly unlikely that the body of the former president Hugo Chavez will be embalmed.

One of the first personal tidbits to emerge about Pope Francis: He cooks for himself. But austerity and humility are two of the new pontiff's defining characteristics. And they seem to extend to his eating habits.

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A "satellite" grammar school in Sevenoaks is in doubt after the government said it intended to use the site for a free school.

Executives have recently focused attention on Silicon Valley's workplace culture. While companies like Google, Facebook and Yahoo operate by their own set of rules, what happens there may influence how many Americans work. The key components? Interactive learning and fun, one expert says.

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The Folio Society is unveiled as the sponsor of new £40,000 literary award which will hand out its first accolade in 2014.

Researchers in France and the U.S. say watching a resuscitation attempt doesn't have lingering bad effects on relatives — it can actually be beneficial for them. But a researcher says there will be pushback on the practice from U.S. medical personnel because of their fear of being sued.

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The Syrians are believed to have hundreds of tons of chemical agents. NPR has learned that the 82nd Airborne Division just wrapped up a nine-day training exercise at Fort Bragg, N.C., to get ready for a possible mission to deal with those deadly chemicals.

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