International

(BBC) German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere has strongly criticised police handling of gang sex attacks on women and girls in Cologne on New Year's Eve. "The police shouldn't work like this," he said, as it emerged that three…

(BBC) Mainland Chinese shares extended losses in a volatile session, following Monday's suspension of trading which led to a global equities sell-off. The Shanghai Composite fell 0.3% to close at 3,287.71 points, although it had opened…

(BBC) The Gambia's government has banned its female employees from leaving their hair uncovered at work, a leaked memo quoted by private newspapers says. Women should use a "head tie and neatly wrap their hair", the memo said, without…

(BBC) Police searching for a missing former EastEnders actress and her two children have found three bodies at their east London home. Sian Blake, 43, and her two young sons, aged four and eight, have not been seen since 13 December. The…

(BBC) Islamic State (IS) fighters have clashed with guards as they tried to enter Libya's oil port of Sidra. Two members of the Petrol Facilities Guard militia, which is defending Sidra, were reportedly killed. The militants are said to…

(BBC) A father and his two children have drowned after their car was driven off the end of a wharf in Australia. Police were called to Brennen Wharf in South Australia's Port Lincoln after witnesses saw the white Ford drive into the water…

(BBC) Armed protesters have occupied a US government building in Oregon to support father and son ranchers who have been ordered to return to jail. Dwight Hammond, 73, and his son Steven, 46, were convicted of arson in 2012 but a court…

Natalie Cole, whose hit songs included the duet Unforgettable with her father Nat "King" Cole, has died aged 65. The Grammy-winning singer died on Thursday night at a hospital in Los Angeles, her publicist told the Associated Press news…

The authorities in Dubai are trying to find out what caused a spectacular fire to engulf a 63-storey luxury hotel in the city centre on New Year's Eve. After battling for more than 20 hours, firefighters appear to have extinguished most of…

A fugitive who made headlines for using an "affluenza" defence after a fatal drink-driving crash has delayed his extradition from Mexico to the US. A judge will now consider the deportation of Ethan Couch, 18. He and his mother were…

Prosecutors in the US have charged comedian Bill Cosby with aggravated indecent assault over an alleged incident in 2004. It is the first time Mr. Cosby, 78, has been charged with any offence, after months of accusations. Andrea Constand…

(BBC) Police in Brussels have detained a further six people in connection with an alleged plot to target the city on New Year's Eve, prosecutors say. Cities around the world have heightened security measures as New Year celebrations get…

(BBC) A Canada-bound airliner was forced to make an emergency landing after severe turbulence injured 21 passengers, including three children, officials said. The Air Canada flight from Shanghai to Toronto was diverted to Calgary after the…

(BBC) Government forces are battling rebels for control of a strategically important town in southern Syria. An army statement said troops and militiamen were advancing into Sheikh Miskeen on several fronts and had reached the main square.…

(BBC) Gunmen have shot and killed one person and wounded 11 others at the Derbent citadel in Dagestan, a Unesco World Heritage site in the North Caucasus. The tourists were attacked on Tuesday night outside the fortress in Derbent, one of…