The Philippine Red Cross has asked Islamic rebels for proof that three aid workers held hostage are alive.
The request comes a day after a deadline imposed by the Abu Sayyaf group to kill a hostage if Philippine army troops did not leave Jolo Island.
The island’s governor, Sakur Tan, said an informant had told him [...]
The International Monetary Fund (IMF)has agreed to write off $3bn (£2bn) of Ivory Coast’s $12.8bn national debt.
President Laurent Gbagbo described the measure, under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative, as good news and thanked France for its support.
He said the weight of the debt had become a "grave mortgage on the very future" of [...]
Pop star Madonna is in Malawi awaiting the result of a court bid to adopt an orphan, four-year-old Chifundo "Mercy" James. Her case has sparked a wider debate over inter-country adoption.
Should parents in affluent countries be encouraged to adopt children from different cultures in the developing world
YES – JULIA FLEMING (OASIS)
NO – SARAH JACOBS
Sarah Jacobs [...]
By Roland BuerkBBC News, Tokyo
Business confidence among major manufacturers in Japan is at a record low, according to a wide-ranging survey by the central bank.
Japan’s economy is among the worst hit by the global economic crisis.
Exports Japan has relied upon for growth have collapsed and unemployment has risen.
The quarterly Tankan survey of more [...]
A US marine has gone on trial accused of killing an unarmed captive in Iraq, in a case sparked by his own alleged confession during a lie-detector test.
The court-martial in California heard that when Sgt Ryan Weemer applied for a Secret Service job, he said he had killed someone in Iraq in 2004.
That led [...]