Death on the high seas as Israel storms aid ship

Israel was under pressure to lift its blockade of Gaza last night after a deadly attack on civilian aid ships in international waters. A Turkish charity in Gaza said that 19 people were missing; Israel put the death toll at 9.

World leaders could face prosecution for ?state aggression?

World leaders could face prosecution for acts of state aggression ? potentially including the invasion of Iraq ? under calls for the International Criminal Court to extend its powers.

BP?s failure to cap oil spill unleashes £6 billion shares leak

More than £6 billion was wiped from the market value of BP last night after the oil giant?s latest failure to control its oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico provoked mounting anger in the US.

Online lonely-hearts scam is costing Britons millions of pounds

Single Britons looking for love on online dating sites and in lonely hearts columns are being duped out of hundreds of millions of pounds every year by fraudsters from West Africa.

Putin encourages peaceful protests ? but beware the police beatings

Despite seemingly encouraging words about freedom of speech from Vladimir Putin, the Prime Minister, Russian opposition activists were again beaten and detained when they tried to hold peaceful protests across the country yesterday.

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O?Connor to lead Vatican paedophile inquiry

The former leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales is to investigate the Irish paedophile priest scandal, the Vatican announced yesterday.

Trail of dust as sandstorm sweeps across Beijing and heads to Seoul

A village is engulfed by a sandstorm at Golmud in the Xinjiang region of China. At the weekend Beijing was also covered in dust from another sandstorm, which started in the Inner Mongolia desert.

American general to take command of British troops in Helmand province

An American general will today take over command of all British forces in Helmand province in a symbolic move that underlines Britain?s diminished role in southern Afghanistan.

Turkey erupts in protest at Israeli commando raid on Gaza aid ship

Tens of thousands of Turkish demonstrators took to the streets yesterday after the raid by Israeli commandos against a Turkish aid ship that killed at least nine people.

Germany in crisis after surprise resignation of President Horst Köhler

Germany has been plunged into a political crisis by the surprise resignation of President Köhler.

Fears grow for Britons on board Gaza ship

Fears were growing today for 28 British citizens reportedly aboard the Gaza flotilla, including two Britons being detained by Israeli authorities and facing prison.

US-Israel links at risk over deadly aid convoy attack

Israel?s hopes of restoring damaged relations with the White House were dashed today after at least ten people died when its defence forces stormed a convoy of civilian aid ships in international waters.