Buildings crumble as 7.0 quake hits New Zealand

A powerful predawn earthquake hit New Zealand, causing water mains to break and some buildings to crumble, though there were no immediate reports of deaths.

Feds bust huge human-trafficking ring

Six job recruiters have been indicted in federal court in what the FBI has called the largest human-trafficking operation ever to result in charges in the United States.

Northeast eyes Earl

Hurricane Earl weakened to a Category 1 storm Friday with winds of 85 mph, but the Northeast was still preparing to feel its fury.

UPS plane crashes near Dubai, kills 2

A cargo plane has crashed in an uninhabited area near the Dubai airport, according to the official WAM news agency in the United Arab Emirates.

Florida love triangle killer sentenced

A Florida judge sentenced Rachel Wade, the 20-year-old woman convicted of second-degree murder for fatally stabbing her romantic rival in a fight last year, to 27 years in prison Friday.

Scientists find recipe for water in space

European scientists say they've figured out the recipe for water in space: Just add starlight.

Settlements stall Mideast peace talks

After two days of meetings and talks led by President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Israeli and Palestinian leaders leave Washington deadlocked over the contentious issue of Israeli settlements.

25 drug suspects die in shootout

A shootout between soldiers and suspected drug dealers in northeast Mexico left 25 of the suspects dead, the regional military said Thursday.

Opinion: Plea to free U.S. hikers in Iran

When the month of Ramadan began, I received a letter from Laura Fattal, the mother of one of the three young American hikers detained in Iran. In it, Fattal appealed to me, the first Muslim scholar she had contacted, to intervene on behalf of her son and his two friends.

Acid victim: Shades, God saved eyes

Bethany Storro doesn't usually wear sunglasses, but she got a surprise paycheck and bought a pair earlier this week. Those sunglasses, she is convinced, saved her eyesight when a woman threw a cup of acid in her face 20 minutes later.

New phone hacking inquiries call

Senior Labour politicians urge fresh inquiries into phone hacking claims surrounding the News of the World newspaper.

Blair in 'radical Islam' warning

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair tells the BBC that radical Islam is the greatest threat facing the world.

Lib Dem veteran Cyril Smith dies

The former Liberal Democrat MP Sir Cyril Smith has died aged 82, his family and party confirm.

Police question Pakistan players

Police question the three Pakistan players accused of corruption, while the ICC says that trio implicated have a disciplinary case to answer.

Worshippers 'just escaped blast'

A Hare Krishna temple in Leicester was evacuated seconds before an explosion almost destroyed the building, it emerges.

Pakistan rally bomb kills dozens

A bomb kills at least 50 people at a Shia Muslim rally in the south-western city of Quetta, the second attack on Pakistan's religious minority in days.

Tycoon Nadir bailed in fraud case

Fugitive tycoon Asil Nadir is remanded on bail at the Old Bailey at his first court appearance on fraud and theft charges.

Earthquake hits south New Zealand

A state of emergency is declared in Christchurch after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake strikes New Zealand's South Island, injuring two people seriously.

Thompson defends BBC No 10 visit

Director general denies he compromised the BBC's independence by visiting Downing Street to discuss coverage of the government's spending cuts.

Six men jailed for Portugal abuse

Six Portuguese men are sentenced to up to 18 years in jail after being found guilty of multiple charges of sexual abuse at a state-run children's home.

Fans jailed for Manchester riot

Twelve football hooligans who took part in what a judge said was the worst destruction Manchester has suffered "since the Blitz" are sentenced.

Plane body women face no charges

Two women who were arrested after trying to take a dead relative on to a plane at Liverpool John Lennon Airport will not face charges.

Baby Florence makes Downing Street debut

Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha show off their baby daughter, Florence, for the first time on the steps of Number 10.

Sarah Kennedy is leaving BBC Radio 2

Veteran broadcaster Sarah Kennedy is leaving BBC Radio 2's Dawn Patrol show - 34 years after joining the station

England 4-0 Bulgaria

Jermain Defoe scores a hat-trick as England get their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign off to a winning start against Bulgaria at Wembley.

Murray sees off flamboyant Brown

Britain's Andy Murray overcomes the unorthodox style of Jamaica's Dustin Brown to reach the third round of the US Open.

Montenegro 1-0 Wales

Montenegro captain Mirko Vucinic scores a fine solo goal to condemn Wales to defeat in their opening Euro 2012 qualifier.

Slovenia 0-1 Northern Ireland

Substitute Corry Evans scores with his first touch to give Northern Ireland a 1-0 win over Slovenia in the opening Euro 2012 qualifier in Maribor.

Lithuania 0-0 Scotland

Scotland have to settle for a point as their Euro 2012 qualification campaign begins with frustration in Lithuania.

Probe as police crash seized car

Two police officers are suspended from driving duties after crashing a car they had seized from a suspected drink-driver.

Woman killed as she herds cattle

A 74-year-old Northamptonshire churchwarden dies when she is knocked to the ground as she herds cattle.

Police raids after drill attack

Police carry out two days of raids after a man was attacked with a power drill in North Lanarkshire.

City centre plan for 20mph zone

Edinburgh's transport leader admits speeding but said he still believes a 20mph zone would be a good idea.

Murder inquiry launched in Armagh

Detectives in Armagh have begun a murder inquiry after a man's body was found in the Castle Street area on Friday.

PSNI rescue 'trafficking victims'

Several "potential victims of human trafficking" have been rescued in raids on suspected brothels in Belfast, police say.

Earl sideswipes NC, takes aim at New England

Despite hiring, US unemployment rate seems frozen

Clinton: Time is now for Mideast peace

Pakistan Taliban say their bomber kills 43 Shiites

Stocks extend September rally after jobs report

Backer of NYC mosque gave to Hamas-linked charity

Ariz. governor says she was wrong about beheadings

Powerful 7.1 quake hits New Zealand's South Island

Small signal, big meaning? Castro in military duds

Morgan gets 8 games for Nats-Marlins brawl

Crews search for people trapped in New Zealand rubble

Rescue teams were searching for people trapped in the rubble of a major earthquake that caused extensive damage Saturday in Christchurch, New Zealand’s second-largest city.

‘We were all screaming — we got the animals and ran’

Wen Baragrey, a writer who lives by the sea in Christchurch, New Zealand, shares her chaotic escape from her swaying home during the early morning earthquake that struck.

UPS 747 cargo plane crashes in Dubai

A UPS 747 cargo plane with two crew aboard crashed in Dubai shortly after takeoff Friday, the company said.

Deadly bomb blast rocks rally in Pakistan

A suicide bomber struck a rally in the Pakistani city of Quetta on Friday, killing at least 54 people in the second major attack this week.

7 defendants convicted in Portugal sex abuse trial

Seven people were convicted of child sex abuse in Portugal on Friday in a major trial that lasted nearly six years and shocked the country.

Gates: U.S. troops face 'tough days' ahead

As the last of 30,000 U.S. reinforcements arrive in Afghanistan, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Friday got a firsthand look at operations in the dangerous south.

Israel urged to open up atomic program

The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog has invited Israel to consider joining a global anti-nuclear arms pact and to place all its atomic facilities under his agency's inspections, an IAEA report said on Friday.

Nein, danke! German kids get porn pens

To sweeten their first day at primary school German children are normally given a cone filled with sweets, but children in Essen opened theirs to find raunchy writing instruments that project erotic images.

Mobs attack home of Iranian opposition leader

Pro-government crowds swarmed outside the battered home of a key Iranian opposition leader Friday after militiamen attacked with firebombs and beat a bodyguard unconscious in a brazen message of intimidation and pinpoint pressure on dissent.

Volcano, dormant 400 years, spews new ash

An Indonesian volcano that was quiet for four centuries shot a new, powerful burst of hot ash more than 10,000 feet in the air Friday, sending frightened residents fleeing to safety for the second time this week.

Castro dons uniform for first big speech in years

At 84 and having dusted off his military uniform, Fidel Castro on Friday addressed his first political rally since becoming ill and resigning as president in 2006.

Mom’s hug revives baby that was pronounced dead

“He’s doing things dead babies don’t do — you might want to come see this!” Kate Ogg told doctors who had declared her premature baby dead. After the Australian mom held him to her body for two hours in a method called “kangaroo care,” the infant stirred to life.

World Blog: In touch from Titanic wreck scene

100 Homes Threatened by Weakened Dam in Northern California

Iran Test-Fires Another 'Top Secret' Missile

Moussaoui Juror Falls Ill; Deliberations to Resume Friday

DHS Press Secretary Arrested on Child Seduction Charges

Duke Lacrosse Coach Resigns Amid Rape Flap

Saddam Dodges Questions From Prosecutors

Video Claims to Show Insurgents Dragging Burning Body of U.S

Kidnapped Brothers Killed in Venezuela

French Unions: Repeal Labor Law in 10 Days, or Else

Three Arrested, Man Shot in 'Baby Shower Gone Bad'

PM Says New Hamas Government Is Broke

Late-Season Snowfall Strikes East Coast