LONDON - A fresh attempt to curb immigration is the centre piece the government's planned new laws, set out by the Queen at the state opening of Parliament. Access to the NHS will be tightened, landlords forced to check immigration status...

DAMASCUS - Syria has accused Israel of launching rocket attacks on Damascus, after a night of huge explosions near the city. Syrian state media said the rockets hit the Jamraya research centre, which Western officials have suggested is involved in chemical...

PYONGYANG - North Korea says it has sentenced a US citizen to 15 years of hard labour. The announcement, from state news agency KCNA, said Pae Jun-ho, known in the US as Kenneth Bae, was tried on 30 April. He was...

DAMASCUS - Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi has survived a car bomb attack in the capital, Damascus, state media say. The blast in the capital's western Mazzeh district targeted Mr Halqi's convoy, state TV said, reportedly causing a number of casualties....

NEW YORK - One of the Boston bomb suspects was added to a terrorism database 18 months ago at the request of the CIA, officials have told US media. The FBI has already said it investigated Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, but had...

TORONTO - Iran has denied any links to two men arrested in Canada on suspicion of planning an attack on a train. Canadian officials said an attack had been planned with support from al-Qaeda elements in Iran, although there was no...

BOSTON - US federal prosecutors are preparing charges against the surviving Boston Marathon bomb suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev as more details emerge of his capture. If he is charged with using a weapon of mass destruction to kill people, he could face...

ASUNCION - Voters in Paraguay are electing a new president in a poll seen as key to restoring the country's democratic credentials. Horacio Cartes, of the conservative Colorado Party, and the centre-right Liberal Party's Efrain Alegre are seen as front-runners among...

BOSTON - An investigation is under way after two explosions near the finishing line of the Boston Marathon left three people dead and at least 140 injured. The FBI has taken over co-ordination of what it described as a "potential terrorist...

RAMALLAH - The Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad has resigned, after a long-running dispute with President Mahmoud Abbas. Official Palestinian news agency Wafa said the president accepted Mr Fayyad's resignation after they met in person. But he asked him to remain...

LONDON - The Korean and Syrian crises will be high on the agenda for foreign ministers from the G8 group of nations, as their talks began in London. Correspondents say Japan, present at the talks, is looking for a strong statement...

KUALA LUMPAR - A general election will be held in Malaysia on 5 May, the Election Commission said, in what is seen as a major test for Prime Minister Najib Razak's ruling coalition. The governing party has been in power for...

LONDON - Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher has died following a stroke, a spokesman for the family said. "It is with great sadness that Mark and Carol Thatcher announced that their mother, Baroness Thatcher, died peacefully following a stroke this...

PYONGYANG - North Korea says it will restart all facilities at its main Yongbyon nuclear complex, including a reactor mothballed in 2007. In a statement, it said the move would bolster North Korea's nuclear forces "in quality and quantity". The move...

DAMASCUS - Syria's opposition National Coalition has taken the country's official seat at the Arab League summit in Qatar. They were formally invited to assume the seat by summit president, the Emir of Qatar, at the opening of the two-day meeting....

ROME - The inauguration Mass for Pope Francis has been held in St Peter's Square in Rome, marking the start of his papacy. Francis earlier toured the square in an open-topped vehicle, descending to bless pilgrims behind the barriers. His homily...

PYONGYANG - A North Korean propaganda website has warned of strikes against Southern islands and advised residents to leave. The Uriminzokkiri website, linked to the regime, mentioned targets including Yeonpyeong island, which was attacked by Northern forces in 2010. Pyongyang has...

BEIJING - China's leaders have named Li Keqiang premier, placing him at the helm of the world's second-largest economy. Mr Li, who already holds the number two spot in the Communist Party, takes over from Wen Jiabao. Mr Li was elected...

ROME - The Roman Catholic church has a new pope. White smoke flowed from the chimney above the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican shortly after 6pm on Wednesday, signalling that one of the candidates for the pontificate had obtained the...

ROME -Cardinals gathered in Rome to elect the new Pope will begin voting later, with no clear frontrunner to take over as head of the Roman Catholic Church. The 115 cardinal-electors are attending a special Mass in St Peter's Basilica before...

DAMASCUS - Tension brewed Wednesday between the United Nations and Syrian rebels after about 30 rebels detained 21 U.N. peacekeepers and refused to let them go. The U.N., in turn, is demanding they be released. The rebels contend that the peacekeepers...

CARACAS - Venezuelans began seven days of painful and public mourning on Tuesday night after the announcement that their president, Hugo Chávez, had died aged 58 after a long battle against cancer. The country's vice-president, Nicolás Maduro – tipped as a...

ALEPPO - Rebels have captured large parts of a Syrian police academy near Aleppo, after a fierce battle resulting in heavy loss of life, activists say. Video emerged on Saturday apparently showing rebels breaking into the sprawling Khan al-Assal compound. Almost...

QUITO - Ecuador's President Rafael Correa has been re-elected for a third term with more than 50% of the vote. His main challenger has admitted defeat. Addressing his supporters in the capital, Quito, Mr Correa called for "another four years of...