Greek political leaders say the nation must accept yet more austerity or face a social explosion, but some people fear this explosion has already begun.

Rupert Murdoch will face hostile staff when he arrives in Britain seeking to end talk that the Sun could close following a string of arrests.

Locked in a cellar where she was allegedly raped and beaten for nearly a decade, a young deaf and mute woman has told a UK court how she was forced to work as a virtual slave.

Firefighters have doused smouldering buildings and cleanup crews swept rubble from the streets of central Athens following a night of rioting during which lawmakers approved harsh new austerity measures.

Abu Qatada, a radical Muslim cleric whom British officials say is an al Qaeda figurehead and a threat to national security, is to be freed from an English prison into virtual house arrest.

A former senior British police officer has been jailed on corruption charges for falsely arresting a business rival over a financial dispute.

Greek parliament approves austerity bill to secure a second international bailout amid the country's worst riots in years.

Five-year-old girl pulled alive from a house flattened by an avalanche that killed her family.

A 56-year-old Russian woman from the Urals set herself on fire in front of the main government building in Moscow.

Police have arrested five senior members of staff at News Corporation's flagship newspaper The Sun as part of investigations into alleged payments to police by journalists for information.

Thousands took to the streets of Athens as unions launched a two-day general strike against planned austerity measures.

The celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's famous River Cottage barn has been destroyed by a fire.

LAURA VIGGIANO AND JAMES MACKENZIE - Reuters

Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino knew as soon as his ship struck a rock that he had made a catastrophic error and a 30-year career at sea was ending in disgrace.

Argentina's president has accused Britain of "militarising the South Atlantic" and said she would complain to the United Nations, as tension rises ahead of the 30th anniversary of the Falklands war.

Greek leaders have clinched a long-stalled deal on reforms and austerity measures needed to secure a bailout and avoid a messy default.

French authorities have revealed what killed a young New Zealand in woman in Paris last year.

Greek leaders failed on Thursday to agree on a reform and austerity programme.

Four times heavier than the whale shark brought ashore in Pakistan, a 27-tonne injured sperm whale has drifted ashore on the Belgian coast and died before it could be rescued.

A further 15 public figures reached settlements with the British newspaper arm of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp over a phone hacking scandal.

The worst February cold spell Europe has seen in decades may last until the end of the month.