US President-elect Barack Obama says he will not intervene in "delicate negotiations" by the outgoing Bush administration on the fighting in Gaza.

The governing coalition in Germany has reached agreement on a $70bn stimulus package to boost the country's economy.

European leaders have been stepping up their efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza.

Casualties have been pouring into over-stretched hospitals in the Gaza Strip as Israel presses on with its offensive against Palestinian militant groups.

The new US embassy in Baghdad has been opened, with a dedication ceremony attended by the Iraqi president.

The new US embassy in Baghdad is due to be officially opened, with a dedication service led by Ambassador Ryan Crocker.

Efforts in Greece to build power stations fuelled by volcanic geo-thermal energy are facing opposition.

Heavy fighting has continued overnight in the Gaza Strip as Palestinian casualties mount and international pressure for a ceasefire has little effect.

Conservationists are campaigning to preserve former army buildings in Belgrade, under threat from new developments.

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson has withdrawn as US President-elect Barack Obama's nominee for commerce secretary.

Rescuers are continuing to dig for survivors after a series of earthquakes and aftershocks struck the Indonesian province of West Papua over the weekend.

Somali kidnappers have released a British journalist and Spanish photographer.

An emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council has failed to agree a united stance towards the continued violence in Gaza.

Israel has continued its ground offensive inside the Gaza Strip, with casualties reported on both sides.

The row between Russia and Ukraine over gas pipeline routes and energy prices shows little sign of being resolved.

Israel has sent ground forces into the Gaza Strip after a week of air strikes to try to halt rocket attacks by Palestinian militants.

An emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council has failed to agree a united approach to the continued violence in Gaza.

Opposition candidate John Atta Mills has won a tight presidential run-off in Ghana, saying he will be "a president for all".

Sri Lankan forces say they are pressing on with their offensive on the Tamil Tigers rebels, a day after capturing their de facto capital, Kilinochchi.

President Bush has blamed the violence in Gaza and southern Israel firmly on Hamas.

The Hamas leader-in-exile has warned of dire consequences if Israel launches a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip.

The 16-year-old son of actor John Travolta has died during a family holiday in the Bahamas.

In La Paz the authorities are cracking down on rabies by vaccinating as many dogs as possible and having strays put down.

Ethiopian military forces have begun pulling out of Somalia after two years helping the transitional government fight insurgents.

Michael Ossi, the Travolta family's lawyer, gives a statement on the death of John Travolta's teenage son, Jett.