| Israeli strike on Gaza school 'kills 30' |
| At least 30 people are killed and 55 injured as Israeli artillery shells land by a United Nations-run school in Gaza, UN officials say. |
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| European gas supplies disrupted |
| Several EU countries report major disruption to their gas supplies from Russia as Moscow accuses Ukraine of shutting pipelines. |
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| German billionaire kills himself |
| German billionaire Adolf Merckle commits suicide after his business empire runs into trouble in the global economic slowdown. |
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| Senate snub as US Congress opens |
| The new US Congress opens amid a row over the man chosen to fill Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat. |
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| Singh accuses Pakistan on Mumbai |
| The Mumbai attack must have had support from some official agencies in Pakistan, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh says. |
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| Gunmen kidnap Nigerian novelist |
| Renowned Nigerian writer and novelist Elechi Amadi has been kidnapped by gunmen in the Niger Delta region, say officials.
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| Congo rebels back 'ousted' chief |
| Rebel commanders in eastern DR Congo pledge loyalty to Gen Nkunda after claims he had been toppled. |
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| Venezuela suspends US fuel aid |
| Venezuela's US-based oil subsidiary is halting a programme to provide cheap heating oil to low-income communities in the US. |
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| Payout for Arabic shirt passenger |
| An air passenger forced to cover his T-shirt because it displayed Arabic script is awarded a payout of $240,000, his lawyers say. |
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| Nigerian motorcyclists wear pumpkins to evade helmet law |
| Nigerian authorities are cracking down on motorcyclists who try to dodge fines for not having a helmet by wearing dried pumpkin shells. |
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| Females 'less physically active' than males at both ends of life |
| Females are less physically active at both ends of life than their male counterparts, two studies suggest. |
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| Live text - Carling Cup |
| Holders Tottenham host Championship side Burnley in the first leg of their Carling Cup semi-final. |
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| South Africa face tough final day |
| South Africa reach the close of day four on 62-1 - needing a further 314 runs to complete a clean sweep of the series. |
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| Year of change? |
| Mugabe's exit and other forecasts for Africa in 2009 |
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| Parrot paradise? |
| World's biggest parrot colony faces growing pressures |
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| Buyers beware |
| Europeans uneasy over Russia's role as gas supplier |
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| Pressure rising |
| Russia ups ante in bitter gas dispute with Ukraine |
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| No comment |
| Why Obama has stayed silent over the Gaza crisis |
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| Kabul winter |
| Facing the cold is a heated issue in Afghanistan |
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| Ethiopia imposes aid agency curbs |
| Ethiopia's parliament passes a bill imposing restricting aid work, for example promoting the rights of children. |
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| Zuma 'seeks to take third wife' |
| South Africa's ruling party says there is "nothing sinister" in its leader Jacob Zuma wishing to take a third wife. |
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| Warning over 'third-hand smoke' |
| Many people are unaware that even smoking away from babies or pregnant women presents a risk, according to US research. |
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| Hemingway archive opens in Cuba |
| Cuba opens up electronic access to thousands of documents belonging to writer Ernest Hemingway. |
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| Toyota shuts plants for 11 days |
| Toyota announces that it is to halt production at its domestic plants for 11 days in February and March. |
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| Thais block 'anti-royal' websites |
| The Thai government blocks thousands of websites deemed to be offensive to the revered monarchy. |
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| Mob drama gets Scorsese backing |
| Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese publicly endorses an Italian drama about organised crime in Naples. |
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| Bulgaria urges return to nuclear |
| Bulgaria's president suggests that a nuclear reactor deemed unsafe by the EU could help cover gas shortages. |
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| New US embassy opens in Baghdad |
| The new US embassy in Baghdad - one of the largest and most expensive ever built - is officially opened in Iraq's capital. |
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| Baghdad bomb kills Shia pilgrims |
| A female suicide bomber kills at least 35 Shia pilgrims including Iranians near a shrine in Baghdad, Iraqi police say. |
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| Gunmen raid Sri Lanka TV station |
| Gunmen ransack a Sri Lanka television channel that drew criticism for its recent coverage of the country's civil war. |
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| Democracy returns in Bangladesh |
| Democratic rule returns to Bangladesh as Awami League leader Sheikh Hasina is sworn in as PM for a second time. |
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| Afghanistan's continuing misery |
| More than seven years of Western aid has failed to make a real impact on daily life in Afghanistan, the BBC's Hugh Sykes reports.
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| What Cubans brought to Miami |
| The son of Cuban exiles living in the US, the BBC's Americas editor Emilio San Pedro talks about growing up in a proud immigrant community. |
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| Send your video, pictures and story ideas |
| Have you got a good story? BBC News wants to hear from you. |
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