World news / Americas

Jolie praise for Pakistan military

news.bbc.co.uk - Angelina Jolie has visited Nowshera in north-west Pakistan to highlight the plight of more than 20 million people affected by the country's worst ever floods. More... (Americas)

'Many failures' caused BP spill

news.bbc.co.uk - BP's internal investigation into the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico finds that "a series of failures" was to blame. More... (Americas)

BP due to publish oil leak report

news.bbc.co.uk - BP is to release an internal investigation into the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the worst ecological catastrophe in recent US history. More... (Americas)

Impact of Louisiana drilling moratorium

news.bbc.co.uk - The environmental impact and effect of a drilling moratorium imposed by the Obama administration following the Gulf oil spill is continuing to be felt in towns like Lafayette, Louisiana. More... (Americas)

Pressure mounts against Koran burning

news.bbc.co.uk - A small US church planning to burn copies of the Koran on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in New York is facing international condemnation. More... (Americas)

Religions unite against Koran burning

news.bbc.co.uk - Religious leaders have openly condemned plans made by a Florida church to burn copies of the Koran on Saturday. More... (Americas)

Basketball set to invade the world?

news.bbc.co.uk - The National Basketball Association wants to expand the game and are looking at emerging markets such as India and China to push their products. More... (Americas)

Church defiant over Koran burning

news.bbc.co.uk - A small US church says it will defy international condemnation and go ahead with plans to burn copies of the Koran on the 9/11 anniversary. More... (Americas)

Church defiant over Koran stunt

news.bbc.co.uk - A small US church says it will defy international condemnation and go ahead with plans to burn copies of the Koran on the 9/11 anniversary. More... (Americas)

HP sues Hurd over new Oracle job

news.bbc.co.uk - Hewlett Packard files a lawsuit against its former head Mark Hurd to try and stop him joining database software maker Oracle. More... (Americas)

Lennon killer denied parole again

news.bbc.co.uk - Mark David Chapman, who killed John Lennon, has been denied parole and will remain imprisoned for at least two more years, officials say. More... (Americas)

US college offers zombie studies course

news.bbc.co.uk - The University of Baltimore is offering a new course in zombie studies. More... (Americas)

American soldiers killed in Iraq

news.bbc.co.uk - Two US soldiers are killed in northern Iraq, the first US military deaths since Washington last month declared an end to combat operations in the country. More... (Americas)

Missing Canadian hiker, 86, found

news.bbc.co.uk - An 86-year-old hiker is found alive after surviving four days lost in Canada's Manitoba province. More... (Americas)

Soros gives $100m to rights group

news.bbc.co.uk - Billionaire investor George Soros is to give $100m to the organisation Human Rights Watch. More... (Americas)

Obama to back company tax breaks

news.bbc.co.uk - President Obama is to call for company tax breaks in his bid to regain the initiative as mid-term elections loom. More... (Americas)

Flood alert as Hermine hits Texas

news.bbc.co.uk - Tropical Storm Hermine threatens parts of the southern US with flash flooding even as its winds slow as it moves inland, officials say. More... (Americas)

Work at an end

news.bbc.co.uk - What does retirement mean where you live? More... (Americas)

Oracle hires HP's ex chief exec

news.bbc.co.uk - Tech stars join forces as Oracle's Larry Ellison brings in former HP boss Mark Hurd to replace Charles Phillips. More... (Americas)

Petraeus warns over Koran burning

news.bbc.co.uk - The US commander in Afghanistan warns troops' lives will be at risk if a Florida church goes ahead with its plan to throw copies of the Koran into a bonfire, but the pastor behind the stunt defends it. More... (Americas)

Post-9/11 musical courts controversy

news.bbc.co.uk - An independent filmmaker has sparked controversy by making a musical about New Yorkers coming to terms with the September 11 attacks. More... (Americas)

Andrea Bocelli concerts to mark 9/11

news.bbc.co.uk - Andrea Bocelli is inviting survivors of the attacks on 11 September 2001 in New York to concerts on the Amalfi coast. More... (Americas)

Obama announces US infrastructure plan

news.bbc.co.uk - President Obama has announced plans to spend tens of billions of dollars on a huge infrastructure project to create jobs and boost confidence in the American economy. More... (Americas)

Obama unveils $50bn building plan

news.bbc.co.uk - President Barack Obama is announcing a new $50bn infrastructure plan as part of efforts to jump-start the US economy. More... (Americas)

US firm buys Realtime Worlds game

news.bbc.co.uk - Part of collapsed computer games firm Realtime Worlds has been bought by an anonymous American company, administrators confirm. More... (Americas)

Travolta extortion case dismissed

news.bbc.co.uk - Charges against two people accused of trying to extort money from actor John Travolta, following the death of his son in the Bahamas, are dropped. More... (Americas)

Obama to unveil $50bn building plan

news.bbc.co.uk - President Barack Obama is expected to call for a new $50bn infrastructure plan on Monday as he bids to find ways to jump-start the US economy. More... (Americas)

Zero tolerance?

news.bbc.co.uk - US Muslims are free but that's not enough, argues Michael Goldfarb More... (Americas)

Hokey cokey world record bid

news.bbc.co.uk - They put their right foots in, they put their right foots out and broke the world hokey cokey record. More... (Americas)

Unswung 60s

news.bbc.co.uk - What does Mad Men tell us about this most mythologised decade? More... (Americas)

Rare colour footage of the Blitz

news.bbc.co.uk - Remarkable new footage of the the London blitz goes on show. More... (Americas)

Earl hits Canada and outs power

news.bbc.co.uk - Tropical storm Earl has hit the eastern Canadian coast, following a rapid acceleration. More... (Americas)

Kara DioGuardi leaves Idol panel

news.bbc.co.uk - Songwriter Kara DioGuardi becomes the latest member of the judging panel on American Idol to quit this year. More... (Americas)

Warhol's pivotal years

news.bbc.co.uk - A major new exhibition focuses on crucial four-year period More... (Americas)

Cottage country

news.bbc.co.uk - Escaping the hustle and bustle of city life in Ontario, Canada More... (Americas)

The military 'junk' left in Iraq

news.bbc.co.uk - Thousands of tonnes of US military equipment have been moved out of Iraq but plenty has been left behind - and not just for the troops who remain there. More... (Americas)

BP well 'poses no further risk'

news.bbc.co.uk - The official in charge of cleaning up the Gulf of Mexico oil spill says the well which caused the damage is no longer a risk to the environment. More... (Americas)

Craigslist ends adult service ads

news.bbc.co.uk - Online marketplace Craigslist closes its US adult services listing following pressure from attorneys general and advocacy groups. More... (Americas)

Tropical storm Earl hits Canada

news.bbc.co.uk - Tropical Storm Earl reaches Nova Scotia, on the eastern Canadian coast, with tens of thousands of people experiencing power cuts. More... (Americas)

Yoko marks Lennon's birthday with Liverpool trip

news.bbc.co.uk - Yoko Ono makes an "emotional" visit to John Lennon's former school and childhood home in Liverpool. More... (Americas)

Ian McEwan: Booker winner 'not my best'

news.bbc.co.uk - Author Ian McEwan talks to Matt Stadlen about the exercise of writing, the importance of long, moody walks, the "thinginess" of James Joyce and getting to grips with quantum mechanics. More... (Americas)

Earl downgraded to tropical storm

news.bbc.co.uk - A weakened Hurricane Earl is downgraded to a tropical storm as it continues up the US east coast towards Canada. More... (Americas)

Hurricane Earl skirts US East Coast

news.bbc.co.uk - A weakened Hurricane Earl has passed North Carolina and is continuing up the east coast of the US. More... (Americas)

Gulf platform 'not leaking oil'

news.bbc.co.uk - Inspectors say no pollution has leaked from a Gulf of Mexico oil platform that exploded in flames and sent 13 workers escaping into the sea. More... (Americas)

Tennessee mosque fire 'was arson'

news.bbc.co.uk - A fire that damaged construction equipment at the site of a Tennessee Islamic centre was arson, investigators say. More... (Americas)

Thai workers 'trafficked to US'

news.bbc.co.uk - Six recruiters are accused of luring 400 Thai workers to the US with promises of farm jobs, confiscating their passports and demanding high fees. More... (Americas)

BP blowout preventer 'removed'

news.bbc.co.uk - BP removes the blowout preventer that failed to stem the leaking Gulf of Mexico oil well and says it has paid $8bn (£5.2bn) in damage costs. More... (Americas)

Clinton warns on Mid-East talks

news.bbc.co.uk - The US secretary of state warns the current round of Mid-East peace talks may be "the last chance for a very long time". More... (Americas)

UPS plane crashes near Dubai road

news.bbc.co.uk - A cargo aircraft belonging to the US courier UPS crashes on a major highway in Dubai, setting some cars on fire. More... (Americas)

"Ground Zero" Islamic centre causes debate

news.bbc.co.uk - Plans to build an Islamic centre near Ground Zero in New York have triggered a debate across the US about the limits of religious tolerance. More... (Americas)

UPS plane 'crashes on Dubai road'

news.bbc.co.uk - A cargo aircraft belonging to the US courier UPS crashes on a major highway in Dubai, setting some cars on fire. More... (Americas)

Week in pictures

news.bbc.co.uk - Striking pictures from around the world this week. More... (Americas)

Plans for solar 'close encounter'

news.bbc.co.uk - Nasa is aiming to get closer to the Sun than ever before, with plans to plunge a car-sized unmanned spacecraft into the star's outer atmosphere. More... (Americas)

Aspen the question: wolves fail to stop tree decline

news.bbc.co.uk - Wolves fail to halt aspen decline More... (Americas)

Hurricane Earl skirts eastern US

news.bbc.co.uk - A weakened hurricane Earl skirts past North Carolina's Outer Banks and continues up the US east coast as a "category two" storm. More... (Americas)

US sees 54,000 jobs go in August

news.bbc.co.uk - The US economy shed another 54,000 jobs in August, the third month in a row that jobs have been lost, official figures show. More... (Americas)

Miami airport in security alert

news.bbc.co.uk - A passenger was detained and four of Miami International Airport's six concourses were evacuated on Thursday after a suspicious item was spotted in a checked bag More... (Americas)

Hogan given leave to return to US

news.bbc.co.uk - Crocodile Dundee star Paul Hogan reaches an agreement with tax authorities in Australia allowing him to return to his home in the US. More... (Americas)

BP says oil spill cost up to $8bn

news.bbc.co.uk - BP says the cost of its Gulf of Mexico oil spill has risen to $8bn - a rise of more than $2bn in the last month alone. More... (Americas)

Andean gold in $3bn bidding war

news.bbc.co.uk - Rival Canadian gold mining companies, Goldcorp and El Dorado, lock horns in a $3bn fight to buy up Andean Resources. More... (Americas)

Chinese consider rival Potash bid

news.bbc.co.uk - Chinese investors approach Canadian pension fund over a possible rival bid for the fertiliser giant Potash Corporation. More... (Americas)

Troubled waters

news.bbc.co.uk - Why aren't black American children taught to swim? More... (Americas)

Hurricane Earl now 'category two'

news.bbc.co.uk - Hurricane Earl is downgraded to a category two storm as it nears the US East Coast. More... (Americas)

Earl weakens as it nears US coast

news.bbc.co.uk - Hurricane Earl weakens as it nears the US East Coast, though officials warn it remains "large and powerful". More... (Americas)

Middle East talks 'constructive'

news.bbc.co.uk - Israeli and Palestinian leaders meet in Washington for the first direct peace talks in nearly two years and agree a framework for negotiations. More... (Americas)

Canadian to command space station

news.bbc.co.uk - The Canadian Space Agency announces astronaut Chris Hadfield will become the first Canadian commander of the International Space Station in 2013. More... (Americas)

Tanker aground off north Canada

news.bbc.co.uk - A tanker carrying 9m litres of diesel fuel runs aground in the Northwest Passage, off the coast of northern Canada. More... (Americas)

Tanker runs aground off N Canada

news.bbc.co.uk - A tanker carrying 9m litres of diesel fuel runs aground in the Northwest Passage, off the coast of northern Canada. More... (Americas)

'Lights out' help migratory birds

news.bbc.co.uk - A growing number of New York sky-scrapers switch off their lights at night to help reduce the number of migratory birds hitting the buildings. More... (Americas)

US accuses 11 of honey smuggling

news.bbc.co.uk - US authorities indict 11 German and Chinese executives for conspiring to illegally import $40m worth of honey from China. More... (Americas)

Tracking Hurricane Earl's progress

news.bbc.co.uk - Susan Powell takes a look at the track of the current Atlantic storms More... (Americas)

How does Samsung's Galaxy Tab compare?

news.bbc.co.uk - Tablet computers to rival Apple's iPad are creating a stir as one of Europe's largest technology shows, the IFA, gets under way in Berlin. More... (Americas)

Explosion on Gulf of Mexico rig

news.bbc.co.uk - An explosion has torn through an offshore oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, west of the site of the oil rig blast in April that caused a huge oil spill. More... (Americas)

Dell pulls out of battle for 3Par

news.bbc.co.uk - Dell withdraws its bid for 3Par after rival Hewlett-Packard raises its offer for the data storage company to $2.1bn. More... (Americas)

US East Coast on hurricane alert

news.bbc.co.uk - Areas along the US East Coast declare states of emergency as Hurricane Earl churns towards the region, forecast to brush land on Thursday night. More... (Americas)

HP ups the offer again for 3Par

news.bbc.co.uk - Hewlett Packard yet again increases its offer to win data storage company 3Par ahead of rival Dell computing. More... (Americas)

Burger King is sold for $3.26bn

news.bbc.co.uk - Burger King is being sold to private equity firm 3G Capital in a deal valued at $3.26bn (£2.1bn), it has been announced. More... (Americas)

"One more bottle and we go home," Axl tells Dublin

news.bbc.co.uk - Guns N' Roses have walked off stage at a gig in Dublin after being booed and having bottles thrown at them by the crowd. More... (Americas)

'Edgy town'

news.bbc.co.uk - Canada provides backdrop for Kerouac's On The Road More... (Americas)

My dad worked for the mafia

news.bbc.co.uk - Jennifer Mascia gave World News America a first person account of her extraordinary childhood and her surprise at finding out about her father's mafia past. More... (Americas)

Obama calls for Mid-East progress

news.bbc.co.uk - President Obama urges Mid-East leaders not to let the chance of a peace deal slip away, ahead of a new round of talks. More... (Americas)

Discovery Channel gunman killed

news.bbc.co.uk - Police shoot dead a gunman who took three hostages at the Discovery Communications HQ near Washington and free his prisoners. More... (Americas)

Obama demands Mid-East progress

news.bbc.co.uk - President Obama urges Mid-East leaders not to let the chance of a peace deal slip away, ahead of a new round of talks. More... (Americas)

US Discovery hostage drama ends

news.bbc.co.uk - A gunman who took three hostages at the Discovery Communications HQ in the US is shot and his prisoners are free, police say. More... (Americas)

'Noo Yoik'

news.bbc.co.uk - Documenting New Yorkers' changing accents More... (Americas)

'We have an ongoing hostage situation'

news.bbc.co.uk - A man with a gun has taken at least one hostage inside the Discovery Communications offces in Silver Spring, near Washington DC. More... (Americas)

Hostages taken at US Discovery HQ

news.bbc.co.uk - A man with a gun takes a "small number" of hostages inside the Discovery Communications HQ in Silver Spring, near Washington DC. More... (Americas)

Apple launches MySpace challenger

news.bbc.co.uk - Apple launches a music-based social network called Ping as part of its latest upgrade to the iTunes music software. More... (Americas)

Hostage taken at US Discovery HQ

news.bbc.co.uk - A man with a gun takes a hostage inside the Discovery Communications headquarters building in Silver Spring, Maryland. More... (Americas)

Obama condemns W Bank 'slaughter'

news.bbc.co.uk - President Barack Obama condemns the "senseless slaughter" of four Israeli settlers, as he opens a new round of Mid-East diplomacy. More... (Americas)

Yemeni flight pair freed without charge

news.bbc.co.uk - Two Yemenis arrested in Amsterdam on suspicion of planning a terror attack are released, prosecutors in the Netherlands say. More... (Americas)

Lehman 'could have received help'

news.bbc.co.uk - The former head of Lehman Brothers, Dick Fuld, blames regulators for the collapse of the Wall Street investment bank. More... (Americas)

Handover marks 'new chapter' for Iraq

news.bbc.co.uk - US Vice-President Joe Biden has spoken at a ceremony marking the end of US combat operations in Iraq. More... (Americas)

Hurricane prompts US evacuations

news.bbc.co.uk - Areas on the US east coast likely to be hit by Hurricane Earl are starting to evacuate as the storm draws nearer. More... (Americas)

Michael Douglas speaks of cancer

news.bbc.co.uk - Actor Michael Douglas has given his first interview since announcing he has throat cancer. More... (Americas)

No-vacation nation

news.bbc.co.uk - Would America benefit from as much holiday as Europe? More... (Americas)

Alaska senator drops out of race

news.bbc.co.uk - Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski accepts defeat in her re-election bid, and the Republican party nomination goes to a newcomer backed by the Tea Party. More... (Americas)

Obama hails US operation in Iraq

news.bbc.co.uk - President Obama hails the end of US combat operations in Iraq, saying the US has paid a "a huge price" to "put Iraq's future in its people's hands". More... (Americas)

'New homeless'

news.bbc.co.uk - The working people paying to live in LA's shelters More... (Americas)

Obama on end of US combat in Iraq

news.bbc.co.uk - President Obama has addressed the American people to announce the end to the US combat mission in Iraq More... (Americas)