These are the most up to date world news bulletins. Click on the URL in order to bring up the web page from the BBC web site with the news information.

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World
	Coalition troops in Afghan battle British and US forces join Australian troops who came under attack from suspected Taleban fighters in the south-east.
	Arafat casts doubt on elections The Palestinian leader has sent mixed signals over his pledge to call new elections, linking them to an Israeli withdrawal.
	'Pearl body' found dismembered Pakistani police say the body they have exhumed in Karachi is likely to be that of murdered American journalist Daniel Pearl.

Africa
	Ex-junta leader wins Sierra Leone seat Johnny Paul Koroma, who led a military coup against President Kabbah in 1997, is elected to parliament but Mr Kabbah is in the lead overall.
	Liberian troops retake key town Liberia retakes the strategic town of Gbarnga from rebels who earlier this week advanced close to the capital, Monrovia.
	Somali warlord 'still alive' After earlier reports that a faction leader had been killed by Ethiopian soldiers, his relatives now say he is alive - in Ethiopia.

USA & Americas
	White House 'not warned of attacks' The US national security adviser defends the handling of intelligence reports prior to 11 September amid strong criticism by Congress.
	Dozens dead in Colombia clashes Up to 80 people are killed in Colombia in new clashes between FARC guerrillas and right-wing paramilitaries in the Antioquia province.
	FBI investigates Kmart The giant but bankrupt US supermarket chain is investigated by the FBI for a dubious loan deal, and could face criminal charges.

Asia-Pacific
	Aung San Suu Kyi tests freedom Burma's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi travels to a suburb of Rangoon in a key test of freedom since her release from house arrest.
	Korean refugees target World Cup A leading activist for North Korean refugees tells of plans to use the World Cup to stage events highlighting the refugee problem.
	East Timor gears up for independence As East Timor gets ready for its big party, President-elect Xanana Gusmao stresses the need for reconciliation.

Europe
	German chancellor wins hair-dye case  Chancellor Schroeder wins a court case over a report that his hair is dyed, and launches an attack on a magazine that fakes a nude picture of him.
	Irish voters cast their ballot Voters in the Irish Republic are going to the polls for a general election in which Prime Minister Bertie Ahern's party is vying for an absolute majority.
	Dutch coalition building starts Party leaders are meeting Queen Beatrix in the first step in a long process of creating a new coalition government.

Middle East
	Arafat casts doubt on elections The Palestinian leader has sent mixed signals over his pledge to call new elections, linking them to an Israeli withdrawal.
	Iran faces 'social explosion' A leading conservative cleric warns that society and the Islamic regime are threatened because of popular discontent.
	Saudi 'torture' condemned by UN The United Nations Committee against Torture criticises Saudi Arabia over its use of amputations and floggings under Sharia law.

South Asia
	'Pearl body' found dismembered Pakistani police say the body they have exhumed in Karachi is likely to be that of murdered American journalist Daniel Pearl.
	India poised for Kashmir response A bomb in Indian-administered Kashmir kills one civilian as Delhi prepares to respond to an attack on an army camp which claimed 34 lives.
	Coalition troops in Afghan battle British and US forces join Australian troops who came under attack from suspected Taleban fighters in the south-east.

United Kingdom
	Flights delayed by air traffic glitch Flights are delayed at all UK airports following computer problems at the main air traffic control centre.
	Coalition troops in Afghan battle British and US forces join Australian troops who came under attack from suspected Taleban fighters in the south-east.
	'Hooligans' banned from World Cup More than 1,000 alleged hard-core English football hooligans are banned from attending the World Cup.

England
	Lake deaths driver jailed A man found guilty of the manslaughter of three children who drowned in a Bedfordshire lake last summer is jailed for five years.
	Police investigate dog attack Officers say arrests could follow an attack in which two dogs mauled a five-year-old girl at her West Midlands home.
	Extra time for Milly police Police holding a man in connection with the disappearance of Amanda Dowler are given another 12 hours to question him.

Northern Ireland
	Arrests follow 'brutal' murders Two foreign nationals are arrested in connection with a double murder in County Down, as one of the victims is identified as Lithuanian.
	Illegal fuel plant find 'substantial' One of the biggest illegal diesel laundering plants in Northern Ireland is uncovered in County Down according to Customs and Excise.
	Family threatened by armed robbers Gunmen have threatened to set fire to a man during a robbery in County Tyrone in which they handcuffed the man and his teenage son together.

Scotland
	Tearful plea by torso victim's parents The parents of a heroin addict whose torso was found on a river bank say they tried to get her off drugs just before her death.
	Student fire deaths landlord jailed A landlord convicted of perjury over evidence he gave at an inquiry into the deaths of two students is jailed for 2½ years.
	Flights delayed by air traffic glitch Flights are delayed at all UK airports following computer problems at the main air traffic control centre.

Wales
	Man remanded over double deaths A 20-year-old man is remanded after being charged with the murders of two pensioners on a farm in north Wales.
	Murders suspect body is exhumed A relative of the chief suspect in a triple murder probe, whose body is being exhumed, says police already have DNA from his cousin.
	Refugee doctors could ease NHS crisis Hundreds of overseas doctors who have fled to the UK could be employed by the NHS in Wales.

UK Politics
	Byers keeps job in euro furore Downing Street says Transport Secretary Stephen Byers will not be sacked for suggesting a euro referendum is due next year.
	Terror threat continues says Blair UK Prime Minister Tony Blair warns an EU-Latin America summit that the threat of international terrorism still exists.
	Labour's 'timid' record - Mandelson Former cabinet minister Peter Mandelson criticises the government's 'patchy' delivery in its first five years in power.

Sci/Tech
	Laws of physics 'may change' Observations of distant quasars suggest that in the distant past the laws of physics were different.
	Doubt cast on fingerprint security Fake fingers are used to fool the security systems that check identities by reading fingerprints.
	Mobile keypad reinvented Help is at hand for those frustrated by the traditional 12-button keypad on a mobile phone.

Business
	Co-op fires pension fund manager In another blow for Merrill Lynch, the Co-operative sacks the bank as manager of its £2bn investment fund because of poor performance.
	US trade deficit shrinks US exports rose faster than its imports during March, causing the country's trade deficit to narrow, official figures show.
	Eccentric UK targets tourists Tourism chiefs launch TV ads emphasising British eccentricity in an effort to entice tourists back to the UK.

Education
	Lecturers vote for two-day strike Students face disruption during this summer's exam season as lecturers vote in favour of a two-day strike over a 1.5% pay offer.
	Colleges' anger over latest exam errors Colleges say there are "too many weak links" in the exam system, after the latest problems with advanced level papers in England.
	'Silent erosion' of school curriculum  The former chief inspector of England's schools says the range of subjects children study is being narrowed.

Health
	Acne drug 'should be banned' An acne drug which has been linked to teenagers' deaths should be banned in the UK, campaigners will tell health officials on Friday.
	Mystery over food cancer chemical Tests have revealed traces of a chemical linked with cancer in a variety of foods - but experts say that people should not change their diets.
	Tougher superbugs reach England Doctors fear that their drug defences against hospital superbugs are weakening after a patient was diagnosed with a powerful new strain.

Special Commentary

Can the Pope retire? The BBC's Peter Gould examines whether the Pope may have to resign due to ill health