Close allies of German Chancellor Angela Merkel are claiming victory in Bavarian polls seen as a yardstick ahead of a general election next week.

A blood test which may improve treatment for children born with congenital cataracts has been developed by researchers in Manchester.

Education minister David Laws is to urge schools in England to cut the cost of school uniforms to help hard-pressed parents.

The world must hold Syria to account if it fails to comply with an agreement to destroy its chemical weapons, the foreign secretary says.

At least four people have been killed in a mass shooting at the Washington Navy Yard, a naval installation in the US capital, officials say.

British director Steve McQueen takes the People's Choice award as the 2013 Toronto Film Festival closes.

The most senior woman police officer in Afghanistan's troubled Helmand province is shot and injured by unknown gunmen, an official says.

Business lobby group the CBI urges the government to push ahead with big building projects, saying they are essential for economic recovery.