| Sri Lankan parliament dissolved Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa dissolves parliament to set up early elections, a day after his main rival was arrested.  Toyota in global recall of Prius Toyota recalls 436,000 hybrid cars in the US, Japan and Europe, including the flagship Prius, in a new setback over brake problems. First Lady tackles child obesity First Lady Michelle Obama launches a nationwide campaign to tackle child obesity, which she says threatens America's future. Assembly backs Yar'Adua step-down Both houses of Nigeria's National Assembly pass a motion for sick President Yar'Adua to hand power to his deputy. India defers first GM food crop India defers the cultivation of what would have been its first genetically modified vegetable crop because of safety concerns. Euro bounces back against dollar The euro strengthens against the pound and the dollar ahead of a meeting of EU leaders later this week. Move to contest Ukrainian result Supporters of defeated Ukrainian election candidate Yulia Tymoshenko say they want to challenge the results in court. Iran 'ups nuclear fuel enriching' Iran has begun the process of enriching uranium to 20% at its plant at Natanz in defiance of the West, state media says. Fertile forties pregnancy warning Experts fear older women are ditching contraception in the mistaken belief that fertility inevitably wanes at a certain age. Sarah Palin's 'helping hand' of crib notes for speech Sarah Palin is criticised for writing crib notes on her hands for Saturday's high-profile Tea Party speech. Super Bowl becomes US TV's most watched programme The New Orleans Saints' victory over Indianapolis in the Super Bowl is the most-watched programme in US TV history, early figures show. South Africa complete India rout Dale Steyn secures match figures of 10-108 as South Africa beat India by an innings and six runs in the first Test in Nagpur. Ronaldinho could miss World Cup Ronaldinho could miss out on the World Cup after failing to be selected for Brazil's final warm-up friendly. How should the world react to Iran? Iran has started the process of enriching uranium to 20% in defiance of the West. What is your reaction? BBC World News Ukraine stand-off Instability fears as Tymoshenko poll challenge emerges dot.Rory Child web safety: Which browser should you choose? Gold, myrrh and... Could frankincense be used to treat cancer? Stephanomics What does the Greek crisis teach us about Europe? Day in pictures Striking images from around the world Open plan Why surprise plays little part in latest Afghan operation New markets boost Coca Cola sales Coca Cola sees sales and profits rise following a strong performance in developing markets. Opel plans 11bn euro investment General Motors' Opel unit announces plans to invest 11bn euros ($15bn; £9.7bn) in new cars over the next five years. Swiss bank UBS returns to profit Swiss bank UBS reports its first quarterly profit for a year, helped by lower costs and a large tax credit Smartphone keys get quantum trick A quantum physics trick is set to give smartphones and hand-held devices pressure-sensitive switches and touchscreens. Online safety for five-year-olds Children as young as five are being targeted in a safety campaign launched as part of EU Internet Safety Day. China shuts down hacking website Three people are arrested as China's largest training website for hackers is shut down, state media reports. Actor Sheen charged with assault Actor Charlie Sheen is charged with assaulting and threatening his wife Brooke Mueller during an argument on Christmas Day. White Stripes battle US Air Force Rock band The White Stripes take on the US Air Force, complaining it used one of their songs in a TV advert without permission. Enceladus water story reinforced The Cassini probe returns yet more data to back up the idea of a sub-surface sea on Saturn's moon Enceladus. Atom-smasher yields first result The spray of subatomic particles from the Large Hadron Collider's record-smashing December experiments has been analysed. 'Third-hand smoke' risk warning Lingering residue from tobacco smoke that clings to upholstery, clothing and the skin releases cancer-causing agents, warn experts. Somali forces 'kill al-Qaeda man' Somali officials say their soldiers have killed a "senior Jordanian al-Qaeda fighter" who also belonged to the al-Shabab group. Malawi gays 'must be more open' Malawian gay-rights activists must be more open, say officials, even though homosexuality is illegal in the country. Chavez declares energy emergency President Hugo Chavez says emergency measures are needed to help tackle Venezuela's power shortages. South America seeks to help Haiti A number of South American leaders meet in Ecuador to discuss how to help earthquake-hit Haiti. Charges over Philippine massacre A former governor and 196 other people are charged with murder over an election-linked massacre in the Philippines. Chinese quake activist sentenced An activist who questioned why so many died in a huge quake in China in 2008 is jailed for five years for subversion. Euro MPs back new EU Commission The new 27-strong team of European commissioners gets overwhelming backing from Euro MPs in a vote. Italy embassy in Iran 'targeted' Dozens of people including pro-government militia try to attack the Italian embassy in Iran, Italy's foreign minister says. Saudi upholds 'sex boast' verdict A Saudi Arabian court upholds a sentence of five years in jail and 1,000 lashes for a man who boasted on TV of his sex life. Iran jails second protest leader A second Iranian opposition leader is jailed in as many days over unrest following June's disputed presidential election. Afghan tunnel avalanches kill 24 Avalanches around a mountain tunnel in Afghanistan kill at least 24 people and leave hundreds more stranded, officials say. India refinery 'threatens locals' An alumina refinery in east India run by a UK-based firm causes pollution threatening the health of locals, a rights group says. Arrest over Pc Blakelock murder A 40-year-old man is arrested on suspicion of murdering Pc Keith Blakelock during the Broadwater Farm riots in London in 1985. Afghans 'trapped in battle zone' Explosive devices are stopping Afghans leaving an area where a major operation is due to begin, the defence secretary says. Cadbury's Bristol plant to close Cadbury's new owner, Kraft, says it plans to close the company's Somerdale factory with the loss of 400 jobs. BBC reveals total performer pay The BBC reveals the total amount paid to its performers who broadcast on radio and television, but not individual salaries. Head of City regulator steps down Hector Sants, chief executive of the Financial Services Authority, announces he is to step down as head of the City regulator. Labour Corrie star calls banned Automated Labour voice messages by ex-Coronation Street star Liz Dawn broke privacy rules, the party is told. News Wizard |