The Federal Circle

Latest Headlines

1. Homs suffers 'heaviest' shelling - Syrian opposition groups say the city of Homs has come under the heaviest shelling in days, despite the president's pledge to engage in dialogue.
2. Greek parties 'to finalise deal' - Greek PM Lucas Papademos is meeting coalition parties in an attempt to seal an austerity deal to secure a new EU/IMF bailout.
3. Capello quits as England manager - Fabio Capello resigns as England manager, the Football Association confirms.
4. Maldives president 'forced out' - Former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed says he was forced to resign at gunpoint in a coup, a charge the country's new leader denies.
5. America and Asia 'will join up' - Researchers say most of the world's continents will merge somewhere over the Pacific "ring of fire" in 50-200 million years.
6. Russians claim Antarctic success - Russian scientists claim victory in the race to drill into Lake Vostok, a huge body of water under the Antarctic ice which may shed light on its past.
7. US-Japan Marine deal resurrected - The US and Japan resurrect a deal to move thousands of Marines from Okinawa island, but the future of a major base on the island remains unclear.
8. A380 wing crack checks extended - Checks are ordered on all Airbus A380 superjumbos after cracks were found in wing components, extending an earlier safety ruling covering 20 planes.
9. US to cut Baghdad embassy staff - The United States is looking to cut the size of its embassy in Iraq - the largest and most expensive US diplomatic mission, officials say.
10. Sudan launches Darfur peace body - Sudan's president launches a body intended to kick-start development and end the fighting in the war-torn western region of Darfur.
11. Santorum hails campaign momentum - Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum pledges to push for victory in March's Super Tuesday votes, after a hat-trick of wins on Tuesday night.
12. VIDEO: Europe's extreme cold snap explained - The BBC's Lucy Hockings and weather presenter Helen Willetts look at why Europe is experiencing such unusually cold weather.
13. VIDEO: Fake rhino attempts zoo escape - A zoo in Tokyo has been simulating animal escapes in order to practice their emergency drills.
14. VIDEO: 'I carried Mars rock in hand luggage' - The Natural History Museum in London has acquired its largest Martian meteorite, which could hold new clues to life on Mars.
15. VIDEO: One-minute World News - Watch the latest news summary from BBC World News. International news updated 24 hours a day.
16. VIDEO: Michelle Obama's sack race triumph - Michelle Obama has been showing off her fitness prowess in a series of chat show appearances in the US.
17. VIDEO: Models demand better conditions - Models in the US have launched a rights group calling for workplace standards in what is a largely unregulated industry.
18. VIDEO: US court backs gay marriage - A US court has ruled that a ban on same-sex marriages in California is unconstitutional.
19. VIDEO: Nepal national park breeds crocs - A breeding centre in Nepal's Chitwan National Park is preparing endangered Gharial crocodiles for release back into the wild.
20. Nations Cup Day 19 as it happened - All the action from the semi-finals as they happened at the Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.