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Joni Mitchell treated in intensive care at Los Angeles hospital
Palestinian Authority becomes member of international criminal court
World's oldest person, Misao Okawa, dies weeks after 117th birthday
April Fools' Day 2015 – the best jokes from around the world
Nigeria elections: Muhammadu Buhari hails peaceful handover of power
Scott Morrison says G20 world leaders' data breach 'highly regrettable'
Girls' education: 'Policymakers are hardwired to look for low-hanging fruit'
Nigeria’s historic election at a glance - video
Metro posters, Tehran-style: from Obama to martyrdom – in pictures
In Thailand’s Muslim south, authorities turn a blind eye to FGM
Costa del Sol: Last Brits Standing; Teens review – ‘They look at us like we’re their Polish, over here, nicking their jobs’
I drove off in a CarRentals.com bargain, then got hit with a big bill. Why?
Iran nuclear talks: agreement in reach, says Russia, as negotiations resume
Andrew Getty, grandson of Getty Oil founder, found dead
Workers making Nike and Adidas shoes in Vietnam go on strike – video
Death penalty shunned in Pacific, but Asia re-adopts executions – report
Fire hits third Melbourne church with links to paedophile priests - video
Uber driver in Denver accused of burglary attempt at passenger's house
Rise in death sentences worldwide blamed on security crackdowns
Executions and death sentence statistics worldwide: interactive

Joni Mitchell treated in intensive care at Los Angeles hospital

Posted: 01 Apr 2015 01:08 AM PDT

Grammy award-winning folk singer in 'fair condition', say authorities, after paramedics were called to her Bel Air home

Palestinian Authority becomes member of international criminal court

Posted: 01 Apr 2015 01:01 AM PDT

Move is welcomed by activists who see it as opportunity to bring accountability to years of conflict between Palestinians and Israel

World's oldest person, Misao Okawa, dies weeks after 117th birthday

Posted: 01 Apr 2015 12:56 AM PDT

Japanese daughter of a kimono maker, who once declared that life seemed too short, died peacefully as if she had fallen asleep, nurses said

April Fools' Day 2015 – the best jokes from around the world

Posted: 01 Apr 2015 12:47 AM PDT

The funniest spoofs in the press and on the web – share any you've spotted in the comments below

Nigeria elections: Muhammadu Buhari hails peaceful handover of power

Posted: 01 Apr 2015 12:07 AM PDT

Election winner congratulates outgoing president for peacefully relinquishing power and says move shows world that Nigeria has embraced democracy

Nigeria's election winner, Muhammadu Buhari, congratulated the outgoing president, Goodluck Jonathan, for peacefully relinquishing power on Wednesday, a day after becoming the first Nigerian politician to unseat a sitting leader at the ballot box.

In an unprecedented step, Jonathan phoned Buhari to concede defeat and issued a statement urging his supporters to accept the result, a signal of deepening democracy in Africa's most populous nation that few had expected.

Scott Morrison says G20 world leaders' data breach 'highly regrettable'

Posted: 01 Apr 2015 12:03 AM PDT

Former immigration minister suggests some action may have been taken at the time to inform leaders of the breach, contradicting comments from world leaders

Girls' education: 'Policymakers are hardwired to look for low-hanging fruit'

Posted: 01 Apr 2015 12:00 AM PDT

After achievements in girls' primary school access, NGOs need to addresses the trickier challenge of secondary school

Nigeria’s historic election at a glance - video

Posted: 31 Mar 2015 11:42 PM PDT

Opposition leader Muhammadu Buhari sweeps to victory in the Nigerian general election, inflicting the first defeat of an incumbent government in the history of Africa's biggest democracy. By Tuesday night Buhari had polled more than 15m votes, well clear of the sitting president, Goodluck Jonathan, on 12.8m, with all of the country's 36 states declaring Continue reading...

Metro posters, Tehran-style: from Obama to martyrdom – in pictures

Posted: 31 Mar 2015 11:36 PM PDT

These posters from Tehran's metro – put up by the Tehran Urban and Suburban Railway Operation Company's department of culture and society – cover everything from escalator etiquette to the virtues of separated garbage… and a questionable depiction of US president Barack Obama. The Farsi text is translated in the captions

In Thailand’s Muslim south, authorities turn a blind eye to FGM

Posted: 31 Mar 2015 11:00 PM PDT

Female genital mutilation, banned by the WHO, seems to be common in the three Muslim-majority southern provinces, but officials are taking no action

Costa del Sol: Last Brits Standing; Teens review – ‘They look at us like we’re their Polish, over here, nicking their jobs’

Posted: 31 Mar 2015 11:00 PM PDT

From grey skies, rain and a bleak tale of Brits stuck abroad to the most interesting and innovative programme on television right now

I drove off in a CarRentals.com bargain, then got hit with a big bill. Why?

Posted: 31 Mar 2015 11:00 PM PDT

I paid £10 for the rental, then when I got to my destination I was asked for an extra €180

Iran nuclear talks: agreement in reach, says Russia, as negotiations resume

Posted: 31 Mar 2015 10:58 PM PDT

Ministers to reconvene in Lausanne on Wednesday morning after pushing through deadline on night of exhaustive diplomacy

The Russian and Iranian foreign ministers have claimed there has been a significant breakthrough at nuclear talks in Lausanne, which resumed on Wednesday morning.

American diplomats denied the agreement had been finalised, saying there were still issues to resolve. But in a sign the talks could be approaching a critical moment, Barack Obama held a video-conference on Tuesday night with his national security team to be briefed on developments by the US negotiators: the secretary of state, John Kerry, and the energy secretary, Ernest Moniz.

Andrew Getty, grandson of Getty Oil founder, found dead

Posted: 31 Mar 2015 09:09 PM PDT

Police say death of 47-year-old heir to industrialist J Paul Getty 'does not appear to be a criminal type of act'

The grandson of billionaire Getty oil founder J Paul Getty was found dead on Tuesday afternoon at his home in Los Angeles, the family said in a statement.

Andrew Getty's parents, Ann and Gordon, confirmed the 47-year-old's death and requested privacy for the family during "this extremely difficult time", adding that further details would be released as they became available.

Workers making Nike and Adidas shoes in Vietnam go on strike – video

Posted: 31 Mar 2015 06:10 PM PDT

Workers employed to make products for Nike, Adidas and others have staged a fifth day of strikes over social insurance cover. Vietnam is seeking to sign a free trade deal with the European Union and push ahead with the Trans-Pacific Partnership but the continuing strike presents a hurdle for the one-party state Continue reading...

Death penalty shunned in Pacific, but Asia re-adopts executions – report

Posted: 31 Mar 2015 05:58 PM PDT

Amnesty International report reveals that after years of moving towards abolition, countries in Asia are now once again using capital punishment

Fire hits third Melbourne church with links to paedophile priests - video

Posted: 31 Mar 2015 05:43 PM PDT

Victoria police are investigating a third case this week of fires being lit at churches linked to paedophile priests. The St James church in Brighton was almost destroyed in a blaze on Monday, while another fire appears to have quickly burnt out at St Mary's in St Kilda East. Fire crews were then called to put out a fire at St Mary's in Dandenong on Tuesday morning Continue reading...

Uber driver in Denver accused of burglary attempt at passenger's house

Posted: 31 Mar 2015 05:05 PM PDT

Police say Gerald Montgomery, 51, drove woman to airport and then returned to her home, where he tried to break in but was disturbed by roommate

Police have arrested a 51-year-old driver for the Uber car service on suspicion of trying to burglarize a Denver woman's home after dropping her off at the city's airport, authorities said.

Gerald Montgomery was taken into custody in the suburb of Golden on Wednesday after a warrant was issued for him on suspicion of attempted burglary, said Denver police spokeswoman Christine Downs.

Rise in death sentences worldwide blamed on security crackdowns

Posted: 31 Mar 2015 05:01 PM PDT

Amnesty International condemns 'shameful' figures, with most of the increase coming in Nigeria and Egypt

Executions and death sentence statistics worldwide: interactive

Posted: 31 Mar 2015 04:54 PM PDT

At least 607 executions were carried out across the world in 2014, with even more death sentences handed down. This interactive shows the most recent statistics gathered by Amnesty International.

Figures marked with a '+' symbol are a minimum estimate, with the real value potentially higher. Figures marked with '*' indicate that at least some executions or death sentences have taken place, but Amnesty was unable to determine how many. Amnesty has also produced a map showing the death penalty status worldwide.