Buzz Aldrin, the American astronaut who was the second man to walk on the Moon, said Wednesday that the United States must lead the way toward building a permanent settlement on Mars. More »Buzz Aldrin says US must colonize Mars
A French honeymooner was attacked and killed by a shark on Wednesday while he was surfing not far from the beach on the French Indian Ocean island of Reunion, authorities said. More »French honeymooner killed by shark in Reunion island
Gary Neville said he would "welcome" the appointment of David Moyes as Manchester United's new manager following the retirement of Alex Ferguson. More »Neville backs Moyes to fill Ferguson's shoes
An arms race between moth and bat has produced an insect with the most extreme hearing of any animal. More »Bats battle boosts hearing of moth
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - The British cosmologist Stephen Hawking has pulled out of a prestigious Israeli conference as part of an academic boycott to protest against Israel's occupation of Palestinian lands, Cambridge University said on Wednesday. After conflicting explanations were given for Hawking's decision, a spokesman for the British university confirmed that the wheelchair-bound scientist was snubbing the annual event, organised by President Shimon Peres, as part of the boycott. ... More »Hawking snubs Israeli conference to back Palestinians
Scientists unveiled a new method on Wednesday for extracting metallic iron from its ore while curbing Earth-warming carbon dioxide emissions. More »Electrolysis method described for making 'green' iron
Returning one of British tennis ace Andy Murray's 140mph serves requires clairvoyance as well as skill, research has shown. More »Human brain predicts the future
Landing astronauts safely on Mars is one of the biggest technological hurdles for any future manned mission to the Red Planet, even more complicated than last year's daring rover touchdown. More »Landing is key puzzle in Mars trip
Mexico's Popocatepetl volcano has spewed ash over several towns in the central state of Puebla, just 55 kilometers (35 miles) southeast of Mexico City, but the country's capital was spared. More »Mexico volcano covers towns in ash
By Kate Holton LONDON (Reuters) - Justin King dismissed rumours he planned to quit as head of J Sainsbury , promising to steer Britain's third-biggest grocer through the challenges of the next few years after another set of forecast-beating results. Speaking after the group posted its eighth straight rise in annual profit on the back of a 10-year high in market share, King told Sky News that he did not have any immediate plans to move on. ... More »CEO King commits to Sainsbury's after beating forecasts
Twitter users will be able to control the appearance of a garden which is set to go on show at the Chelsea Flower Show this year. More »Twitter role at Chelsea Flower Show
A fly factory that transforms blood, guts, manure and discarded food into animal feed has walked away with a $100,000 UN-backed innovation prize. More »Waste guzzling fly factory wins African innovation prize
A violent US national who jumped bail nine years ago on attempted murder and kidnap charges in his home country has been arrested in Kent. More »On-the-run American held in UK
Special effects pioneer Ray Harryhausen - the "king of stop-motion animation" - has died at the age of 92. More »Ray Harryhausen: Movie Legend Dies Aged 92
By John Irish and Daniel Flynn PARIS/DAKAR (Reuters) - Chad's President Idriss Deby, a survivor of countless rebellions, has stepped into a void left by Africa's traditional heavyweights and turned his desert nation into a powerbroker as France disengages from its former colonies. The success of Chad's 2,000 battle-hardened troops in a French-led mission to hunt down al Qaeda fighters in the deserts of northern Mali has marked it out as the only African nation to quickly deploy an effective fighting force. ... More »Chad emerges as African power broker as France steps back
BEIJING (Reuters) - Internet users in China, a country with a long tradition of petitioning, are appealing to a new authority to resolve grievances and controversies such as the merits of salty or sweet tofu - the U.S. White House petitions website. Created by U.S. President Barack Obama, the online petitioning system was designed as an "easy way for Americans to make their voices heard", according to the website. But he may have underestimated its global appeal in the internet age. "We request that the U.S. ... More »Chinese tofu feud lands on Obama's plate
After months of sharp differences, Russia and the United States have agreed to push both sides in Syria to find an end to the bloodshed, offering to hold an international conference in search of peace. More »Russia, US agree joint push for peace in Syria
LONDON (Reuters) - Retail sales plunged unexpectedly last month, hurt by an earlier Easter this year, although the underlying trend appears to be improving, the British Retail Consortium said on Wednesday. Sales values fell 2.2 percent from a year earlier on a like-for-like measure, which strips out changes in stores' floor space and is favoured by company analysts. That was the steepest drop in a year and confounded analysts' forecasts for a 1.8 percent rise. The total value of sales dipped 0.6 percent in April, breaking an almost year-long run of growth. ... More »Retail sales post steepest fall in a year - BRC
By Sharon Bernstein and James Nelson (Reuters) - The three young women imprisoned for around a decade at house in Ohio are going to need support and, most of all, privacy as they re-integrate into society, survivors of other long-term kidnapping ordeals said on Tuesday. Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus, who disappeared in separate incidents between 2002 and 2004, were found alive on Monday at a two-storey home in the same blue-collar Cleveland neighbourhood where they had gone missing. Three brothers have been arrested as suspects. ... More »Freed Ohio women will need privacy after ordeal - survivors
The benefits of sun exposure in reducing blood pressure may outweigh the risks of developing skin cancer, scientific research has found. More »Sun's rays 'may cut blood pressure'
Cambridge University academics are to run a new programme aimed at teaching sixth-formers the maths skills they need to "think like physicists". More »University launches physics project
Special effects wizard Ray Harryhausen has died aged 92. More »Effects master Harryhausen dies
LONDON (Reuters) - Retail sales plunged unexpectedly last month, hurt by an earlier Easter this year, although the underlying trend appears to be improving, the British Retail Consortium said on Wednesday. Sales values fell 2.2 percent from a year earlier on a like-for-like measure, which strips out changes in stores' floor space and is favoured by company analysts. That was the steepest drop in a year and confounded analysts' forecasts for a 1.8 percent rise. The total value of sales dipped 0.6 percent in April, breaking an almost year-long run of growth. ... More »UK retail sales post steepest fall in a year - BRC
Scientists said Wednesday that flu infections were rising among pigs raised for slaughter on farms in south and southeastern China, also plagued by bird flu. More »Flu infections rising among Chinese pigs: study
Wigan Athletic remain deep in relegation trouble after losing 3-2 at home to Swansea City in their Premier League game in hand. More »Wigan Lose Game In Hand To Stay In Bottom Three