Ratings agency Standard & Poor's cuts Spain's credit rating because of the risks it could take on more debt to support its banks.

Syria is "in contravention" of an internationally agreed peace plan, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon warns, amid reports of continuing fighting.

UK Business Secretary Vince Cable says all UK exports to Argentine armed forces are being halted amid tension over the Falkland Islands.

Campaigners and human rights groups welcome a UN-backed special court's guilty verdict against the former Liberian leader Charles Taylor.

The Pensions Regulator is to relax the rules governing 300 company pensions to help deal with funding shortfalls.

British industry will lead the production of Solar Orbiter, a spacecraft that will travel closer to the Sun than any satellite to date.

Samsung Electronics says profits rose 81%, boosted by smartphone sales and increased profitability at its display panel unit.

The contraceptive pill should be available at pharmacies without a GP prescription, including to some under-16s, an NHS report says.