The European Central Bank says it’s ‘ready to act if needed’, as it cuts its benchmark interest rate to a new record low of 0.5%.

Former Pope Benedict returns to a new home in the Vatican, two months after becoming the first pontiff to resign in 600 years.

German broadcaster ZDF drops repeats of the detective series, Derrick, after it emerges that its late star, Horst Tappert, hid his Waffen SS past.

The European Central Bank cuts its benchmark interest rate to a new record low of 0.5% amid ongoing worries about the eurozone’s economic health.

Nearly 260,000 people, half of them children, died during the famine that hit Somalia from 2010 to 2012, a report says.

A video emerges showing US Republican presidental candidate Mitt Romney appearing to disparage Obama voters at a private donor dinner.

Tension is high in a China-Japan row as fresh anti-Japan protests erupt in China over disputed islands and on the anniversary of the ”Mukden incident”.

Nato restricts operations with Afghan forces following a string of deadly attacks on its personnel by rogue Afghan security forces.

A verdict is awaited after the two-day trial of an ex-police chief at the heart of China’s biggest political scandal in years.

Hypersonic jet Waverider undergoes a test flight aiming to reach Mach 6, more than 4,300mph, with results expected to be released in the coming hours.

The US accuses Iran of training a pro-regime militia in Syria, as a summit of Muslim countries is poised to suspend Damascus despite protests from Tehran.

Australian MPs approve legislation allowing offshore processing camps for asylum seekers to be established, after a reversal of government policy.

Egyptian President Mohammed Mursi says his move to order the retirement of the army head was for “the benefit of this nation”.

Australia should set up offshore processing centres for asylum seekers in Nauru and Papua New Guinea, a panel appointed by the PM says.

A search is under way for two Ugandan military helicopters after they failed to make a scheduled stop in neighbouring Kenya.

The curtain closes on the London Olympics with a spectacular musical ceremony and the official handover to the next host city, Rio de Janeiro.

A spectacular image of the Curiosity rover descending to the surface of the Mars on its parachute is caught by an overflying satellite.

Israel says it has found the bodies of eight gunmen who attacked a checkpoint on the border with Egypt, killing 16 Egyptian policemen.

US regulators accuse one of Britain’s largest banks, Standard Chartered, of hiding more than $250bn (£161bn) in illegal transactions with Iran.