BBC News: World

The Ministry of Defence may be "over-optimistic" about how much its military equipment budget is under control, an influential group of MPs says.

The US military announces plans to relax curbs on women serving in combat roles, but an advocacy group says the policy does not go far enough.

Why do zebras have black and white stripes?

How 'rogue soldiers' get into the Afghan army

Canada and China reach government deals in uranium exports and other sectors, as the two countries deepen trade ties.

France's National Front develops a new image

China seals off Tibetan protest communities

The British Foreign Secretary, William Hague, says Britain will use diplomacy with Syria, not weapons.

HM Revenue & Customs tells the BBC that rumours it spent £8m on trials into alleged tax dodging involving Harry Redknapp are "nonsense".

Argentina's foreign minister is to make a formal complaint to the UN about British "militarisation" around the disputed Falkland Islands on Friday.

Spain's most prominent judge, Baltasar Garzon, vows to fight his conviction and 11-year suspension from the judiciary for authorising prison phonetapping.

Three tough new conditions are to be imposed on a Eurozone bailout deal for Greece, after a finance ministers' meeting in Brussels.

Business-focused social networking website LinkedIn reports higher profits and said it added 14 million new members.

Amir Khan confirms his rematch against Lamont Peterson will take place on 19 May, in Las Vegas.

In the past year, twenty-one people have publicly set themselves on fire - five in the past week alone - in a campaign calling for more freedom for Tibetans.

The FBI releases its files on Apple founder Steve Jobs, revealing a man who commanded respect but was questioned on his honesty and morality.

Prosecutors in Colombia issue an arrest warrant for former Colombian peace commissioner Luis Carlos Restrepo, a close ally of ex-President Uribe.

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton says he is "in a good place" mentally after a winter spent analysing his mistakes from 2011.

Mexican soldiers secure 15 tonnes of methamphetamines at a ranch in the western state of Jalisco, believed to be their largest seizure of the drug yet.

A minister and military officer in Guinea is charged for his role in the killing in 2009 of scores of people during a protest against military rule.