The most senior US general in Iraq has said he has evidence that Iran was behind Sunday’s bombardment of Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone.

Gen David Petraeus told the BBC he thought Tehran had trained, equipped and funded insurgents who fired the barrage of mortars and rockets. (more…)

The Cypriot president and the Turkish Cypriot leader have agreed to resume talks on reunifying the island.

The deal was struck at a meeting between Demetris Christofias and Mehmet Ali Talat in Nicosia - the first such high-profile talks since 2006. (more…)

 In a statement the McCanns said they were pleased that the newspaper group… (more…)

At least four people have been killed and about 200 injured in a series of explosions at an arms depot near the Albanian capital, Tirana.

A spokeswoman for Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha said it was feared the number of dead could rise. (more…)

By Christian Fraser,

Italy’s highest appeal court has ruled that married Italian women who commit adultery are entitled to lie about it to protect their honour.

The court gave its landmark ruling after hearing the case of a 48-year-old woman, convicted of giving false testimony to police by denying she had lent her mobile phone to her lover. (more…)

Hillary Clinton has revived her campaign for the US presidency with projected primary election wins in three states.

US media say she has taken the Democratic primary polls in Democratic Texas, Ohio and Rhode Island. The results of caucus meetings in Texas are not yet known. (more…)

Porsche has said it will take a controlling stake in Volkswagen, in a deal that is potentially worth almost 10bn euros ($15.2bn, £7.7bn).

The maker of the luxury 911 sports car already holds 31% of VW shares. On Monday, its supervisory board agreed to raise the stake to above 50%. (more…)

An Iranian court has ordered a man to give his wife the 124,000 roses that he promised in her dowry, after she filed a complaint to claim it, reports say.

The woman said she was claiming the dowry because her “very stingy husband” would not even pay for a cup of coffee, according to the E’temad newspaper. (more…)

US light, sweet crude jumped to $103.95 a barrel, before giving back some gains to trade at $102.45. London Brent also climbed to a record, hitting $102. (more…)

Pakistan’s telecoms regulator has lifted the restrictions it imposed on video-sharing website YouTube.

The Pakistan Telecommunications Authority has told internet service providers (ISPs) to restore access to the site, according to a spokeswoman. (more…)

 The leaders of the divided Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities have voiced optimism that they can make progress towards reunification of the island.

The Cyprus President-elect, Demetris Christofias, said he had asked the UN to arrange a meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat. (more…)

Kosovo’s parliament has unanimously endorsed a declaration of independence from Serbia, in an historic session.

The declaration, read by Prime Minister Hashim Thaci, said Kosovo would be a democratic country that respected the rights of all ethnic communities… (more…)

The French financial trader at the centre of a massive fraud case had gambled around 50bn euros before being uncovered, his employer says.

Bank Societe Generale accuses Jerome Kerviel of committing it to purchases worth a vast $73bn (£37bn). (more…)

The world’s oldest surviving Rolls Royce car has driven away with two records after it sold at auction in London for £3.5m ($7.3m).

The price is the highest ever paid for a car built before 1905 and is also the most for a Rolls Royce. (more…)

A Faberge egg made for the Rothschild banking family has sold at auction for a world record £8.9m.

The Rothschild egg made in 1902 is just one of 12 in public hands known to have been produced to standards required by the Russian Imperial family… (more…)

France is suffering travel chaos after transport and energy workers broadened a strike in protest against President Nicolas Sarkozy’s pension reform.  

Rail services were severely disrupted and energy production reduced in the open-ended action over cuts affecting some 500,000 public sector workers. (more…)

A list of the world’s most polluted places has been published by a US-based independent environmental group.

          The Blacksmith Institute’s top 10 towns and cities included sites in ex-Soviet republics, Russia, China and India. Peru and Zambia were also listed… (more…)

The stress and anxiety brought on by a rocky marriage  or relationship can take its toll on your heart, a study says.

Previous research has suggested that those in a relationship enjoy better health than singleton contemporaries.

But this latest study of 9,000 British civil servants suggests… (more…)