A paralysed woman has used a thought-controlled robotic arm to lift a drink to her lips, in what scientists say is a major breakthrough.

Jennifer Lopez unseats Lady Gaga and Oprah Winfrey on Forbes' most powerful celebrity list.

Kenny Dalglish has been sacked as manager of Liverpool following a disappointing Premier League campaign.

A NEW study suggests there may really be such a thing as a "gaydar" which helps people intuitively know the sexuality of a stranger.

ABORIGINAL activists are expected to meet today to decide the future of a tent embassy in Brisbane's Musgrave Park.

TWO masked men have attacked a 63-year-old with a baseball bat as they forced their way into his Homebush West home, police said.

Spain's Queen Sofia cancels a visit to the UK for the Diamond Jubilee following disputes with London over the territory of Gibraltar.

Muammar Gaddafi's son is refusing to name a defence lawyer, a top Libyan diplomat has claimed, amid growing questions over the conditions in which Saif al-Islam is being held.

Two patients who are paralysed from the neck down are able to control a robotic arm using their thoughts.

ELEVEN North Carolina children were burned overnight when a hose burst on a school bus, WRAL-TV reported.

A TEACHER has gone on trial after publicly claiming that she was pressured to help rig Russia's parliamentary election to boost the results for Vladimir Putin's party.

Libya has asked the International Criminal Court to abandon its legal action against Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, so he can be tried in Tripoli.

Queen Sofia of Spain ordered to turn down an invitation from the Queen because of an escalating diplomatic row over Gibraltar.

Martine Aubry, the architect of France's 35 hour week, missed out on a place in François Hollande's first cabinet, after she refused to take up a lesser role after being snubbed as prime minister.

A British tourist collapsed and died on Wednesday while attempting to climb to the top of Mt Vesuvius, the volcano overlooking Naples.

Video footage of the execution of Dino Salihovic, a 16-year-old Bosnian Muslim gunned down with other teenagers at Srebrenica, was shown at the opening of Ratko Mladic's trial.

Ratko Mladic, the so-called Butcher of Bosnia, finally faced trial accused of genocide and murder among other charges. Bruno Waterfield was in The Hague to witness the chilling scene unfold.

Staff at the British High Commission in Pakistan were sent home early on Wednesday during a security alert.

The Syrian President tells Russian television that whilst "terrorism" is an acute problem for the country, EU imposed sanctions are not affecting the government.

Syria is losing the information war against the West, Bashar al-Assad has claimed, in his first foreign interview in months.

Sam Hallam, 24, (pictured) from Hoxton, east London, was just 18 when he was jailed for stabbing to death ‘Good Samaritan’ Essayas Kassahun as he tried to rescue a friend from a gang of thugs.

The Home Secretary was jeered at a conference in Bournemouth as she told officers they should welcome funding cuts and had to pause as angry audience members yelled insults.

JENNIFER Lopez topped Forbes Magazine's Celebrity 100 List, released overnight.

GOVERNMENT troops and warplanes have pounded al-Qaeda positions in southern Yemen, killing at least 29 militants as part of a ramped up campaign against the group, military officials said.

HUNDREDS of thousands of baby red crabs are invading the Cayman Islands in an annual migration that residents say is more pronounced this year.

THIS year's Cannes Film Festival features directors in their 30s and their 80s, directors from Europe and North America, directors from Asia and the Middle East - but no women.

The Federal Reserve is worried about the impact on the US economy if government spending is cut sharply, minutes of its April meeting show.

In an address to Russian TV today, President Bashar Assad insisted the Syrian people supported his reforms and called his opponents "terrorists".

Auction tribute to combat photojournalist killed in Libya

Ratko Mladic plotted to "raze Sarajevo to the ground" unless he could divide the city along ethnic lines as he orchestrated a three-and-a-half year "terror campaign" that left thousands dead, the trial heard.

IN his first interview in nearly half a year, Syrian President Bashar Assad has claimed that his regime had captured foreign mercenaries who were fighting for the opposition in a bid to show his forces were fighting terrorists instead of pro-democrac...

Robert Downey Jr will earn $50 million (£31 million) from the recently released blockbuster "Marvel Avengers Assemble".

HAITI'S new prime minister and his cabinet have taken office, ending a period of deadlock.

USING only her thoughts, a Massachusetts woman paralysed for 15 years has directed a robotic arm to pick up a bottle of coffee and bring it to her lips, researchers report in the latest advance in harnessing brain waves to help disabled people.

Syria is losing the information war against the West, President Bashar al-Assad has said, amid continuing violence across the country.

Andrew Strauss says he has not thought of giving up the England captaincy, ahead of the first Test against West Indies at Lord's.

Mexicans pay tribute to one of Latin America's greatest authors, Carlos Fuentes, who died on 15 May in Mexico City.

The grieving parents of a baby boy killed by a falling lamppost have accused a coroner's court of failing to provide answers about their son's death.

The US state of Texas is likely to have executed an innocent man due to careless handling of the case, a report by US law students claims.

Palestinian Authority President and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas swears in a new cabinet in the West Bank, a move Hamas describes as a "big error".

Demonstrators and police clash in the Bangladesh capital Dhaka after 33 senior opposition figures are arrested in connection with anti-government protests last month.

In his first interview in nearly half a year, Syrian president Bashar Assad claimed his regime has captured foreign mercenaries who were fighting for the opposition in a bid to show his forces are fighting terrorists rather than pro-democracy activis...

Romney has amassed vast personal fortune as venture capitalist by exploiting ordinary workers, Obama camp claims.

Pierre Dukan has been struck off the medical register at his own request, after medical experts accused him of giving damaging dietary advice to teenagers.

A group of Chinese Communist Party veterans has written an open letter calling for the removal of the country's security chief, in the latest sign of disunity ahead of its leadership transition.

Spain's government has rejected calls to negotiate with the leadership of Basque terrorist group ETA saying the group must disarm and disband before official talks can proceed.

London 2012 Olympics: portraits of Team USA athletes.

Chinese police have launched an investigation after a batch of "fake" pigs' ears reportedly made from gelatin were discovered, in yet another food safety scare in the country.

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia was created in 1993 to put on trial alleged perpetrators of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity committed after the break-up of the country.

Charles Taylor accuses UN prosecutors of paying witnesses to testify against him and threatening them if they refused.

Two Mexican generals are detained and questioned on suspicion of having links to a Mexican drug cartel.

A California-based private company hopes to usher in a new era in space travel with the successful launch of its rocket and unmanned capsule later this month.

London Underground is to be prosecuted by the rail regulator over a runaway engineering train, it has been disclosed.

Man-made pollution is helping to push the tropics northwards, research suggests.

Nearly 3,000 jobs are to be axed after the administrators of Clinton Cards announced plans to close 350 stores.

Air strikes kill 16 suspected al-Qaeda fighters in southern Yemen, officials say, as a US-backed government offensive against militants continues.

The Cannes jury responds to claims of sexism prompted by the lack of female filmmakers in the running for this year's Palme d'Or.

As Egypt prepares for the presidential elections at the end of May, the country's sizeable Coptic Christian minority is hoping for a moderate leader to protect their rights.

Pakistan's cabinet orders officials to finalise a deal as quickly as possible to bring an end to a six-month blockade on overland Nato supplies into Afghanistan.

Three Sri Lankan Tamil Tiger rebels who took part in a rehabilitation ceremony last year may subsequently have been taken away by the authorities, a rights campaigner says.

WILL SMITH was left red-faced after his son asked U.S. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA if aliens are real during a visit to the White House.

SACHA BARON COHEN continued to cause mayhem as his alter-ego THE DICTATOR on Wednesday (16May12) when he arrived at the Cannes Film Festival in France and pretended to murder GEORGE CLOONEY's ex-girlfriend ELISABETTA CANALIS.

Veteran actor SIR MICHAEL CAINE is recovering after tearing a ligament in his arm.

MICHAEL DOUGLAS has teamed up with the Oral Cancer Foundation in America to raise awareness of the deadly disease.

AGYNESS DEYN has landed her first major film role in a big screen adaptation of popular novel SUNSET SONG.

MICHAEL URIE is "gutted" after pulling out of Wednesday's (16May12) performances of stage show HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING because of promotional duties for his new TV series.

Rocker CHRISSIE HYNDE has added her name to a petition calling for an end to animal-tested cosmetics.

LIAM GALLAGHER has quashed speculation his band BEADY EYE will play at this year's (12) Hop Farm Music Festival.

MARIAH CAREY and her husband NICK CANNON showed off their generous sides last week (ends13May12) by making the biggest bid of the night at a charity auction in New York.

SPANDAU BALLET frontman TONY HADLEY named his baby daughter after QUEEN ELIZABETH II as she was born on the 60th anniversary of the monarch's reign.

Petrolheads shelled out more than £26 million at the RM Auctions event in Monaco, with ten cars fetching in excess of £800,000 each.

A young penguin which escaped from Tokyo's Sea Life Park has reportedly been spotted swimming in waters around the Japanese capital.

A prominent human rights campaigner and micro-blogger, Nabeel Rajab, goes on trial in Bahrain, accused of inciting protests via social networking sites.

TWO shareholder suits were filed against JP Morgan Chase over more than $2bn in trading losses reported by the bank last week.

Villagers in south-eastern Turkey sound the alarm after mistaking a migratory bird - a common European bee-eater - for an Israeli spy.

If true the claims - made by the Hollywood legend in a recent interview with Playboy magazine - would make him the most high-profile victim of the scandal.

John Norrish, 67, told the jury the 33-year-old married woman consented to sex in his vehicle after he offered her a lift home from the event near Chawleigh, Devon.

Almost 20,000 tickets were issued to drivers who used Southampton Row, central London, in 2011. Motorists were given fines totalling £1,198,870. Outside the capital, roads in Slough, Birmingham and Brighton generated the most fines

Speaking after nine men were jailed for abusing girls in Rochdale, Tim Loughton (pictured) said nothing was gained by 'shying away from taking this issue and debating it head on'

Seven people are killed and more than 20 injured in clashes in Libya's western desert town of Ghadames, the government says.

David Cameron will launch a startling attack on the failure of Germany and other major European countries to take the necessary steps if they want to prevent the euro breaking apart.

Data from the Office for National Statistics showed the number of people unemployed for more than a year increased by 27,000 to 887,000 - the highest total since 1996.

The Transport Secretary (pictured) coined the useless neologism in a video produced by her department telling people to change their travel habits during this summer's Olympic Games.

Hope Tello, pictured, was among those arrested when Briton Joseph Sheriff, 25, was stabbed after complaining that sex he had paid for was not delivered.

Terminally-ill Australian Shaun Wilson-Miller, 17, has become an internet sensation after accidentally posting a farewell message intended for friends on YouTube.

Two major banks, Lloyds and Santander, are refusing to pass on the benefits of a government-backed scheme to make £20billion worth of cheaper loans available.

Two armed officers spent an excruciating two hours ignoring the laughs of passers-by in Manchester today after smashing their £30,000 unmarked patrol car into a notorious set of rise-and-fall traffic bollards.

Karla Walker, 32, (pictured) was evicted from her rented home in Prestwich, near Manchester, after her out-of-control sons brought misery to neighbours for three years.

Bethany Jane Turner, made a big splash when she was born a fortnight overdue at North Manchester General Hospital on May 11.

Photographer Andrew Schoeman, 39, took the incredible pictures in the Sabi Sands Game reserve in South Africa.

Student protesters in Montreal storm the University of Quebec, disrupting classes as they were due to resume after a boycott protesting rising tuition fees.

A 15-year-old youth is facing a life sentence after being found guilty of stabbing a student to death in a row over conkers.

A TEENAGER has been threatened with a knife and another punched in the head during a carjacking in Sydney's south west.

A young man who has spent more than seven years behind bars for a murder he has always insisted he did not commit was greeted by emotional scenes as he was freed on bail by the Court of Appeal.

Security forces in Cambodia shoot dead a 15-year-old girl who was taking part in a protest against the development of a rubber plantation on farmland.

Shares in Bankia, the part-nationalised Spanish bank, fall more than 10% after it delays the release of its first quarter results.

Indonesian police have refused to issue a permit for a Lady Gaga concert scheduled to take place in Jakarta next month.

Greek leftist leader Alexis Tsipras accuses the EU and Germany of "playing poker with people's lives", as millions of euros are withdrawn from Greek banks.

A pair of Royal portraits are to be seen together for the first time in more than a quarter of a century to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

Moscow police have detained 23 people for breaking up an eight-day occupy protest that sprung up on a scenic square following strongman Vladimir Putin's swearing in for a third Kremlin term.

Aside from Ratko Mladic, the most high-profile war criminals to have been put on trial by the court in The Hague are Radovan Karadzic, his former political master, and Slobodan Milosevic, the former Serbian and Yugoslav President.

Jim Marshall's photos of Sarajevo 15 years ago apart show how it has changed.

Convicted Liberian warlord Charles Taylor said he sympathizes with victims of the civil war in Sierra Leone he helped foment, and urged judges to render their sentence against him in a spirit of "reconciliation, not retribution".

Almost five million people in South Sudan - more than half of the population - face increasingly severe food shortages after their government ceased oil exports in a row with the country's neighbour, Sudan.

A man shot in the face by Norwegian extremist Anders Behring Breivik has told how he wrote his parents' phone number on the floor in his own blood, as his wounds left him unable to speak.

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff inaugurates a truth commission to investigate rights abuses, including those committed during military rule from 1964-1985.

The government of France's new President Francois Hollande is likely to be dominated by moderate social democrats after party leader Martine Aubry is overlooked for the prime minister's role.