On his first trip abroad as US Secretary of State, John Kerry urges Syria's opposition to attend an international meeting in Rome on Thursday.

BP has been accused of putting profits before safety on the first day of a civil trial in New Orleans over liability for the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Leonard Riggio, founder of the Barnes & Noble bookstore chain, offers to buy back its retail operations, but not the Nook e-reader.

Police extend their search for an ex-convict suspected of a pre-dawn Las Vegas shooting and multiple car crash that left three people dead.

Residents in a Houston street had a shock on Sunday when a car, driven by a motorist police said was speeding, ended up lodged in roof of a house.

On the first day of a US trial to decide who should pay for the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, BP is accused of having put profits before safety.

Four family members, including two children, are missing after reporting they were abandoning a sinking sailboat in the Pacific near San Francisco.

Daniel Day-Lewis becomes the first person to win the best actor Oscar three times, while Ben Affleck's thriller Argo is crowned best film.

John Kerry has told a press conference that he got lost in London Zoo on a childhood visit to London

How did Daniel Day-Lewis manage to secure three Oscars?

The 2013 Oscar winners reveal what it was like at this year's award ceremony

The BBC's current affairs programme, Panorama, has uncovered evidence of criminality and corruption among Afghan police officers during visits to bases in Helmand province.

Will an amateur board game designer get his big break?

Stars are arriving on the red carpet in Hollywood ahead of what is likely to be one of the most unpredictable Academy Awards for years.

Stars arrive at the 2013 Academy Awards.

BBC Panorama has uncovered evidence of corruption and criminality among the Afghan police force in Helmand province.

John Kerry sets off for his first foreign tour as US secretary of state, with the conflict in Syria at the top of his agenda.

The Afghan president orders US special forces out of Wardak province, over claims Afghans working for them are involved in torture and disappearances.

The relatives of a flight attendant who died in the 11 September attacks criticise the film Zero Dark Thirty for using a recording of her last call.

Apple drops a planned vote of shareholders after a US judge blocked the move in an ongoing spat over what to do with the tech giant's huge cash pile.