Syria not complying with peace plan, says Ban Ki-moon

There is little evidence that Syria's government is complying with a peace plan to try to end violence, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said. After briefing the Security Council, he warned there was an "imminent" danger of civil war in Syria and it could go from tipping point to breaking point. Meanwhile, UN envoy Kofi Annan said the council should put more pressure on Damascus to implement his peace plan. The comments come after...

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Honeybee virus: Varroa mite spreads lethal disease

A parasitic mite has helped a virus wipe out billions of honeybees throughout the globe, say scientists. A team studying honeybees in Hawaii f ound that the Varroa mite helped spread a particularly nasty strain of a disease called deformed wing virus. The mites act as tiny incubators of one deadly form of the disease, and inject it directly into the bees' blood. This has led to "one of the most widely-distributed and contagious insect...

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French police 'hold suspect' over anti-Semitic attack

French police say a man suspected of attacking three young Jews with a hammer in the town of Villeurbanne has been detained, local media report. Several assailants are reported to have taken part in Saturday's attack, in which iron bars were also used. The suspect, the fifth to be detained, reportedly gave himself up to police on Thursday afternoon. A spate of anti-Semitic incidents has followed the murder of four people at a Jewish school...

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Mitt Romney raises $17m more than Barack Obama campaign

US Republican candidate Mitt Romney raised almost $17m (£11m) more than President Barack Obama's re-election effort in May, figures show. Mr Romney and the Republicans raised $76.8m, while the Obama campaign and the Democratic Party brought in $60m. Mr Romney now has $107m cash on hand, almost matching the $115m Mr Obama's campaign had by the end of April. Mr Obama's May total included $15m raised at the home of George Clooney, with tickets...

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