emancipation

Nine crew members of a French ship taken hostage at the weekend off the coast of Nigeria have been released.

A chronology of key events

Pirates seize a ship owned by a French company off the Nigerian coast, taking nine crew hostage.

The Nigerian military says a leading member of the most prominent militant group in the oil-rich Niger Delta region was arrested on Sunday.

Stars 'misleading' about science

Celebrities make "misleading" scientific claims which then "travel widely", the charity Sense About Science warns.

Gay groups angry at Pope remarks

Gay groups and activists react angrily after Pope Benedict XVI says mankind needs to be saved from a blurring of gender.

Papal address: Key extracts

Key passages from Pope Benedict XVI's end-of-year address to senior Vatican officials on 22 December 2008.

What the papers say

A look at what's making the headlines in Wednesday's morning newspapers.

Timeline: Bahamas

A chronology of key events

Timeline: Nigeria

A chronology of key events

Gunmen abduct Scottish oil worker

A Scot working for an oil services firm is abducted by unidentified gunmen in an oil-rich region of southern Nigeria.

The enigma of Prabhakaran

The BBC's Alastair Lawson profiles the elusive leader of the Tamil Tiger rebels in Sri Lanka.

Timeline: Antigua and Barbuda

A chronology of key events

Timeline: United States of America

A chronology of key events

Nigerian army gunrunners get life

A military court in Nigeria sentences six soldiers to life in prison for selling thousands of guns to suspected oil militants.

French 'virgin' ruling reversed

A French appeal court overrules the decision to annul a Muslim marriage because the bride had lied about being a virgin.

Church in bid to buy pub premises

Presbyterian church in Antrim tables a bid for a nearby pub in the town.

Obama prepares for promised change

The BBC's Paul Reynolds looks at how far and fast new US presidents change their predecessor's policies and why executive orders are an easy way to do that.

Embracing African roots in Jamaica

Nick Davis in Kingston finds out what made some Africans voluntarily make the former slave island of Jamaica their home.

One vote for all?

What is an election? It depends which country you live in. But the true meaning of the word can only be realised where there is real democracy, says Clive James.