Prince Philip has left hospital after a five-night stay receiving treatment for a bladder infection. Smiling, he waved to well-wishers and shook hands with staff, a day before his 91st birthday on Sunday. He was admitted to London's King Edward VII hospital on Monday, a day after attending the rain-drenched Jubilee river pageant with the Queen. A spokesman for Buckingham Palace said: "The ...

Eurozone finance ministers are holding a conference call to discuss a possible bailout for Spain's struggling banks. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates that Spain's "vulnerable" banks need a cash injection of at least 40bn euros ($50bn; £32bn). News agency reports suggest that a figure closer to 100bn euros could be under consideration. Spain is under pressure to request help, but it has ...

The head of the UN has said monitors trying to reach the Syrian village of Qubair, where 78 people are said to have been killed, were fired upon. None were hurt in the shooting but they have pulled back for the night. Addressing the UN General Assembly, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon condemned the "killing of innocents" at Qubair as "shocking and sickening". UN ...

Washington is running out of patience with Pakistan over alleged safe havens for Taliban militants, US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta has warned. On an unannounced trip to Kabul, he said Islamabad must act against the Haqqani militant network, which attacks Nato troops based in Afghanistan. Mr Panetta's visit comes amid a recent rise in insurgent attacks in the war against the Taliban, ...

There was strong demand for Spanish bonds at an auction on Thursday, which was seen as a key test of the country's ability to raise funds, but it had to pay a higher interest rate. The rate on the 10-year bonds was 6.044%, up from the 5.743% paid when bonds were last sold in April. Spain sold 2.1bn euros ($2.6bn; £1.7bn) in ...

The United States is to offer millions of dollars in rewards for information leading to the capture of leaders of the Somali militant group al-Shabab. It is the first time the US has offered money for specific members of the group, which announced its allegiance to al-Qaeda earlier this year. It has put a price of $7m (£4.5m) on al-Shabab's founder and ...

A huge dock torn from a Japanese port by the 2011 tsunami has washed up 8,050km (5,000 miles) away on the US West Coast after crossing the Pacific. The 165-tonne structure made of concrete, metal and tyres, and studded with starfish and barnacles, arrived on a beach south-west of Portland, Oregon. It has tested negative for radiation, but scientists say a host ...

China has cut its key interest rates for the first time since 2008, in an attempt to boost its slowing growth. The benchmark one-year loan rate was cut by a quarter of one percent to 6.31% while deposit rates were cut from 3.5% to 3.25%. The People's Bank of China also gave banks flexibility to offer higher rates to savers and lower ...

UN monitors in Syria say the army is preventing them from reaching the village of Qubair, where 78 people are reported to have been massacred. "They are being stopped at Syrian army checkpoints and in some cases turned back," mission commander Gen Robert Mood said. But monitors were continuing their efforts to reach the scene near the western city of Hama, he ...

 Khawaja told the BBC's Frank Gardner he was surprised the interview had been allowed The imprisoned Bahraini human rights and political activist, Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, has told the BBC that he will continue his 84-day hunger strike. The BBC's Frank Gardner was allowed to speak with Mr Khawaja for five minutes with his consent inside his room at the Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) ...