LONDON

However, it remains far from certain that the Scottish public even wants independence.

The cost of natural gas, which has languished for two years and last month hit lows not seen in a decade, is rebounding despite a 5.5 percent price drop earlier this week.

When Aung San Suu Kyi left her husband and children in England to visit her ailing mother in Myanmar 24 years ago, she never imagined that she'd be stuck inside the Southeast Asian country for 24 years. Now, she will leave Myanmar for the first time since 1988.

On Wednesday, Somalia's interim leaders agreed on a schedule to end the current transitional period. By August, they hope, a newly elected government will lead a unified Somalia away from its tumultuous past.

There has been a lot of hype surrounding Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, with rumors flurrying the web about romantic encounters between the two. The pop-culture icons were recently seen together at the Cannes Film Festival in France, as spotted by the Associated Press.

Speaking at a summit in Brussels, the heads of Germany and several EU institutions all urged the debt-stricken country to stick to the deeply unpopular tax hikes, labor reforms and welfare cuts that have divided Greece and pushed it to the brink of exiting the currency union.

The meteoric rise of a natural, healthy alternative to sugar - a holy grail for the food industry - might just be a little too good to be true. In two years stevia, a plant used for centuries by Paraguay's Guarani Indians, has shot to prominence in products by Coca-Cola, Danone and Merisant.

All the latest news involving Barcelona's transfer targets this summer.

All the latest news involving Chelsea's activity in the transfer market, including the search for Didier Drogba's replacement.

Agricultural commodities, and in particular so-called softs like sugar and coffee, fell hard Wednesday as investors, eyeing the euro zone crisis, priced in the potential fallout on consumption of U.S. farm exports.

Scientists have for the first time succeeded in taking skin cells from patients with heart failure and transforming them into healthy, beating heart tissue that could one day be used to treat the condition.

Good news out of Iran on Tuesday helped add to crude oil's price decline, already spurred by economic woes plaguing Europe.

Prime Minister David Cameron has said in the past that the thought of inmates voting made him ?physically ill.

Bollywood actress and internationally-renowned beauty, Aishwarya Rai, is set to attend the 2012 Cannes Film Festival amidst recent controversy regarding the weight she gained while pregnant with her baby daughter and perception of beauty in India.

When Malaysian cyclist Azizulhasni Awang opted to postpone his Ramadan fast until after the London Games, the decision was all about going for Olympic gold. Anything that might jeopardize the chance of a medal for the 24-year-old at his second Olympics had to be dealt with sensibly, he says.

Fitch cut Japan's sovereign credit status on Tuesday to the lowest level among global ratings agencies as a political stalemate dims the chance that the country can curb its snowballing debt.

Jay-Z and Beyonce have reportedly gotten into a major fight over Kanye West's decision to bring new gal pal Kim Kardashian to a blowout party in London.

All the latest news involving Chelsea's summer transfer targets, following their dramatic Champions League triumph.

Jessica Ennis crossed the finish line of a scheduled race just two weeks before the London Olympics believing she broke her personal record in the 100m hurdles at the Great City Games in Manchester on Sunday. However, officials and event organizers made a fatal error; they did not have the correct amount of hurdles on the track.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) suspended its share-buyback program on Monday, a move CEO Jamie Dimon said was intended to preserve capital.

The week after U.S. President Barack Obama officially declared his endorsement for gay marriage, DC Comics' co-publisher Dan DiDio announced at Kapow 2012 in London that there is a gay character in the works, but the plans have slightly changed since the first announcement in July 2011.