Gordon Brown faced fresh demands for an immediate general election today after he survived a backbench coup but received only lukewarm statements of support from key cabinet ministers, including the foreign secretary, David Miliband.

President Obama on Tuesday promised further steps soon to toughen airline security and shape up the nation's terror watchdogs because "American lives are on the line."

President Obama launched a new chapter in the Afghanistan war Tuesday, committing an additional 30,000 U.S. troops while setting a goal of starting to bring forces home by July 2011.

Germany's top soldier has resigned over a Nato air strike in Afghanistan in which civilians are thought to have died, the defence minister said.