2013 'one of warmest years' on record

This year is likely to be among the top 10 warmest on record, according to the World Meteorological Organization. It continues a pattern of high temperatures blamed directly on man-made climate change. Yesterday's statement is provisional, pending weather patterns to the end of the year, but it confirms that global sea level reached a new record high. The new findings come as nations meeting at UN climate talks in Warsaw, Poland, are struggling to make progress on political solutions. (BBC)

Mohamed Morsi accuses army chief of treason

Egypt's deposed president has accused the army chief who overthrew him of treason, in a speech made on his behalf by his legal team on Wednesday. In only his second public statement since being arrested and held incommunicado this July, Mohamed Morsi also repeated the accusation that his overthrow constituted a military coup. (Guardian)

US healthcare enrolment figures lower than expected

The Obama administration has said barely 27,000 Americans enrolled for health insurance through its troubled federal website in the first month. The administration originally estimated nearly half a million people would sign up in the first month. A recent US poll suggested that for the first time more than half of Americans do not trust the president. (BBC)

Pope Francis 'may be at risk from Italian mafia'

Pope Francis is at risk of mafia retribution as a result of his determination to clean up corruption and cronyism within the Catholic Church, one of Italy’s best known anti-mob prosecutors said. Nicola Gratteri, who has lived under police protection for nearly 25 years, said the Jesuit Pope’s campaign to tackle graft was upsetting powerful crime organisations in Italy, which have in the past enjoyed a cosy relationship with the Catholic hierarchy. (Telegraph)

Scientists discover oldest ever big cat fossil

Scientists have discovered the oldest big cat fossil ever found, belonging to a previously unknown species and filling a major gap in our understanding of the animals’ evolution. The near-complete skull, found in Tibet by a US-Chinese team and analysed at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, has been dated between 4.1 and 5.95 million years old. (Independent)