World

One killed in fifth day of Afghanistan protests

Abdul-Wali — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 00:00:25 +0000

KABUL: One person was shot dead by Afghan security forces on Saturday as protests over the burnings of the Muslim holy book at a NATO base raged for a fifth day, provincial officials said.

Mandela admitted to hospital in South Africa

Marium Quraishi — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 00:00:19 +0000

JOHANNESBURG: Former South African president Nelson Mandela was admitted to hospital on Saturday for treatment for a "long-standing abdominal complaint", the government said.

Haiti in renewed political turmoil

Sanaa Muntaha — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 21:00:15 +0000

PORT-AU-PRINCE: Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille offered his surprise resignation on Friday after just four months in office, amid tension between the premier and government ministers...

US Marines near start of F-35 fighter training flights

Sanaa Muntaha — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 21:00:13 +0000

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE: Top US Marine Corps officials hailed progress on the next-generation F-35B fighter jet built by Lockheed Martin Corp and said military training flights could be...

Indonesia reports fourth bird flu death of the year

Abdul-Ghafur — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 18:00:14 +0000

JAKARTA: A 12-year-old boy on the Indonesian resort island of Bali has died from bird flu, the fourth human death from the virus this year, an official said Saturday.

Polls back Australian PM Gillard's rival Rudd

Abdul-Ghafur — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 18:00:13 +0000

SYDNEY: Kevin Rudd's bid to lead Australia again won a boost Saturday when opinion polls showed he remains more popular with the public than his rival in next week's ballot, Prime Minister...

Yemen's Saleh returns home after US medical visit

Sanaa Muntaha — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 18:00:10 +0000

WASHINGTON: Yemen's outgoing president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, returned to his home in Sanaa late on Friday after receiving medical treatment in the United States, a spokesman for Yemen's...

In Michigan, Santorum feels heat from within

Sanaa Muntaha — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 18:00:09 +0000

DETROIT: After a week in which Rick Santorum's presidential campaign often seemed focused on issues like pre-natal testing, abortion and religion, the message from the Republican Party's...

Two decades of courtroom saga for Italy's Berlusconi

Zahidah Morcos — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 18:00:06 +0000

ROME: Legal troubles have haunted Italy's Silvio Berlusconi, who faces a verdict on charges of bribery on Saturday, ever since the larger-than-life billionaire entered politics in the...

Chilean police arrest fugitive Argentine judge

Simah Quraishi — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 12:00:12 +0000

SANTIAGO: A fugitive judge accused of human rights violations during Argentina's 1976 to 1983 military dictatorship was arrested Friday in Chile.

Venezuela's Chavez travels to Cuba for new surgery

Simah Quraishi — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 12:00:10 +0000

CARACAS: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez flew to Havana Friday for treatment of what he says is likely a malignant lesion in the same part of his body where Cuban doctors removed a...

Latin American activities boost Telecom Italia profit: firm

Simah Quraishi — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 09:00:11 +0000

MILAN: Italian telecommunications operator Telecom Italia posted on Friday better-than-expected results thanks to Latin American divisions and mooted a modest dividend to protect its...

Syrian wounded evacuated from Baba Amr: ICRC

Fayyad Azeem — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 09:00:09 +0000

DAMASCUS: Red Cross and Red Crescent ambulances entered the besieged Homs district of Baba Amr on Friday and evacuated seven Syrians wounded in bombardment by regime forces, the ICRC said.

France recalls Rwanda envoy after Kigali refuses successor

Marium Quraishi — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 03:00:10 +0000

PARIS: France said Monday it had recalled its ambassador to Rwanda after authorities in Kigali refused to accept the appointment of Paris's choice of a new envoy.

Cambodian workers shot during protest

Abdul-Ghafur — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:00:17 +0000

PHNOM PENH: Several Cambodian textile workers were shot and wounded on Monday when a man opened fire at a thousands-strong protest at an industrial zone in the east of the kingdom,...

Myanmar opposition complains of campaign restrictions

Abdul-Ghafur — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:00:15 +0000

YANGON:Aung San Suu Kyi's opposition party voiced concern Monday that restrictions by the Myanmar authorities on its political campaigning threatened the fairness of upcoming by-elections.

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Indonesia graft takes toll on ruling party's popularity

Abdul-Ghafur — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:00:14 +0000

JAKARTA: Indonesian support for President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's ruling Democrat Party has dropped sharply due to the perception that its fight against graft is failing, a survey by...

Kuwaiti tweeter jailed for allegedly insulting Shias

Fayyad Azeem — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:00:10 +0000

KUWAITCITY: Kuwait's public prosecutor has ordered a Sunni tweeter to be detained for 21 days pending investigation on charges of allegedly insulting the faith of the Shiite minority, his...

Sarkozy gains on rival after launching campaign

Zahidah Morcos — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:00:08 +0000

PARIS:French President Nicolas Sarkozy was gaining on his Socialist rival after officially announcing his re-election bid last week but still faces a tough challenge, a poll indicated on...

Hundreds gather in China after self-immolation

Abdul-Ghafur — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 21:00:25 +0000

BEIJING: Hundreds of Tibetans gathered in China's southwest to hold a vigil for a young Buddhist monk who set himself on fire, a rights group said Monday, in the latest self-immolation to...

Commonwealth report on Maldives within a week

Abdul-Wali — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 21:00:23 +0000

COLOMBO: A Commonwealth panel will discuss the Maldives' membership within the next week following allegations that the ousting of the president was a breach of the group's democratic...

Suicide car bomb hits southern Afghan city

Abdul-Wali — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 21:00:22 +0000

KANDAHAR: A suicide car bomb exploded near a police station in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar on Monday, killing at least one police officer, officials said.

Republican presidential battle could get messy

Sanaa Muntaha — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 21:00:20 +0000

WASHINGTON: On February 6, it all seemed so clear. Mitt Romney had won landslides in Florida and Nevada and looked set to soon lock up the Republican presidential nomination to take on...

Syrian security forces clamp down on Damascus

Fayyad Azeem — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 21:00:18 +0000

AMMAN/BEIRUT: Police and militia patrols fanned out in the Syrian capital's Mezze district on Sunday to prevent more protests like those that have threatened President Bashar al-Assad's...

Yemen's future president calls for urgent aid

Fayyad Azeem — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 21:00:17 +0000

SANAA:Yemen future president Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi has called for urgent foreign aid to help revive the country's shattered economy, and pledged to address the concerns of southern...

UN chief welcomes political deal in Somalia

Marium Quraishi — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 21:00:15 +0000

UNITED NATIONS: Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday welcomed the political agreement reached by Somalis at a national constitutional conference, saying the accord sets out clear steps...

BRICs no less vulnerable to global risks

Zahidah Morcos — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 21:00:13 +0000

LONDON: BRIC countries have not become less vulnerable to global shocks despite their strong economic growth over the past four years, a survey showed on Monday.

Putin vows to boost Russian army ahead of vote

Zahidah Morcos — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 21:00:12 +0000

MOSCOW: Russian strongman Vladimir Putin vowed Monday that Russia would strengthen its military might and offer an "asymmetrical and effective" response to the deployment of a NATO missile...

South Korea holds firing drill despite North Korea threat

Abdul-Ghafur — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 18:00:20 +0000

SEOUL:South Korean troops Monday held a live-fire artillery exercise near the disputed Yellow Sea border with North Korea despite the North's threats of "merciless" retaliation.

Seventeen inmates break out of Peru mountain jail

Simah Quraishi — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 18:00:17 +0000

LIMA: A group of 17 inmates considered to be highly dangerous broke out of a prison high in Peru's Andes on Sunday, sending authorities scrambling to track them down.