There are 17998 articles

  • Arab League chief arrives in Syria for talks

    Nabil Elaraby, the head of the Arab League, has arrived in Damascus to hold talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and other senior officials, Egypt's official MENA news agency reported. Elaraby is expected to convey concerns on Saturday over the Syrian government's brutal crackdown on the country's six-month-old uprising. He had originally.. More

  • Deaths reported in 'fresh Syrian assault'

    Syrian forces have killed at least21 peoplein a massive tank-backed raid on the central city of Homs, rights activists say, after the government postponed a visit to the country by the Arab League chief. Wednesday's security operation came after 2,000 people had taken to the streets of the city a day earlier, activists said. Most of the killings occurred.. More

  • Scores killed in Russian plane crash

    A Russian passenger jet carrying hockey players to their first match of the seasoncrashed near the city of Yaroslavl, killing at least 43 people. Initial reports said 37 people were on board the plane. But officials at Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry have corrected the figure since, saying 45 passengers were on board the plane, only two of whom.. More

  • Yemen ruling party offers power transfer plan

    Yemen's ruling party has proposed changes to a power transfer deal that would give President Ali Abdullah Saleh more time to leave office, in the hope of ending a stalemate that has paralysed the country. An official from an opposition coalition told Reuters news agency that the parties would meet on Thursday to give their view of the proposed changes,.. More

  • Anti-austerity strike hits Italy

    Italy's largest trade union has mounted a general strike in opposition togovernment plans to tackle an austerity crisis. The strike on Tuesday started as Silvio Berlusconi, Italy's prime minister, worked to secure parliamentary backing for an austerity package worth $64bn over the next two years. The eight-hour action called by CGIL, which represents.. More

  • Explosion outside high court in New Delhi

    A bomb apparently hidden in a suitcase has exploded outside the high court in New Delhi, India's capital, killing at least nine people and wounding 45 others, officials said. The blast erupted near a large crowd of people waiting in line to reach a reception counter where passes are made for entry to the court building, RK Singh, home secretary, said.. More

  • Somalia signs 'roadmap' for political reform

    Somali leaders have signed a "roadmap" for the formation of a government to replace the fragile transitional body that has failed to bring peace to the fragmented country. "We are clearly committed to implement this roadmap, the Somali people have suffered a lot," said Somali President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed. "We want the Somali.. More

  • Famine spreads to sixth region of Somalia

    Famine has spread to a sixth area of Somalia and tens of thousands of people have died as a result of severe food shortages, the UN has said. A statement from the UN Somalia Food Security Nutrition Analysis Unit (FSNAU) in Nairobi, Kenya, said on Monday that data gathered in August suggested the Bay Region had been hit by famine in addition to several.. More

  • Residents flee as wildfires rage in Texas

    A roaring wildfire has raced through rain-starved farm and ranchland in Texas, destroying nearly 500 homes during a rapid advance fanned in part by howling winds from the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee. At least 5,000 people were evacuated on Monday from their homes in Bastrop County east of Austin, many of them fearing the worst while spending the.. More

  • Palestinian statehood bid 'papers ready'

    The Palestinians will not be deterred from seeking UN membership, senior officials say in response to a report that the US is trying to head off their bid. The New York Times reported on Sunday that the US has launched an attempt to persuade the Palestinians not to seek statehood at the annual UN General Assembly meeting beginning on September 20. "Whe.. More

  • Libyan fighters 'ready' for Bani Walid attack

    Libyan fighters outside Bani Walid, a key city still controlled by supporters of toppled leader Muammar Gaddafi, have told Al Jazeera that efforts to negotiate a peaceful handover have ended. An official for the National Transitional Council (NTC) said fighters were preparing to take the town by force after talks ended on Sunday. "We are ready.. More

  • More deaths reported across Syria

    At least 40 people have been killed in anti-government protests in Syria since Friday, activists said, as the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was due to meet senior Syrian officials in the capital, Damascus. Security forces shot dead three people in the Khan Sheikhwan area of Idlib province in northwestern Syria on Sunday,.. More

  • Yemeni capital braced for fresh protests

    Troops loyal to Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh have deployed in force in Sanaa, the capital, after opposition groups called new mass demonstrations demanding an end to his decades-long rule. Security forces closed off all access to the capital from Saturday afternoon while armed civilians loyal to the president also took to the streets. The massive.. More

  • EU tightens sanctions on Syria

    European Union governments have agreed to ban imports of Syrian oil in a move to strengthen economic pressure on President Bashar al-Assad and his government. EU foreign ministers met in Poland on Friday, where they discussed a plan first announced two weeks ago to impose sweeping new economic sanctions against Syria, including an embargo on oil imports. Da.. More

  • Turkey downgrades ties with Israel

    Turkey has downgraded diplomatic ties with Israel and suspended military cooperation between the countries in anticipation of the release of a United Nations report into Israel's raid of a Gaza-bound ship. Ahmet Davutoglu, the Turkish foreign minister, announced the measures on Friday hours before Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, was expected.. More