There are 17998 articles

  • Airstrikes begin on Libya targets

    French warplanes have hit four tanks used by forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi on the outskirts of the opposition stronghold of Benghazi, on a day when opposition fighters in the city reported coming under constant artillery and mortar fire. The US has also launched cruise missiles from ships based in the Mediterranean Sea, and has taken the lead in.. More

  • Missiles and planes strike Libya

    The UK, US and France have attacked Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's forces in the first action to enforce a UN-mandated no-fly zone. Pentagon officials say the US and the UK have fired more than 110 missiles, while French planes struck pro-Gaddafi forces attacking opposition-held Benghazi. Col Gaddafi has vowed retaliation and said he would open arms.. More

  • Japan nuclear crisis sees some stabilization

    One of Japan's six tsunami-crippled nuclear reactors appears to be stabilizing, following efforts by engineers and firefighters. Engineers reported some success on Saturday after fire engines sprayed water for hours on the number three reactor at the ravaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex. "The situation there is stabilizing somewhat,".. More

  • High turnout marks 'orderly' Egypt vote

    Long lines, orderly queues and a mostly calm and jubilant atmosphere marked Egypt's first nationwide vote since a popular uprising forced Hosni Mubarak, Egypt's long-time president, to step down in February, leaving the country without a constitution and under the control of an unelected military council. Observers reported an unprecedented turnout.. More

  • Syrian mourners call for revolt

    Thousands of people gathering in Syria's southern city of Daraa to mourn the deaths of two people killed by security forces have called for "revolution" in the country. Police sealed off the city and fired tear gas to disperse the crowds who had turned out for the funerals of Wissam Ayyash and Mahmoud al-Jawabra, two of five people killed.. More

  • Polls open in Egypt constitutional referendum

    Polls have opened in Egypt for the country's constitutional referendum, the first vote following the overthrow last month of Hosni Mubarak, the country's long-serving president. Voters will decide on a package of nine amendments, about half of which deal with the conduct of elections. One would make it easier for independent candidates to run for president;.. More

  • Yemen declares 'state of emergency'

    Ali Abdullah Saleh, the Yemeni president, has declared a nationwide state of emergency, after a violent crackdown on anti-government protests killed at least 41 people, and left scores more wounded, in the capital Sanaa. Saleh said on Friday that the decision to impose the state of emergency was made by the country's national security council, but.. More

  • Libya declares immediate ceasefire

    Libya's government has announced it will halt all military operations in the country hours after the United Nations Security Council backed a no-fly zone over the country. Moussa Koussa, the Libyan foreign minister, said his government was interested in protecting all civilians and foreigners, in a statement televised on Friday. "We decided on.. More

  • Japan dumps water on stricken reactors

    Military helicopters in Japan have dumped water on reactors at the quake-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station in an effort to cool down a spent fuel storage pool, local media said. Two CH-47 helicopters scooped up seawater and released it over the reactors on Thursday while another helicopter checked radiation levels in the air. The plant,.. More

  • Libya no-fly zone supporters push for UN vote

    France, Britain and the United States have pressed for a UN Security Council vote on Thursday on a no fly zone to halt Muammar Gaddafi's attacks Libyan people. Council ambassadors met behind closed doors to debate the text for more than eight hours on Wednesday, and said they would return on Thursday morning. China's UN Ambassador Li Baodong, the.. More

  • Rare public protest quashed in Syria

    Anti-government protesters have taken to the streets of the Syrian capital Damascus for a second day running but their demonstration was quickly quashed by security forces, witnesses said. Around 100 people, mainly relatives of political prisoners, gathered in Marjeh Square on Wednesday calling for the release of their loved ones and an end to emergency.. More

  • Japan on edge as nuclear crisis escalates

    Workers were ordered to withdraw briefly from a stricken Japanese nuclear power plant on Wednesday after radiation levels surged, Kyodo news reported, a development that suggested the crisis was spiraling out of control. Just hours earlier another fire broke out at the earthquake-crippled plant, which has sent low levels of radiation wafting into Tokyo.. More

  • Nuclear power plants shut down in Germany

    Germany has temporarily shut down seven of its nuclear power plants while it reconsiders its nuclear strategy. Chancellor Angela Merkel said that all reactors operational before 1980 would be taken offline, and safety checks carried out on the remaining plants. The move comes after concerns about radiation leaks at a Japanese plant after last Friday's.. More

  • Egyptian state security disbanded

    Egypt's interior minister has disbanded the country's feared state security agency, which was accused of torture and human rights abuses during the 30-year rule of former president Hosni Mubarak. Major General Mansour el-Essawy, a former Cairo security chief and the new interior minister, announced the dissolution of the security apparatus in a statement.. More

  • Radiation-leak fears at Japan plant

    A radiation leak is feared after Japan's Nuclear Safety Agency reported a third explosion at Unit 2 of the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear-power plant in the country's northeast. Shinji Kinjo, an agency spokesman, said that "a leak of nuclear material is feared", after the explosion was heard at 6:10am local time (21:10 GMT) on Tuesday. A.. More