There are 17997 articles

  • Standoff in tense Georgian town

    Explosions have been heard in Gori after the planned handover of the Georgian town degenerated into a tense standoff between Russian and Georgian troops. The apparent collapse of the planned withdrawal came as Dmitry Medvedev, Russia's president, pledged his continued support to the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Talks between Russian.. More

  • Olmert rejects return of any Palestinian refugees

    The Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that Israel will not allow the return of any Palestinian refugees as part of a future statehood deal, Olmert's office said on Thursday. The rare official statement was issued in response to reports Olmert proposed absorbing 2,000 refugees per year for 10 years as.. More

  • Russians 'leave Georgia towns'

    Georgia's interior ministry has said that Russian troops have begun withdrawing from the strategically important town of Gori, about 30km from the breakaway province of South Ossetia. Russian forces also reportedly began to move out of Poti early on Thursday, after sinking several coast guard vessels at the Black Sea port the previous day. "The.. More

  • Lebanon and Syria agree full ties

    The presidents of Lebanon and Syria have agreed to establish full diplomatic relations, a Syrian official has said. Buthaina Shaaban, an adviser to Bashar Assad, the Syrian president, said in a statement that the decision was taken on Wednesday during a meeting in Damascus. Michel Sleiman, the Lebanese president, is on a two-day visit to Syria, the.. More

  • Iraq contractors 'cost US $85bn'

    The US government spent $85bn (£45bn) between 2003 and 2007 on contractors for services in support of the Iraq war and reconstruction, a report says. And by the end of 2008, spending is likely to top $100bn, a review by the Congressional Budget Office found. Supporters say their use is cost-effective but there have also been documented cases.. More

  • Tsvangirai considers power-sharing talks

    South African President Thabo Mbeki left Harare on Wednesday for Angola after talks on Zimbabwe's political crisis broke up to allow the main opposition leader "time to consider" specific issues. Both the mediators and a breakaway opposition faction engaged in the power-sharing talks denied that a concrete deal which would exclude President.. More

  • Russian army 'heading for Tbilisi'

    Russian military vehicles have been heading towards the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, Al Jazeera has confirmed. Al Jazeera's Alan Fisher tailed a convoy of Russian armoured vehicles on the road from the town of Gori, less than 60km from Tbilisi on Wednesday. "Right in front me, no more than 100 metres away is an armoured personnel carrier with.. More

  • 'Deal reached' in Zimbabwe talks

    Zimbabwe's president has reached a deal with a breakaway faction of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) in power-sharing talks that could lead to the formation of a government, according to a ruling party official. Arthur Mutambara, who heads a splinter group of the opposition MDC, signed up to a power-sharing accord late on Tuesday, a Zanu-PF.. More

  • Missile strike kills 9 in Pakistan

    Amissile strike on a suspected militant training camp near the Afghan border killed at least nine people, Pakistani military and intelligence officials said Wednesday. At least four missiles struck a compound in a remote and mountainous area near Angor Ada in the South Waziristan tribal region late Tuesday, the officials told The Associated Press. A.. More

  • Bomb blast rocks north Lebanon

    A bomb explosion in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli has killed at least nine people and left 31 others injured, according to security officials. The blast hit a military bus in central Nour Square early on Wednesday, officials said. The majority of the dead were reported to be Lebanese soldiers. The explosion happened near a bus pick-up point.. More

  • Hezbollah backed over Shebaa farms

    Lebanon's new government has won a vote of confidence, approving a policy statement recognizing Hezbollah's right to use all means possible to regain Israeli-occupied land claimed by Lebanon. One hundred members of the 128-seat parliament voted in support of the cabinet proposal on Tuesday, allowing the cabinet to finally start work. "One.. More

  • Russia 'ends Georgia operation'

    Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has ordered an end to military operations against Georgia, the Kremlin says. He told officials that the safety of Russian citizens and peacekeepers in South Ossetia had been restored. Russia also backed an EU plan to end the five-day-old conflict. Envoys will now try to get Georgian approval. Each side.. More

  • Bomb hits Pakistan air force bus

    At least 13 people have been killed and 10 wounded in a bomb attack on a Pakistani air force bus near the north-western city of Peshawar, police say. The attack near Badaber, an air force base on the outskirts of the city, completely destroyed the bus. The bomb went off as the bus drove over a bridge. Civilians were reported to be among the passengers... More

  • Protesters shot dead in Kashmir

    At least seven people were killed and many injured when security forces in Indian-administered Kashmir opened fire on stone-throwing Muslim protesters. Thousands defied a curfew in Srinagar and other towns in the mainly Muslim Kashmir valley for a second day. One person died in clashes in Jammu region. Tensions are rising and threaten peace hopes.. More

  • Russia 'cuts Georgia in half'

    Georgia has been cut in half with Russian forces controlling the key town of Gori, just 60km away from the capital Tbilisi, the country's president has said. Mikheil Saakashvili told a national security meeting that Russia's military had "cut off connections between western and eastern Georgia". However, Russia denied taking Gori, which.. More