There are 17997 articles

  • Zimbabwe's Mugabe defiant as pressure builds ahead of run-off

    Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe dismissed opposition claims of violence in state media on Saturday, remaining defiant in the face of Western criticism ahead of next week's tense run-off election. The 84-year-old leader called the opposition Movement for Democratic Change's (MDC) accusations that its supporters have been targeted in a campaign of violence.. More

  • China condemns Dalai Lama on torch relay

    Chinese-appointed Tibetan leaders used the passing of the Olympic torch relay through the capital Lhasa on Saturday to defend Communist Party control of the remote Buddhist region and denounce the exiled Dalai Lama. The torch procession ended under tight security below the towering Potala palace after having been run for just over two hours before.. More

  • Castro condemns EU's 'hypocrisy'

    Former Cuban President Fidel Castro has lashed out at the EU's decision to lift sanctions against his country, calling it "an enormous hypocrisy". He said the move was "disparaging" because it was conditioned on human rights progress in Cuba. The ailing 81-year-old said the measure came just days after the EU passed a "brutal".. More

  • Israel 'held Iran attack exercise'

    An Israeli military exercise held this month was most likely a rehearsal for an attack on Iranian nuclear facilities, US defence department officials have said. Israel sent warplanes and other aircraft to the eastern Mediterranean earlier this month for "large scale" exercises, a Pentagon official told the Associated Press news agency. A.. More

  • S Lanka clashes 'kill 26 rebels'

    The Sri Lankan military says 26 Tamil Tiger rebels and three soldiers have been killed in fighting in the north of the island. A defence ministry official said the latest fighting took place in the Jaffna, Mannar and Vavuniya regions. He said 17 soldiers had been wounded in the clashes. There has been no comment from the rebels about the fighting... More

  • MDC mulls Zimbabwe vote boycott

    Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change is considering whether it should withdraw its candidate from next week's presidential run-off election. Nathan Chamisa, MDC spokesman, said the party will decide on Monday if its leader Morgan Tsvangirai will run against incumbent Robert Mugabe on June 27. "Yes, we will be meeting on Monday.. More

  • EU treaty in danger, faced with Czech, British obstacles

    The European Union's long-awaited reform treaty appeared in danger Friday, threatened by Czech doubts and a sudden legal hurdle in Britain just a week after it was rejected outright in Ireland. EU leaders, in a two-hour summit in Brussels which they hoped would chart a course away from the looming political storm, could only agree to give Ireland at.. More

  • Thousands of Thai protesters clash with police

    Police held back thousands of protesters attempting Friday to punch through a cordon around Thailand's government offices, which demonstrators vowed to peacefully besiege until the prime minister resigns. One group of about 1,000 protesters managed to break through a line of around 200 police officers and descended upon Government House, but were stopped.. More

  • Tense Israeli-Hamas truce holds

    The Gaza Strip is quiet on the second day of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Palestinian group including the Hamas movement. The territory remained calm on Friday, a day after the Egyptian-mediated six-month truce took effect. Israeli tanks remain on the Gazan border, amid scepticism on both sides over whether the truce will last. Ehud Olmert,.. More

  • EU gives Ireland more treaty time but Czechs block progress

    EU leaders have agreed to postpone till October a decision on the bloc's Lisbon Treaty, rejected by Irish voters and further threatened by a eurosceptic Czech president, according to a draft deal Friday. But the document, prepared for a European Union summit in Brussels ending later Friday, sidestepped the issue of what exactly should be done by the.. More

  • Indonesia probes anti-graft body

    Indonesia's corruption watchdog has itself become embroiled in a bribery scandal with half of the top prosecutors in the attorney-general's department under investigation. Indonesia ranks as one of the world's most corrupt countries and the case has become a major embarrassment for the country's law enforcement efforts. The attorney-general's department.. More

  • Doubts remain as Israel-Hamas truce begins

    Israel and Hamas halted fighting in the Gaza Strip on Thursday but, with wider peace prospects hazy, both sides voiced doubt over how long the Egyptian- brokered ceasefire might hold. Just before the truce went into effect after dawn, an Israeli missile strike killed one Palestinian gunman and wounded another near the border fence with Israel in the.. More

  • Shell halts production at Nigerian oil field after attack

    Militants attacked Shell's main offshore oilfield in Nigeria on Thursday, forcing the Anglo-Dutch giant to shut down production and raising fears for the security of deepsea facilities in the region. "We shut down production at the Bonga oilfield following an attack by unknown militants this morning," Shell spokesman Precious Okolobo said. Bonga.. More

  • Mbeki meets Mugabe, Zimbabwe opposition chief ahead of run-off

    South African President Thabo Mbeki on Wednesday made fresh efforts to mediate in Zimbabwe's crisis ahead of next week's run-off, as global outrage grew over mounting violence in the country. Mbeki met Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe late Wednesday after holding talks with opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai earlier in the day, while UN chief Ban.. More

  • Uneasy Gaza truce comes into effect

    A truce between Israel and Palestinian armed groups in Gaza has come into effect, with both sides voicing doubts over how long the Egyptian-brokered ceasefire will hold. The six-month truce, which includes Hamas, began at 0600 (0300GMT) on Thursday, although violence in the Gaza Strip continued until the ceasefire came into effect. About 50 rockets.. More