There are 17997 articles

  • China's Hu wraps up Japan tour

    Chinese President Hu Jintao will Saturday visit the sights of Japan's ancient capital of Nara, wrapping up his five-day tour aimed at mending strained ties. On the final day of his trip, only the second visit ever by a Chinese head of state to the country, Hu is due to visit the Toshodaiji Temple, a revered Buddhist temple built by Chinese monk Ganjin.. More

  • Myanmar puts vote before aid effort

    Voting has begun in Myanmar in a controversial referendum pushed by the government despite international appeals for the ruling military to focus on recovery efforts after last weekend's devastating cyclone. The referendum got under way on Saturday in much of the north and far south of the country, although in the areas hardest hit by Cyclone.. More

  • Hezbollah routs pro-government gunmen; controls Beirut

    Lebanon's Iranian-backed Hezbollah took control of the Muslim part of Beirut on Friday, tightening its grip on the city in a major blow to the U.S.-backed government. Security sources said at least 11 people had been killed and 30 wounded in three days of battles between pro-government gunmen and fighters loyal to Hezbollah, a Shi'ite political movement.. More

  • Held man 'not al-Qaeda's Iraq boss'

    The US military has denied that a man arrestedin Iraq isAbu Hamza al-Muhajir, Al-Qaeda chief in Iraq, who carries a US bounty of five million dollars. State television Al-Iraqiya reported on Thursday that a man calling himself as al-Muhajir was captured by Iraqi forces in the northern province of Nineveh. But major Peggy Kageleiry, a US.. More

  • Myanmar says 'not ready' for foreign aid workers

    Myanmar said Friday it was not ready to let in foreign aid workers, rejecting international pressure to allow experts into the isolated nation where disease and starvation are stalking cyclone survivors. One week after the devastating storm killed tens of thousands, Myanmar's ruling generals -- deeply suspicious of the outside world -- said.. More

  • Anger grows over Myanmar aid block

    Myanmar's refusal to grant visas to foreign aid teams is "unprecedented in modern humanitarian relief efforts", a UN official has said, underscoring mounting frustration over the military governments' response to the cyclone crisis. Paul Risley, a spokesman for the UN World Food Programme in Bangkok, said the organisation had submitted.. More

  • Al-Qaeda Iraq leader claimed arrested

    The leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, has been arrested, according to media reports quoting the country's defence ministry. Al-Masri, also known as Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, was detained in the northern city of Mosul, reports said. The US military in Iraq said it was so far unable to confirm the reports. The Egyptian-born.. More

  • Lebanon teeters on edge of civil war

    Sectarian fighting rocked the Lebanese capital for a third day on Friday as the country teetered on the brink of a new civil war, prompting urgent appeals for calm from the international community. Sporadic gunfire and the thump of exploding rocket-propelled grenades could be heard through the night in various parts of west Beirut, where the.. More

  • UN aid flights to Burma under way

    The UN says its first aid flight has now arrived in Burma, bringing much needed relief to up to one million people made homeless by Cyclone Nargis. The flights had been delayed because of Burma's reluctance to accept help, causing growing international concern. The US says it has not yet been given permission to fly aid into Burma.. More

  • Putin becomes PM in leadership 'tandem'

    Vladimir Putin will retain a "key role" in Russia for years as prime minister, new President Dmitry Medvedev said Thursday, as the two men opened an unprecedented era of dual rule. Putin was confirmed as prime minister by 392 of the 448 deputies at an extraordinary session of the lower house of parliament, the State Duma, one day after Medvedev.. More

  • Violence in Lebanon escalates

    Lebanon's Hezbollah-led opposition supporters have clashed with those backing the government for a second day in Beirut as the confrontation spilled over to other parts of the country. Army and riot police manned checkpoints and blocked several roads while many schools and businesses in the capital remained shut on Thursday. Tensions.. More

  • Gun battles erupt in Sadr City

    Fresh gun battles between Shia fighters and US forces in Baghdad's Sadr City have killed seven people and wounded 20 others, security and medical officials have said. A security official said the clashes erupted before midnight and continued until Thursday morning. A medic at Al-Sadr hospital, one of the main medical facilities in the impoverished.. More

  • Pakistan tests nuclear-capable cruise missile

    Pakistan successfully tested a nuclear-capable, air-launched cruise missile with a range of 350 km (220 miles) on Thursday, the military said, a day after India tested a long-range missile. The Hatf-VIII (Ra'ad) missile had been developed exclusively for launch from aircraft, a military statement said. "It has enabled Pakistan to achieve a greater.. More

  • Bush extends Syria sanctions

    George Bush, the US president, has said he is extending sanctions against Syria following Washington's charge that Damascus has been building a nuclear reactor with North Korea's help. Bush announced his decision on Wednesday to continue a one-year freeze on Syrian assets as well as a ban on exporting certain goods to Syria. "I took these actions.. More

  • Myanmar survivors emerge desperate for help

    Thousands of shell-shocked survivors of the Myanmar cyclone emerged Wednesday, desperate for food and water after trekking for days through flood waters littered with the bodies of the dead. An AFP reporter who reached the remote southern delta hardest hit by the storm, which left more than 60,000 dead or missing, said there was virtually no food.. More