There are 17997 articles

  • Pakistan Taliban in peace overture

    Pro-Taliban fighters in Pakistan say they are ready for peace talks with the country's new government. Baitullah Mehsud, a pro-Taliban commander, was quoted by a spokesman on Sunday as calling for negotiations with the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), headed by Asif Ali Zardari, and the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N), led by Nawaz Sharif. Maulvi Omar,.. More

  • Raul Castro named Cuban president

    Raul Castro has been named the new president of Cuba by the country's national assembly, succeeding Fidel Castro, his ailing brother. Raul, 76, who has led a caretaker administration since Fidel suffered ill health 19 months ago, was selected in a meeting of the 614-member assembly on Sunday. The Cuban parliament gave Raul permission to consult Fidel.. More

  • Serbia back on Kosova offensive, with Russian help

    Serbia was back on the offensive over Kosovo's independence on Sunday, blaming the United States for crisis in the Balkans while its ally Russia accused the Americans of destroying "world order." Three days after young rioters in Belgrade embarrassed the country by attacking Western embassies and looting shops, Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica.. More

  • Deadly blasts target Iraqi pilgrims

    At least 40 people have been killed in a suicide blast in Iskandariya, a town located 50km south of Baghdad, the Iraqi capital. The deaths occurred on Sunday when a bomber blew himself up in the middle of a crowd of Shia pilgrims on their way to the city of Karbala. Karim al-Tamim, a police lieutenant from Babil province, where Iskandariya is located,.. More

  • Pakistan coalition may woo Musharraf allies

    The party of Pakistan's slain former premier Benazir Bhutto said Sunday it may woo President Pervez Musharraf's allies to join a coalition government that could drive the former general from power. The Pakistan People's Party (PPP), which won the most seats in last week's election and has teamed up with the party of ex-premier Nawaz Sharif, say they.. More

  • Iraq warns Turkey over incursion

    Iraq's foreign minister has warned that any escalation of Turkey's operation against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq could destabilise the region. Hoshyar Zebari said the "limited" raid into a remote, uninhabited area should end "as soon as possible." And the Kurdish regional leader said a "massive resistance" would be mounted if civilians were.. More

  • Ugandans reach ceasefire deal

    Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and government have signed a truce deal in an important step towards a final peace settlement expected to be signed next week. After talks in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, the parties on Saturday signed the "permanent ceasefire" agreement aimed at ending the two-decade-long conflict. The LRA's revolt against.. More

  • Turkey steps up Iraq offensive

    Turkish troops have intensified their offensive against Kurdish PKK fighters in northern Iraq, two days after they mounted what Turkey's allies hope will be a limited campaign. On Saturday, Turkish troops claimed to have killed 35 PKK fighters. But the separatist PKK fighters contested the Turkish claim, saying only two of its members had been killed... More

  • Iran hails IAEA report

    Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, has called on the US and its allies to "apologize" to Iran for accusing it of seeking nuclear weapons, a day after the UN nuclear watchdog released its latest report on Iran's atomic program. Ahmadinejad said on Saturday the report by the International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA) vindicated Iran and warned.. More

  • Serbia vows to hunt Kosovo rioters

    Serbia has said it is hunting for participants in the Belgrade riots that targeted the US and other embassies, as protests over Kosovo's independence continue into their sixth day. Pieter Feith, the European Union's envoy in Kosovo, appealed to Serbs for co-operation on Saturday, as Serb demonstrators gathered in the Kosovo town of Mitrovica. UN police.. More

  • Turkish ground troops enter Iraq

    Turkey's military has sent 10,000 soldier into northern Iraq in a land offensive against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) fighters based there. The military said its forces launched the cross-border land offensive backed by fighter jets on Thursday night. The PKK says it is fighting for Kurdish self-rule in southern Turkey. The ground operation.. More

  • IAEA: Iran co-operation not enough

    A new report by the UN nuclear watchdog says Iran has shown new openness about nuclear advances which had earlier been off-limits to UN monitors, but not enough to prove it was not making bombs. In response, Washington said on Friday that it had "no confidence" in Iran's intentions and that it would pursue further UN sanctions against Tehran. Six.. More

  • West warns Serbia over Kosovo riots

    Western officials have called on Serbia to do more to protect diplomatic offices in Belgrade, after overnight rioting, which left at least one person dead, damaged a number of embassies. Boris Tadic, the Serb president, called an emergency meeting of the national security council on Friday, saying such riots must "never happen again". He said in.. More

  • Pakistan parties to form coalition

    Nawaz Sharif, the former Pakistani prime minister, has said that his party will form a new coalition government and work with the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) of Benazir Bhutto. The announcement on Thursday came after the PPP and Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-N party were overwhelmingly victorious in Monday's parliamentary polls. Sharif said: "We.. More

  • W Bank building 'bias' condemned

    Israel passed fewer than 6% of building requests by Palestinians in the occupied West Bank in 2000-07, an Israeli anti-settlement group says. Peace Now says 91 permits were granted from 1,624 requests, in contrast to the 18,472 homes built for Jewish settlers. The group says the data show "clear discrimination" against Palestinians in West Bank.. More