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  • Iraq Shia leaders sign truce deal

    Two of Iraq's most influential Shia leaders have signed a deal to try to end violence between their groups. Radical cleric Moqtada Sadr and Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, head of the Supreme Islamic Council of Iraq, have been locked in a bitter dispute for months. The leaders have agreed to try to end further bloodshed, foster a spirit of goodwill and form.. More

  • Bhutto amnesty signed by Musharraf

    Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's president, has signed an ordinance granting Benazir Bhutto, the former prime minister, amnesty from corruption charges, paving the way for a power-sharing deal between the two politicians. The 'reconciliation ordinance', grants an across-the-board indemnity for politicians active between 1988 and 1999. "President Musharraf.. More

  • US raid in Iraq kills 'civilians'

    At least 17 Iraqi civilians, including women and children, have been killed in a US air raid, Iraqi officials and witnesses say. US military officials have yet to respond to the claim, but issued a statement that it had killed 25 Shia fighters in clashes near the city of Baquba, in the same area as the alleged attack on the civilians. US helicopters.. More

  • Saudi to overhaul judicial system

    Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz, Saudi Arabia's king, has announced an overhaul of the country's judicial system, fulfilling a promise he made several months ago to reform the current heavily-criticized administration. The move includes the establishment of a supreme court as well as commercial, personal status and labor tribunals. Justice in Saudi Arabia.. More

  • Captive soldiers killed in Pakistan

    Three Pakistani soldiers held in a group of more than 200 captives by opposition fighters have been shot dead, officials say. The fighters, who captured the soldiers in Pakistan's South Waziristan province in August, had threatened on Wednesday to kill three soldiers each day to force an end to Pakistani military operations in the border region. "The.. More

  • Rescuers save 1,350 South African gold miners

    Rescue teams working to save 3,200 miners trapped deep underground in a South African gold mine brought 1,350 to the surface on Thursday morning, mine and union officials said. Mine owner Harmony Gold said the rescue operation was going smoothly and that a secondary lift was bringing up batches of miners stranded underground when the electricity cable.. More

  • Korean leaders issue peace call

    The leaders of North and South Korea have signed a joint declaration calling for a permanent peace deal on the Korean Peninsula. South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and his counterpart, Kim Jong-il, issued the declaration after three days of historic talks in Pyongyang. They called for international talks to discuss a treaty to replace the armistice.. More

  • Storm lashes central Vietnam

    Three people have been killed after a typhoon battered Vietnam's central coast with torrential rains and high winds, blowing off roofs and causing power blackouts in several villages. Typhoon Lekima, packing winds of more than 130kph, left 14 others injured and one person missing. Lekima made landfall in Ha Tinh and Quang Binh provinces late on Wednesday,.. More

  • Sudan pledges $300 million to Darfur

    Sudan's president has promised to pay $300 million in compensation to the country's war-torn Darfur region, tripling a previous pledge, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said on Wednesday. Carter told Reuters President Omar Hassan al-Bashir of Sudan had made the pledge during talks with him and other members of a visiting group of elder statesmen,.. More

  • Fresh wave of arrests in Myanmar

    Myanmar's military government has arrested more people under the cover of darkness just hours after the UN special envoy left the country. At least eight truckloads of people were taken from central Yangon, the biggest city and the centre of protests against military rule and economic hardship, early on Wednesday witnesses said. There was no word.. More

  • Musharraf names army successor

    Pakistan's president has named a successor as army chief and his government has announced a pardon for Benazir Bhutto, the former prime minister, to pave the way for General Pervez Musharraf's intended re-election. The moves come amid growing opposition to his attempts to be re-elected president on October 6. Lieutenant-General Ashfaq Pervez Kiani.. More

  • Shooting mars Gaza prisoner release

    Israeli security forces have opened fire on a crowd of Palestinians waiting for 29 prisoners freed by Israel to cross into the Gaza Strip. Shots were fired into the air when the crowd surged forward to greet the men at the Erez crossing "and when they didn't stop, they fired at their legs," an Israeli military spokeswoman said on Tuesday. Two people,.. More

  • Israel admits air strike on Syria

    Israel has confirmed that it carried out a strike on a Syrian military installation last month. Syria accused Israel at the time but Israeli officials refused to comment, and the Israeli military censor imposed a strict blackout on information. The censor's office has now allowed some details to be released. On Monday, Syrian President Bashar.. More

  • Blackwater involved in 195 Iraq shootings

    U.S. security contractor Blackwater was involved in at least 195 shooting incidents in Iraq since 2005, said a congressional report on Monday that also panned the State Department's oversight of the company. State Department contractor Blackwater, under investigation for the shooting deaths of 11 Iraqis on September 16, will answer questions about.. More

  • UN envoy presses Burmese generals

    UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari has met Burma's military leader to convey international concerns over the violent crackdown of pro-democracy protests. Mr Gambari held talks with General Than Shwe in the country's new remote capital, Naypidaw, officials said. At least 10 people were killed, and possibly many more, when security forces ended.. More