There are 17997 articles

  • At least 14 Iraqis killed by US air raid

    A US air raid on a Baghdad neighbourhood has killed 14 people and destroyed several houses, according to Iraq's interior minister and police sources. The attack came at about 3am on Thursday (23:00GMT on Wednesday) in the Washash neighbourhood, a stronghold of the Shia al-Mahdi Army, in the capital's western Mansour district, officials said. At least.. More

  • Musharraf faces new legal challenge

    Pakistan's Supreme Court began hearing legal challenges to President Pervez Musharraf's rule yesterday, adding to the woes he faces as he prepares to secure another term. Court yesterday told Musharraf to name the date when his presidential term ends. Musharraf, who is also army chief, hopes to get re-elected by the national and provincial assemblies.. More

  • Russia to sell arms to Indonesia

    The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, is in Indonesia to sign a deal giving his host nation a state loan of $1bn (£495m) to buy Russian arms. Putin will hold several meetings with his Indonesian counterpart, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, to strengthen military and economic co-operation. More than 100 business leaders have travelled with Putin. Corresponde.. More

  • Iraqi PM urges action on weapons

    Iraqi PM Nouri Maliki has called for weapons to be removed from Iraq's holy cities, after fighting in Karbala last week left more than 50 people dead. Speaking after meeting the country's most prominent Shia cleric in Najaf, Mr Maliki proposed placing the cities under the protection of the Iraqi army. Mr Maliki and Ayatollah Ali Sistani also discussed.. More

  • Deadly clashes hit Somali capital

    At least six people have been killed and many wounded in fighting between government troops and fighters in the Somali capital of Mogadishu. The gun battles began early Wednesday morning, locking residents inside their homes. "Two men were killed, one was a waiter and the other was the brother of a restaurant owner," said Hamdi Ahmed Ali, a.. More

  • Germany says bomb plot foiled

    German security services arrested three Muslim activists on Tuesday and foiled a plan to carry out "massive bomb attacks" against US installations in Germany, officials say. Monika Harms, federal prosecutor, said on Wednesday in Karlsruhe that the men, two German nationals and one Turk, had been on the verge of launching their attacks after acquiring.. More

  • UN chief visits troubled Darfur

    Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is visiting Sudan's western Darfur region, where a four-year conflict has claimed 200,000 lives and displaced millions. Mr Ban, who will visit a refugee camp, has said the priority of his trip is to get a 26,000-strong UN and African Union peacekeeping force into position. The new troops are not due to arrive until.. More

  • Australia 'still committed to Iraq'

    Australia remains committed to maintaining its military presence in Iraq, the country's prime minister has said. Speaking after talks in Sydney with the visiting US president, John Howard said decisions on keeping Australian troops in Iraq would not be "based on any calendar but on conditions on the ground". "Our commitment to Iraq remains," said.. More

  • Riyadh asks Sharif not to return

    Saudi Arabia has asked Pakistan's exiled ex-PM Nawaz Sharif not to return to the country, citing a commitment he made in 2001, local media say. Mr Sharif's government was overthrown in a military coup in 1999, and he was exiled to Saudi Arabia in 2001. He has announced his plans to return home on 10 September to challenge President Pervez Musharraf... More

  • Felix slams into Central America

    Hurricane Felix hit Nicaragua's north coast as a category five storm, the highest level, but has weakened to a category three as it moves over land. Despite losing strength, the storm is still battering coastal areas with winds of 120mph (195km/h), bringing with it the threat of major flooding. Thousands have fled the area, but many indigenous people.. More

  • Taliban kidnapper 'dies in clash'

    One of the Taliban fighters who masterminded the kidnapping of 23 South Koreans in July has been killed, Afghan officials say. The police chief in Ghazni province said that Mullah Mateen was one of a number of Taliban killed in fighting against Afghan and foreign troops. The Taliban say that the dead men were all civilians. Twenty-one of the.. More

  • Deaths as bombings rock Pakistan

    Two successive bomb blasts have rocked the Pakistani garrison city of Rawalpindi, killing up to 24 people and wounding 66 others, police and military spokesmen have said. The first blast on Tuesday happened on a bus carrying government workers, killing at least 15 people. A motorcycle bomb exploded minutes later, killing several others. Military and.. More

  • Rafsanjani to lead key Iran body

    Former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has been elected speaker of a powerful clerical body responsible for supervising Iran's Supreme Leader. The Assembly of Experts has the power to dismiss the Islamic state's highest authority, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Mr Rafsanjani will succeed Ayatollah Ali Meshkini, who died in July. Correspondents.. More

  • Maliki hopes report positive

    Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki said yesterday there have been positive developments in the country in the past months and he expects they will be reflected in a report to Congress this month by the US ambassador and top military commander. Al Maliki also told reporters that a new law easing the ban on former members of Saddam Hussein's party will.. More

  • Bush in surprise Iraq visit

    George Bush, the US president, has arrived at Al-Asad air base in western Iraq on an unannounced visit. White House officials said he was accompanied on the trip on Monday by Condoleezza Rice, the secretary of state, and Stephen Hadley, the national security adviser. Waiting for him at the base was Robert Gates, the defense secretary; General.. More