There are 17997 articles

  • Korean hostage release 'imminent'

    South Korea has said it expects the imminent release of seven Koreans held by the Taliban in Afghanistan, a day after 12 of their fellow captives were freed. Chon Ho-seon, a spokesman for the president, said on Thursday: "We anticipate that the remaining seven will be released this afternoon." "We are working to bring them back into the arms of their.. More

  • Iran warns against new UN sanctions

    A senior Iranian envoy has warned the US and its allies against pushing for new UN Security Council sanctions against his country, suggesting Tehran could retaliate by ending its co-operation with UN inspectors probing its nuclear programme. "Any action by the UN Security Council will deteriorate the situation," Ali-Ashgar Soltanieh, Tehran's chief.. More

  • Karbala under curfew after clashes

    Nuri al-Maliki, Iraq's prime minister, has ordered an indefinite curfew in Karbala, Iraqi state TV says, a day after fighting left at least 52 people dead during an annual Shia pilgrimage. Shortly after the curfew was imposed on Wednesday, Muqtada al-Sadr, a Shia leader, ordered a six-month suspension in operations of his al-Mahdi army militia. "We.. More

  • Gul sworn in as Turkish president

    Abdullah Gul, the current foreign minister, has been formally sworn in as Turkey's president. He is the first former Islamist to win the post in Turkey's modern history. In contrast to past inaugurations, army chiefs, some of the secular establishment and the main opposition Republican People's party stayed away from the ceremony on Tuesday. Gul's.. More

  • Detained Iranians freed in Iraq

    US forces have released seven Iranians hours after arresting them at a central Baghdad hotel, Iraq's state television said. Radio Sawa, a US-financed Arabic language station, and Iran's official IRNA news agency said the delegation was in Baghdad to negotiate contracts on electric power stations with the Iraqi government. The Associated Press filmed.. More

  • Olmert hosts Abbas in fresh talks

    The Israeli and Palestinian leaders have held talks in Jerusalem, the latest in a series to bolster Mahmoud Abbas's Palestinian government. The meetings were at Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office, involving teams of negotiators before one-on-one talks. The leaders did not issue statements after the talks, meant to pave the way for an international.. More

  • Taliban hostage talks 'successful'

    The Taliban is due to release 19 South Korean hostages it has been holding for more than a month in Afghanistan, South Korea's presidential spokesman said. The announcement on Tuesday followed the resumption of negotiations which had been on hold for two weeks. The South Korean statement read: "The Taliban agreed to free the 19 South Korean hostages.. More

  • Iran agrees to reveal nuclear info

    Iran on Monday offered some cooperation with an International Atomic Energy Agency probe of an alleged secret uranium processing project linked by U.S. intelligence to a nuclear arms program. The Iranian pledge was contained in a memorandum reached between Iran and the IAEA and published on the agency's Web site at the request of Tehran's mission.. More

  • Captured Pakistani soldiers freed

    Pro-Taliban fighters in northwest Pakistan have released 18 soldiers and a government official, officials said. Sixteen Pakistani soldiers were captured from the South Waziristan tribal district on August 9. Videotape entitled "revenge" was later circulated showing a teenaged boy cutting off the head of one of the soldiers. Another four security officials,.. More

  • US Attorney General Gonzales resigns

    US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales resigned yesterday under pressure after months of controversy and political turmoil that President George W Bush angrily blamed on his administration's critics in Congress.Bush, who supported Gonzales during repeated confrontations with the Democratic-controlled Congress, said Gonzales had endured "months of unfair.. More

  • Afghan opium crop 'at record high'

    Afghanistan's production of poppies is expected to hit a record high this year and will produce nearly all of the world's opium, a United Nations report is expected to reveal. The report is also expected to criticize the international community and the Afghan government for failing to tackle the country's drug problem. It will be the sixth consecutive.. More

  • Iraqi leaders sign unity accord

    Iraqi Shia, Sunni and Kurdish leaders have signed a reconciliation deal, Prime Minister Nouri Maliki says. The accord was the second step towards rebuilding Iraq's political process, Mr Maliki said, after four Kurdish and Shia parties formed a new alliance. A committee formed by the parties had "accomplished some solutions", he said. Mr Maliki.. More

  • Turkish army issues new warning

    Turkey's powerful armed forces chief has warned that "centers of evil" are trying to undermine the secular state. Gen Yasar Buyukanit did not name those who were "trying to corrode the secular nature of the Turkish Republic". His statement comes a day before MPs are expected to elect Abdullah Gul, a former Islamist, as president. His candidacy remains.. More

  • Nuri Al-Maliki must go say critics

    US and French politicians have called for Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki to be replaced inviting serious criticism from the latter saying these politicans had not experienced in their political lives the kind of differences he faced in Iraq.Meanwhile, top US politicians redoubled pressure yesterday on President George W Bush to force Maliki into.. More

  • British troops withdraw from Basra base

    British forces have withdrawn from a base in Basra they shared with Iraqi police - the first step in a plan to move out all troops based in the city. Another 500 troops will now pull back from Saddam Hussein's former palace, their only remaining base in the city. In future, British forces will be based at an air station just outside Basra. The.. More