There are 17999 articles

  • US general upbeat on Iraq 'surge'

    The US military commander in Iraq says there are grounds for optimism over the latest security drive. Gen David Petraeus told the BBC that with two out of the five extra brigades now on the ground in Iraq, there had been fewer sectarian attacks. He said he would have an idea of the chance of success once all extra troops were deployed in the coming.. More

  • Egyptian MPs in protest walk-out

    More than 100 mainly Islamist lawmakers have walked out of Egypt's parliament in protest at constitutional changes they say will stifle opposition. The government says that the changes will deepen democracy and the rule of law in the country. But almost a quarter of the 454-member parliament say they are a way for the president to maintain control... More

  • Five US soliders killed in Iraq

    At least US soldiers have been killed in Iraq including four in a single incident, the US military has said. A roadside bomb killed four soldiers on Saturday while they were on patrol in western Baghdad, the military said in a statement on Sunday. Small arms fire followed the blast, wounding another soldier. The attack occurred as the soldiers were.. More

  • Muslim children killed in Thailand

    Three young Thai Muslims have been killed and seven wounded during an attack by an unidentified armed men at an Islamic school in the south of the country, police said. Explosives were hurled and shots fired at the Bamrungsart Pohnor school, a boarding school in Songkhla province late on Saturday, said colonel Thammasak Wasaksiri. Attackers fired.. More

  • Opec 'will meet if crude prices drop'

    Opec would hold an "emergency meeting" if oil prices were to fall, Iran's oil minister was quoted as saying in comments published yesterday, speaking after the group's March 15 meeting in Vienna."If oil prices in international markets go down, certainly Opec will make new decisions by holding an emergency meeting," Oil Minister Kazem Vaziri-Hamaneh.. More

  • Pakistan police and lawyers clash

    Police in Pakistan have fired teargas and used batons to disperse hundreds of lawyers in Lahore rallying against the suspension of the country's top judge. Lawyers said more than two dozen people were injured in the north-eastern city. Last week's removal of Supreme Court Judge Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry for abuse of office has sparked protests.. More

  • Iran condemns UN draft sanctions

    Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has vowed to continue his country's nuclear program, as the UN stepped up pressure over the controversial work. The UN Security Council has drafted a new sanctions package against Iran over its refusal to stop enriching uranium. The package includes an arms embargo and economic penalties, tightening sanctions.. More

  • Iraqis killed by chlorine bombs

    Three chlorine gas attacks in Iraq are reported to have killed eight people and left hundreds injured, including six US troops. Two of the attacks were near the city of Falluja, the third near Ramadi, west of Baghdad. Both areas are hotbeds of al-Qaeda militants. Chlorine gas can cause severe burns to the throat and lungs and can kill after only.. More

  • Palestinian PM unveils unity team

    Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya has unveiled a national unity cabinet after months of negotiations between his Hamas movement and Fatah. The key posts of finance, interior and foreign ministers will go to men who are not members of Hamas or Fatah. The list will be submitted to parliament on Saturday for approval. Israeli officials have.. More

  • Four US troops killed in Baghdad

    Four US soldiers have been killed by a roadside bomb that exploded near their vehicle in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, the US military has said. Two other soldiers were injured in the blast, which happened in an eastern area of the city. The convoy was returning from search operations when the blast took place, the military said. Earlier, at least.. More

  • UN probes Lebanon-Israel border row

    Israel has accused Hezbollah of smuggling arms across the Lebanese-Syrian border, while Beirut accuses Tel Aviv of violating Lebanese airspace with surveillance flights. The allegations are expected to be included in a report by Ban Ki-Moon, the UN secretary general, due for discussion by the Security Council on March 27.Ban has criticizd Israel and.. More

  • Maoist rebels kill 50 police in India

    Maoist rebels in central India have killed 50 policemen in one of their worst ever attacks in decades of insurgency, officials said Thursday. A large group of rebels hurled grenades, petrol bombs and fired indiscriminately at a jungle security post in Rani Bodli village in Chhattisgarh state, one of several parts of the country in the grip of a left-wing.. More

  • UN breakthrough on Iran sanctions

    Diplomats at the UN have reached agreement in principle on a package of new sanctions against Iran, following its refusal to stop enriching uranium. The draft resolution is expected to be presented to the Security Council for discussion on Thursday. The sanctions may include a ban on the export of arms from Iran, and a freeze on the assets of key.. More

  • 12 die in India mob violence

    Police opened fire yesterday on a mob protesting the planned building of a Special Economic Zone in eastern India, killing 12 and injuring more than 50. "We are keeping a watch on developments and the situation is under control," Raj Kanojia, police chief of eastern West Bengal state said. The violence was the latest in a series of nationwide protests,.. More

  • Date set for unity government vote

    The Palestinian parliament is to vote on Saturday on the formation of a unity government bringing together members of the rival Fatah and Hamas political factions.Nabil Abu Rudeina, a spokesman for Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, said: "The government is now ready and its composition will be announced on Thursday morning."On Saturday the government.. More