There are 17999 articles

  • No progress in Abbas-Olmert talks

    Talks between the Israeli prime minister and Palestinian president have made little progress towards peace. Ehud Olmert and Mahmoud Abbas met at Olmert's official residence in Jerusalem on Sunday, but "the meeting was very frank and very difficult," Muhammad Dahlan, a senior Abbas aide who attended part of the 2-1/2 hour session, said. "Many issues.. More

  • Counting starts in Mauritania polls

    Mauritanians have voted to choose a president and restore civilian rule after 19 months under the rule of a military junta. About 1.1. million people were eligible to vote in Sunday's election, and had a field of 19 candidates to choose from. The two favourites were neck and neck after 26 per cent of the votes had been counted on Monday. Sidi Ould.. More

  • Dubai airport shut after accident

    Dubai international airport could be closed for up to eight hours after 14 people were slightly injured in an aircraft accident, officials say. The details of the accident were not clear, but it involved a Biman Bangladesh Airlines aeroplane carrying 236 passengers and crew. Flight BG006 from Dubai to Dhaka "had a minor accident during take-off,".. More

  • Twin bombings hit Iraqi capital

    Two bomb attacks in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, have killed at least 40 people, police said. At least 30 people died in the Karrada district when a car bomb exploded near a truck carrying Shia pilgrims. In a separate incident, a suicide bomber blew himself up on a minibus in eastern Baghdad, killing 10 people. The latest violence comes a day.. More

  • Taleban try bartering for captive

    A Taleban commander has called for the withdrawal of Italian troops from Afghanistan in exchange for the release of an Italian journalist. On Friday, Taleban insurgents said they would free Daniele Mastrogiacomo of the newspaper La Repubblica if he could prove he was not a spy. But on Saturday, a Taleban spokesmen said the man's life was now at.. More

  • Hamas fighter shot dead in Gaza

    A commander of Palestinian militant group Hamas has been killed during a gun battle with rival faction Fatah in the northern Gaza Strip. It is the first such fatality since a Saudi-mediated ceasefire between the groups was signed a month ago. The man was killed in the town of Beit Hanoun after a shoot-out between the two factions. Each side blamed.. More

  • Unity cabinet next week, says Haniya

    Ismail Haniya, Palestinian prime minister, has said a unity government will be announced in the next few days and a cofidence vote sought in parliament next Saturday. Hamas and Fatah agreed in Saudi Arabia a month ago to forge a joint coalition cabinet, a move that ended weeks of factional fighting. "We will announce the government on Wednesday or.. More

  • Fresh Afghan violence claims 11 lives

    Separate Taliban attacks in eastern Afghanistan yesterday killed 11 people, including four Afghans working for the US military and two civilians, officials said. An exchange of fire between Taliban fighters and police in Ghazni province left four of the rebels, two civilians and a policeman dead, officials said. The civilians were killed in the crossfire,.. More

  • Mauritania votes in landmark poll

    Mauritanians are voting in the first presidential elections since a military coup two years ago. With no clear favourite among the 19 candidates, including former ministers, a run-off looks likely. Mauritania is home to a number of different racial groups and many people are likely to vote along ethnic lines. The army leader, who is stepping.. More

  • Final Kosovo talks end deadlocked

    A final round of talks between top Serbian and ethnic Albanian leaders on the future of Kosovo has ended without agreement in Vienna. United Nations special envoy and chairman of the negotiations Martti Ahtisaari said the potential for negotiations had been exhausted. He plans to present his ideas to the UN Security Council later this month. The.. More

  • Iraq hosts key security meeting

    Iraq's prime minister has appealed to neighboring states to co-operate in tackling the insurgency which has left tens of thousands dead since 2003. Addressing an international meeting in Baghdad, he did not name any particular country. But the US accuses both Iran and Syria of stoking the violence. The talks bring envoys from all three together.. More

  • Captured Iraqi not al-Baghdadi

    Iraqi forces have captured the leader of an al-Qaeda linked group, but he is not Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, the head of the Islamic State of Iraq, as previously reported.Iraqi officials said on Saturday that investigations had proven the man captured in a raid on Friday was not al-Baghdadi but was "a senior al-Qaeda leader"."We captured a figure who was.. More

  • Israeli PM 'war planned in advance'

    An interim report into Israel's conduct of the war in Lebanon is unlikely to single out individuals for criticism despite the prime minister reportedly saying that the military was following a plan prepared months in advance. Israel's Channel Two television said the report will deal with the events leading up to the decision to go to war.It is due.. More

  • Guantanamo to hold key hearings

    The alleged mastermind of the 11 September attacks on the US and 13 other terror suspects are set to face hearings at the US Guantanamo Bay camp. The closed-door sessions will decide whether Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and the others can be deemed enemy combatants and therefore face military trials. They were transferred to Guantanamo after years in.. More

  • Bush greeted by clashes in Brazil

    Clashes broke out in Brazil's largest city as US President Bush arrived at the start of a six-day regional tour. At least 20 people were injured in clashes with riot police in Sao Paulo after thousands turned out to protest against George W Bush's visit. The US leader is due to meet Brazil's Luis Inacio Lula da Silva to sign an ethanol energy.. More