There are 17999 articles

  • Jakarta floods: 200,000 homeless

    Floods that have crippled much of Indonesia's capital and killed at least 20 people have worsened, inundating scores of districts and leaving about 200,000 homeless. Overnight rains caused more rivers to burst their banks across Jakarta on Sunday, sending muddy water up to three metres deep into the city of 12 million people. Sihar Simanjuntak, an.. More

  • Nigeria bird flu death confirmed

    Nigeria's first human fatality from bird flu has been confirmed by the World Health Organisation. Tests in London confirmed that a 22-year-old woman who died on 17 January was infected with the deadly H5N1 strain. Nigeria reported several human cases last Wednesday and says measures are being taken to prevent a further spread among humans. More.. More

  • Factions clash despite Gaza truce

    Sporadic gun battles are continuing in Gaza between the rival Hamas and Fatah factions, despite a renewed truce. Clashes have broken out in two areas of Gaza City although reports say the fighting has been intermittent. Twenty-two people were killed and at least 200 wounded in 24 hours before the truce was revived on Friday. In Washington, the.. More

  • Hunt for Florida tornado victims

    Rescuers in Florida are searching for survivors after severe storms and a tornado left at least 19 people dead in the southern US state. "Our priority today is search and rescue," state Governor Charlie Crist said, after declaring the state of emergency in four affected counties. There are fears that the death toll will rise further. The storms.. More

  • Chinese leader boosts Sudan ties

    Chinese President Hu Jintao has agreed on a series of economic deals in Sudan, which China has protected from UN sanctions over the Darfur conflict. China announced an interest-free loan to build a new presidential palace, and said it would build two schools. China already buys most of Sudan's oil. Mr Hu called for "dialogue" to find a peaceful.. More

  • US helicopter 'shot down' in Iraq

    A helicopter has gone down north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad killing two US troops, the US military has confirmed. The US did not say what caused the crash but witnesses said the helicopter was shot down, near a US air base at Taji, shortly after dawn. Another helicopter was hit by gunfire but managed to fly away, they said. Last month, 12.. More

  • Kosovo 'should split from Serbia'

    Kosovo will be allowed to separate from Serbia and use its own national symbols under proposals to end its limbo status drawn up by the UN's special envoy. Martti Ahtisaari's plan does not mention the word "independence", but that is virtually what is on offer, Western diplomats told the BBC. Mr Ahtisaari will present his plan in Serbia later on.. More

  • US warns Iran on Iraq fighters

    The US has issued the latest in a series of warnings to Iran, telling Tehran to stop helping Iraqi militants make lethal bombs to attack US troops. Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns said US forces had detained several Iranians suspected of providing weapons technology to Shia fighters. He said Iranian help for fighters had spread from Basra.. More

  • Factional fighting flares in Gaza

    Thirteen Palestinians have been killed and 170 wounded in fighting over the last 24 hours between warring factions of Fatah and Hamas throughout the Gaza Strip.Seven were reported dead on Friday, including an intelligence chief and two officers loyal to Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president and Fatah leader. Six Palestinians, including four.. More

  • Hamas slams US package

    Hamas yesterday slammed a multi-million dollar US aid package to bolster security forces loyal to its rival Fatah, as the two Palestinian factions consolidated a two-day-old truce by releasing hostages. "There is no doubt that this is part of American policy aimed at provoking an escalation and a civil war in the service of a Zionist plan," said Ismail.. More

  • May Iraqis killed in Baghdad attacks

    At least 14 people have been killed in a series of car bombings and mortar attacks across Baghdad as a regional conference to discuss security in Iraq was announced. The most deadly attack came when at least nine mortar shells hit a mainly Sunni area in northern Baghdad, killing six people and wounding 20, police and hospital officials said. The shells.. More

  • Israeli troops kill two Palestinians in Nablus

    Israeli troops have shot dead two Palestinians in the town of Nablus in the West Bank. Local residents said the two men belonged to the military wing of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, which claimed it helped carry out Monday's suicide bombing in the Israeli city of Eilat. "A force identified two gunmen and fired at them during an operation in Nablus,".. More

  • Israel PM testifies over Lebanon war

    Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister, has appeared before a commission probing the inconclusive war on Hezbollah in Lebanon. The testimony on Thursday comes amid a string of scandals that have left his coalition teetering. The beleaguered Olmert became the last in a string of about 70 senior political and military officials to testify before the.. More

  • Germany issues CIA arrest orders

    Germany has ordered the arrest of 13 suspected CIA agents over the alleged kidnapping of one of its citizens. Munich prosecutors confirmed that the warrants were linked to the case of Khaled al-Masri, a German national of Lebanese descent. Mr Masri says he was seized in Macedonia, flown to a secret prison in Afghanistan and mistreated there. He.. More

  • Ex-warlord voted Somali speaker

    Somalia's parliament has elected ex-warlord Sheikh Adan Mohamed Nur as its new speaker - one of the three top positions in the interim government. Mr Nur, a close ally of President Abdullahi Yusuf, replaces Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan - sacked two weeks ago. He was removed for having unauthorized talks with the Islamists, who ruled much of Somalia.. More