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  • Bus bomb hits Baghdad

    At least six passengers have been killed as a bomb blew up a minibus leaving the predominantly Shia area of Bab al-Sharki in Baghdad. The explosion on Sunday took place as Iraq's security forces remained on high alert during the Shia mourning feast of Ashura. The blast came less than 24 hours after a US Black Hawk military helicopter crashed northeast.. More

  • Al-Sadr ends parliamentary boycott

    The political movement of Muqtada al-Sadr, a Shia leader, has said it will end a two-month boycott of parliament, signalling an easing of tensions with its Shia allies in the US-backed government. The Mahdi Army, a militia loyal to al-Sadr, has been identified by Washington as the biggest threat to security in Iraq. Nuri al-Maliki, the Shia prime.. More

  • Libya to lay off 400,000 workers

    The Libyan government plans to lay off 400,000 people, or more than a third of its workforce, the prime minister has said.The reforms aim to ease budget pressures and stimulate the private sector, Al-Baghdadi Ali al-Mahmoudi told the General People's Congress, the national parliament, on Saturday.Al-Mahmoudi said that the number of civil servants.. More

  • Abbas-Meshaal talks postponed

    A meeting scheduled between Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, and Khaled Meshaal, head of the ruling Hamas party, has been postponed, according to a senior Palestinian official. The two were to meet on Saturday in the Syrian capital Damascus. But the Palestinian official said "there will be no meeting today". "There are difficulties facing.. More

  • Europe tries to recover from severe weather

    Workers across Europe hauled away fallen trees and repaired power lines Friday after the deadliest storm to strike the continent in eight years killed at least 47 people and caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage. Trains started rolling again after a near-total shutdown during Thursday night's hurricane-force winds. Airports from London to.. More

  • Serbs voting for new parliament

    Serbs are going to the polls in the country's first general election since its union with Montenegro was dissolved last year. About 6.5m people can vote and the basic choice is between the hardline nationalists and parties that are more pro-European and pro-reform. One difficult issue that will face any incoming government will be that of the.. More

  • Helicopter crash kills 13 US troops

    Thirteen US troops have died after their helicopter crashed northeast of Baghdad, a military spokeswoman said. "A military helicopter went down in the afternoon today northeast of Baghdad with 13 troops on board," Josslyn L. Aberle, a US lieutenant colonel, said on Saturday evening. A separate military statement on Saturday said that all 13 people.. More

  • Ethiopian troops in Somalia ambush

    A convoy of Ethiopian troops has been ambushed in Mogadishu, the Somali capital, just hours after government troops repelled an attack on the president's palace.At least one bystander was killed in the fighting that erupted after unknown men attacked the military convoy with machineguns and rocket-propelled grenades on Saturday morning.The Ethiopian.. More

  • Abbas to meet Hamas leader in Syria

    Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president and head of the opposition Fatah party, is due to meet Khalid Meshaal, head of the ruling Hamas party in an attempt to end growing conflict between the two rival groups. The meeting comes after he had talks with Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president, in Damascus, the Syrian capital.Abbas and Meshaal are expected.. More

  • Al-Sadr aide' arrested in Baghdad

    Iraqi and US forces say they have seized a prominent follower of Moqtada al-Sadr, the Shia cleric, in Baghdad. The US military has described the man arrested on Friday as a "senior death squad" leader. The US did not name him but said he was linked to Abu Deraa, a fighter accused of running death squads and who is loyal to al-Sadr. Abdul-Mehdi.. More

  • Hezbollah to intensify protests

    Hassan Nasrallah, the Hezbollah leader, has promised to intensify the campaign to topple the Lebanese government with a "big" and "effective" action in the coming days.In an interview on Friday with al-Manar television, Nasrallah said Hezbollah and its allies would soon release a statement on what steps they will take.Nasrallah said: "I believe this.. More

  • Fighting erupts in Mogadishu

    Mortar attacks and heavy gunfire have been reported in Mogadishu, the Somali capital.Jame Ahmed, Al Jazeera's correspondent, quoted witnesses as saying that violent clashes have broken out around the presidential palace. Details of casualties, if any, were not immediately available.A government source said: "Eight mortar shells were fired at Villa.. More

  • Somali warlords hand over weapons

    One of Somalia's main warlords has surrendered his "battle wagons" to the interim government, while his militia has been merged into the army. Omar Finish handed over six vehicles mounted with anti-aircraft guns and some 80 fighters. He becomes the third warlord to lay down his arms this week. The warlords agreed to disarm last week - but as they.. More

  • Israel hands Abbas frozen funds

    Israel has transferred to the Palestinians $100m (77.2m euros, £50.7m) of tax revenues withheld since Hamas won elections last year. The money has been paid directly to the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, and not the Hamas-led government. It represents a sixth of the total collected on behalf of the Palestinian Authority since the election... More

  • Dubai fire investigation launched

    An investigation has begun into the cause of a fire at a skyscraper being built in Dubai, after at least two people died and dozens were injured. Trapped laborers tried to climb down the outside of the building and at least one fell to his death from near the top of the 37-storey building. Many of the workers were reportedly immigrants from South.. More