There are 17999 articles

  • Muslim veil row hits Britain

    Jack Straw, a senior British politician, has said Muslim women who wear face veils make community relations "difficult", prompting criticism from Islamic groups. Straw, the leader of the lower house ofthe British parliament, said on Friday that the faceveil was "a visible statement of separation and difference" and that he felt more comfortable dealing.. More

  • Haniya brushes off Rice visit

    The Palestinian prime minister hasbrushed offthe visit to the region by Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, saying she is serving an American and Israeli agenda. Rice is in the Middle East partly to support Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, in his struggle with Hamas over plans to form a unity government. Ismail Haniya responded to.. More

  • US warns North Korea over nuclear test

    Washington hasgivenwarning toPyongyang directly of international repercussions if it proceeds with a nuclear test, according to asenior US diplomat. Christopher Hill, assistant secretary of state and the US envoy to nuclear talks with North Korea, said in Washington DC on Wednesday that Pyongyang was contacted throughits UN mission in New York. A.. More

  • IRA no security threat, says Britain

    The IRA has "changed radically" according to the body in charge of verifying paramilitary activity in Northern Ireland. The Independent Monitoring Commission has published a positive assessment of the IRA's commitment made last year to end decades of violence. Presenting the report, Commissioner Lord Alderdice outlined how the IRA leadership was "clamping.. More

  • Russia Keeps up Pressure on Georgia

    Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, has posted a strong warning to neighboring Georgia against threatening his country. Addressing the members of Russian parliament on Tuesday, before the adoption of a motion condemning Georgia's leadership, President Putin saidthat no country should get away with threatening Russia. "I would not allow anyone.. More

  • Orange Revolution Party Squeezed out

    The political party of Ukraine's pro-Western president has announced that it will fight in opposition to the new pro-Russian government and will ask for its ministers to be removed from the cabinet. The announcement came after months of negotiations over forming a coalition between the government of Victor Yanukovych, the prime minister, and the.. More

  • Abbas Rules out Coalition with Hamas

    The Palestinian presidentsays his agreement with the ruling Hamas group on forming a unity government is off. Mahmoud Abbas also said he might opt to dissolve the Hamas-led government. He said at a news conference with Sheikh Khalid Bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa, the Bahraini foreign minister, on Wednesday: "There is no dialogue now." A preliminary coalition.. More

  • Turkish Hijacker Surrenders to Italian Authorities

    The Italian authorities say only oneTurkishman has surrendered afteranairliner with113 people on board was hijacked and forcedto land at an Italian airport. Earlier on Tuesday, those aboard a Turkish Airlines plane flying from Tirana, Albania, to Istanbul in Turkeysaid two Turkish men had hijacked the plane and forced it to land in Brandisi, Italy. The.. More

  • Tehran Facing UN Sanctions

    Six world powers are preparing to draft United Nations sanctions against Iran because talks have failed to yield a promise by Tehran to halt sensitive atomic work, a senior British official said yesterday. He said European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana had reported back to EU countries and the US after meeting top Iranian nuclear negotiator.. More

  • Condemnation for North Korea Nuclear Test Plan

    South Korea has condemned North Korea's plans to conduct a nuclear weapons test. Seoul says it will not tolerate nuclear arms on its northern neighbour's soil. It has urged Pyongyang to scrap the test programme and return to the negotiating table. Six-party talks on the issue have been stalled for a year. The US, Japan and Russia have expressed concern... More

  • Turkish Hijackers Negotiate with Police

    Police are negotiating with two Turkish citizens whohijacked a Turkish airliner with more than 100 people on board, forcing it toland at an Italian airport. The Turkish Airlines plane was traveling from Tirana, Albania, to Istanbul in Turkeyon Tuesday when it was hijacked in Greek airspace, according to Ali Genc, a Turkish Airlines spokesman... More

  • Al-Maliki Intends to End Sectarian Rifts

    Iraq's prime minister has announced a plan to end the deepening divisions between Shia and Sunni parties in his government, and to unite them behind the drive to stop sectarian killings in the country. The four-point plan, which emerged after talks between both sides, is to resolve disputes by giving every party a voice in how security forces operate.. More

  • France Rejects Iran Uranium Offer

    France has distanced itself from an Iranian proposal for French investment in Iran's atomic industry, enabling it to supervise Tehran's nuclear program. Jean-Baptiste Mattei, a French foreign ministry spokesman, said he was surprised by the idea, which he called "totally new for us". A senior Iranian official had earlier proposed that France enrich.. More

  • Two Palestinians Killed in Fatah-Hamas Clashes

    Gunbattles between Fatah and Hamas fighters erupted on Monday night in the southern Gaza town of Rafah, killing two and wounding 14. The fighting was the latest in a series of sporadic battles throughout the day as tensions remained high between the two groups. But the level of violence remained below that experienced on Sunday when running street.. More

  • Bomber Kills Two in Baghdad

    Two people have been killed and 19 wounded when a suicide bomber attacked a Baghdad fish market. The bomber detonated a belt rigged with explosives in the outdoor market in the primarily Sunni area of Sadiya, southwestern Baghdad at 0410 GMT on Tuesday. In other violence, seven US soldiers have been killed in a series of incidents in Baghdad and western.. More