There are 17999 articles

  • Iran Nuclear Stand-Off Escalates

    Iran's dispute with the UN and Western countries has deepened after Tehran resumed nuclear research. As Iran removed UN seals from equipment at Natanz facility, UN nuclear chief Mohamed ElBaradei said Tehran would start small-scale nuclear enrichment. The move was condemned by the US and European countries, which fear Iran is seeking to produce.. More

  • Europe Prepares to Battle Bird Flu

    The bird flu threat in Turkey is having broad repercussions across Europe and the middle east. The Germans are considering re-imposing a ban on keeping poultry indoors, while at airports and border crossings they are stepping up searches for poultry products. "To give you the latest figures, we confiscated more than three tonnes of food at Munich.. More

  • Chad Wants Sudan to Disarm Rebels

    Chad has demanded that neighbouring Sudan disarm Chadian rebels in its violent Darfur region as a condition for peace talks to end a growing dispute with Khartoum over rebel and militia raids in the border area. Chad accuses Sudan of sheltering and backing Chadian rebels who attacked the border town of Adre last month. It has declared a "state of.. More

  • Sri Lanka Vows to Crush Terror

    Sri Lanka's president yesterday vowed tough measures to prevent "terror attacks" that undermine an already troubled ceasefire with Tamil Tiger rebels as officials reported three more deaths in the embattled east. President Mahinda Rajapakse told diplomats that his government will take "all necessary measures to deter further terror attacks," his office.. More

  • At Least 17 Americans Killed in Iraq

    A US helicopter crashed in Iraq, killing at least 12 on board, and five Marines died in a spate of attacks in the west of the country. The helicopter came down in a sparsely populated area of northern Iraq shortly before midnight, the military said yesterday. There were four crew and eight passengers on the manifest to take the flight, they said. It.. More

  • All Set for Hajj Climax

    Clouds gathered in the sky above Mina on the first day of Hajj yesterday. The pilgrims who entered the city walked to the rhythm of raindrops that fell upon them. Dark skies welcomed the pilgrims who will have their eyes focused upward in the coming five days. “This is the best time to seek mercy from God for past mistakes. It appears as if nature.. More

  • Bird Flu Reaches Istanbul

    Twenty-one people in the Istanbul area have been hospitalised with suspectedbird flu, raising concerns the deadly disease has spread to Turkey's commercial hub of 12 million people. Health authorities expect to receive test results on the 21 on Monday, the Milliyet daily said. Mehmet Bakar, Istanbul's deputy health director,said initial tests on two.. More

  • Saudis Urge Closer Syria-Lebanon Ties

    King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has called for an improvement to crisis-stricken relations between Damascus and Beirut for the sake of regional security, at a summit with Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president. King Abdullah "asserted the need to consolidate and strengthen Syrian-Lebanese relations", said a joint Saudi-Syrian statement issued after the.. More

  • India Aiding Baluchistan Fighters, Says Musharraf

    Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's president, has accused India of arming and financingfighters in the Pakistani province of Baluchistan, charges that could damage peace initiatives between the two neighbours. Pakistan's armystarted to crack down on Baluchistan militants after a rocket attack last month while Musharraf was visiting the region. Baluchi nationalist.. More

  • US Troops Raid Sunni Clerics' Iraq Office

    U.S. troops launched a pre-dawn raid on Sunday on the headquarters of the influential Sunni Arab Muslim Clerics' Association, which opposes the U.S. occupation, and detained five people, the association said. U.S. troops burst into the Umm al-Qora mosque complex in western Baghdad at 3 a.m., blowing doors off hinges and ransacking offices, an association.. More

  • Pilgrims Move into Mina

    Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims chanting “Labbaik Allahumma Labbaik” moved into the valley of Mina yesterday at the start of Hajj. Many in the sea of white-clad believers were so moved by the occasion that tears streamed down their faces as they set out from Makkah for Mina, retracing the steps of Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) “All.. More

  • Children Die in Tajikistan Blaze

    Thirteen children have died after a blaze swept through an orphanage in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan. The orphanage, a wooden structure built in the 1930s, was home to about 100 disabled children. Police said four or five other children were still unaccounted for after the fire, which occurred in the early hours of Sunday morning. The remaining.. More

  • Iraq Withdrawal within Months, Says Straw

    Jack Straw, the British foreign secretary, has reiteratedthe British prime minister's promise of troop withdrawal from Iraq, saying the pullout could begin within months. During Straw's trip to Iraq on Saturday, he also urged Iraqis to support the elections. He said: "In practice, what we hope to see is a gradual phased draw-down of British troops.. More

  • Iran to Remove UN Nuclear Seals

    Iran has said it is preparing to remove UN seals at some nuclear research and development sites, despite strong Western opposition to its decision to resume atomic research halted over two years ago. Hamid Reza Asefi, the foreign ministry spokesman, told a weekly news conference on Sunday that his country was ready to resume research on Monday. "We.. More

  • Syrian President Denies Threatening al-Hariri

    Bashar al-Assad, Syria's president, has denied accusations by his former vice- president that he threatened Rafiq al-Hariri before the former Lebanese prime minister was killed. In comments made to Egypt's El Osboa newspaper, al-Assad accused the Paris-based Abdel Halim Khaddam of scheming against Syria before resigning in June and insisted the allegations.. More