There are 17999 articles

  • Palestinian MPs Back Quraya Resignation

    The Palestinian parliament has urged President Yasir Arafat to accept his prime minister's resignation and appoint a government empowered to carry out reforms and halt a descent into anarchy. Unprecedented street unrest against a Palestinian Authority widely seen as corrupt, resistant to reform and out of touch spurred Prime Minister Ahmad Quraya.. More

  • Iraqi Group Threatens to Behead Hostages as Six Iraqis Killed in Blasts

    An Iraqi group said Wednesday it had taken six hostages - three Indians, two Kenyans and an Egyptian - and would behead them if their countries did not immediately announce their intention to withdraw their citizens from Iraq. In a statement given to The Associated Press, the group, calling itself "The Holders of the Black Flags," said it had abducted.. More

  • Annan, UN Council Members Urge Sudan to Act on Darfur

    UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and Security Council nations said that Sudan had to act quickly and rein in Arab militias behind the bloodshed in its strife-torn Darfur region. But they stopped short of fixing a deadline for Khartoum to honour pledges to disarm the so-called Janjaweed militias, accused of a brutal campaign that has left more than 10,000.. More

  • Israel Defies U.N. Vote Against West Bank Wall

    Israel vowed Wednesday to press ahead with construction of its West Bank barrier despite a U.N. resolution demanding it be torn down, but Palestinians called for international sanctions to force compliance Israel summoned key European Union ambassadors -- including Britain and the Netherlands, holder of the rotating EU presidency -- to protest against.. More

  • One Hizbullah, Two Israeli Troops Killed as Lebanon Border Heats up

    Israeli helicopter gunships and tanks fired on Hizbullah positions Tuesday in southern Lebanon, killing one fighter, Lebanese security officials reported. Reports and Hizbullah indicated two Israeli soldiers were killed. Israeli military officials said it was Hizbullah snipers who started firing first, calling the shooting a "provocation." But the.. More

  • Sudan Rejects Human Rights Report on Darfur

    The Sudanese government slammed a report by Human Rights Watch over the strife-torn western region of Darfur and accused the organisation of attempting to provoke the UN Security Council into imposing sanctions against the country. Human Rights Watch charged in a report issued on Monday that Sudanese government officials are directly involved in recruiting,.. More

  • Iraq Filipino Captive Freed, Basra Official Shot Dead

    A Filipino truck driver held captive in Iraq has been freed and handed over to the United Arab Emirates embassy in Baghdad, an Emirates official said. "He has been handed over and we will hand him over to the Philippine authorities," the official said on Tuesday. Manila ignored criticism from the United States and Iraq's interim government, and.. More

  • France Bars Sharon, Cancels Visit

    French President Jacques Chirac has informed Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon "he is not welcome" in Paris after he urged all French Jews to leave the country immediately. In a statement, Chirac wrote: "After some weeks of contacts concerning such a visit, it turns out that it is impossible ... and you are not welcome following your comments." An.. More

  • At Least 25 Miners Killed, 11 Missing in Ukraine Mine Blast

    At least 25 miners have been killed and 11 were missing after a gas explosion ravaged a coalmine in eastern Ukraine, in the country's deadliest mining incident in two years, the emergency ministry said. "Forty-eight miners were in the mine at the time of the explosions," said Vasyl Slovetsky, the spokesman for the ministry. "The bodies of 25 of them.. More

  • Bomb Targeting Baghdad Police Kills Nine, Philippine Troops Quit Iraq

    A truck bomb exploded near a Baghdad police station, killing nine people, as the Philippines became the fifth country to withdraw its troops from the US-led forces in Iraq earlier than schedule. Manila pulled out its troops -- despite sharp rebukes from Iraq and the United States -- to save the life of a 46-year-old Filipino hostage as the release.. More

  • Arafat Removes Nephew as PM Says Resignation Still Effective

    Palestinian President Yasser Arafat has backed away from the appointment of his nephew, Musa Arafat, as the new security chief after it sparked a wave of riots between Fatah fighters and PA security forces in the Gaza Strip. Following this, Ghazi Jabali was to resume his post as commander of the Palestinian police, while Musa Arafat will return to.. More

  • Sudan Militiamen Face Amputations

    Ten members of Sudan's pro-government militia have been sentenced to have a hand and a foot amputated for their role in attacks in Darfur. In the first convictions of members of the Janjaweed militia, they were also sentenced to six years in prison for offences including murder and robbery. Tens of thousands have died in Darfur, and more than 1m.. More

  • Thousands Flee Southern California Blaze

    Dry, windy weather on Monday hampered efforts to contain a wildfire in northern Los Angeles County that has forced thousands of people to flee their homes, one of several blazes that crews were battling in the state. Nearly 1,600 homes in Santa Clarita had been evacuated since the fire began Saturday, but there were no immediate reports of injuries.. More

  • Blair to Face Fury of MPs

    Britain's Tony Blair will face a fresh barrage of criticism this week over his decision to attack Iraq after a stinging by-election defeat raised the threat of a voter backlash in a general election likely within a year. The prime minister will defend his Iraq policy at a parliamentary debate tomorrow, with opponents accusing him of misleading Britain.. More

  • Women and Children among 14 Dead in US Attack on Fallujah

    A U.S. air raid on a house in the Iraqi city of Fallujah early on Sunday killed 14 Iraqis. Women and children were among the victims. The U.S. military confirmed it had carried out air strikes on houses in the city. It has bombed buildings said to be safehouses for activists loyal to al Qaeda operative Abu Musab al-Zarqawi several times over the last.. More