Rocket blasts in Beirut wound 4
AFP News - 15 minutes agoFour people were wounded on Sunday when two rockets exploded in the Shiite-majority Hezbollah heartland of south Beirut, a Lebanese security source said. More »Rocket blasts in Beirut wound 4
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VIEW:New records, reflection mark Everest 60th anniversary
AFP News - 33 minutes agoSixty years ago this week two men became the first to stand on the roof of the world in a remarkable feat of endurance and strength of the human spirit. More »New records, reflection mark Everest 60th anniversary
Kerry presses Egypt on economic reform, says aid depends on it
Reuters - 55 minutes agoBy Arshad Mohammed ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry urged Egypt to act swiftly on economic reforms to secure a $4.8 billion International Monetary Fund loan, saying the measures were needed to get further aid from the U.S. Congress, an American official said. Kerry met Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi for about an hour on the sidelines of an African Union summit on Saturday, discussing Syria's civil war, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, human rights in Egypt and the country's faltering economy, the official said. ... More »Kerry presses Egypt on economic reform, says aid depends on it
Trio in custody over London soldier murder
AFP News - 1 hour 32 minutes agoThree men were being held in custody Sunday on suspicion of conspiracy to murder the British soldier hacked to death in a London street in an Islamist attack. More »Trio in custody over London soldier murder
Syria rebels fight on as peace talks pressure mounts
AFP News - 1 hour 50 minutes agoA meeting of Syria's fractured opposition headed into an unscheduled fourth day Sunday, while on the ground rebels kept up their resistance to a Hezbollah-backed government assault on a strategic central town. More »Syria rebels fight on as peace talks pressure mounts
Revellers brave cold to fight AIDS at Vienna ball
Reuters - 2 hours 7 minutes agoVIENNA (Reuters) - Former U.S. President Bill Clinton, singer Elton John and actor Hilary Swank joined thousands of costumed revellers on Saturday at Europe's biggest AIDS charity event, Vienna's Life Ball. Dressed in skimpy costumes for the ball's 1,001 Nights theme, or simply in extravagant drag, party-goers braved unseasonally chilly temperatures of 8 degrees Celsius (46 degrees Fahrenheit) for the outdoor party. ... More »Revellers brave cold to fight AIDS at Vienna ball
Syrian opposition struggles for unity as battle rages
Reuters - 3 hours agoBy Khaled Yacoub Oweis ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Syria's opposition resumed talks on Saturday aimed at closing their fractious ranks, as government forces launched a fierce onslaught on a rebel-held border town to try to gain the upper hand in the civil war. A failure of the opposition to unite could weaken the hand of Russia and the United States, co-sponsors of a proposed peace conference on the war, which has killed 80,000 and threatens to spill over borders and whip up wider sectarian violence. The U.S. ... More »Syrian opposition struggles for unity as battle rages
Swedish capital returning to normal after week of violence
Reuters - 3 hours agoBy Mia Shanley and Simon Johnson STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Sweden's capital was relatively calm on Saturday night with only isolated incidents of violence by youths after nearly a week of car-burnings and vandalism that have highlighted growing inequality in Swedish society. Police had brought in reinforcements from around the country to stem the rioting and were out in force in the poorer suburbs of Stockholm that have seen the worst incidents. "It is pretty calm," police spokesman Lars Bystrom said. "It isn't worse than a normal night. ... More »Swedish capital returning to normal after week of violence
Cambodian documentary wins Cannes prize for innovative cinema
Reuters - 4 hours agoBy Belinda Goldsmith CANNES (Reuters) - A documentary using small clay figures to tell the story of how Cambodian filmmaker Rithy Panh's family perished under the Khmer Rouge regime won the top prize in the second most important competition at the Cannes film festival on Saturday. "L'Image Manquante" (The Missing Picture) was among the 18 films that premiered in the Un Certain Regard category that was set up to encourage emerging and innovative filmmakers and run alongside the main competition at the world's top film festival. ... More »Cambodian documentary wins Cannes prize for innovative cinema
Africa celebrates progress and 50 years of 'unity'
AFP News - 7 hours agoAfrican leaders Saturday marked the African Union's 50th birthday against a backdrop of economic growth, despite persistent armed conflicts and the new shadow of the threat of terrorism. More »Africa celebrates progress and 50 years of 'unity'
Million doses of fake aspirin from China seized in France
AFP News - 8 hours agoFrench customs officers have seized 1.2 million doses of counterfeit aspirin from China, the biggest haul of fake medicines ever in France and the EU, the economy ministry announced Saturday. More »Million doses of fake aspirin from China seized in France
Kaizer Chiefs complete South African double
AFP News - 9 hours agoChampions Kaizer Chiefs completed a South African double Saturday by defeating SuperSport United 1-0 in the FA Cup final. More »Kaizer Chiefs complete South African double
Egypt court rejects religious slogans in election law
Reuters - 11 hours agoCAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's highest court ruled on Saturday that parts of a revised election law setting out terms for a parliamentary vote were unconstitutional, casting fresh doubt over a poll that has already been delayed. The Islamist-dominated upper house of parliament had approved the law last month and sent it to the Supreme Constitutional Court to check the legality of the voting procedures for a new lower house. Opposition politicians had denounced the text of the revised election law approved by parliament and repeated threats to boycott the vote. ... More »Egypt court rejects religious slogans in election law
Nasrallah says Hezbollah will bring victory to Syrian ally Assad
Reuters - 11 hours agoBEIRUT (Reuters) - The leader of Lebanese guerrilla movement Hezbollah said on Saturday his group would stay in the Syrian war "to the end of the road" and bring victory to its ally President Bashar al-Assad. Hassan Nasrallah, head of the militant Shi'ite Muslim group, said in a televised speech that Syria and Lebanon were facing a threat from radical Sunni Islamists, which he argued was a plot devised by the United States and its allies to serve Israel's interests in the region. "We will not rely on anyone ... ... More »Nasrallah says Hezbollah will bring victory to Syrian ally Assad
Hezbollah, Syrian government forces advance in border town
Reuters - 11 hours agoBy Erika Solomon BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian government forces and the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah launched a fierce campaign to seize more rebel territory in the border town of Qusair on Saturday, sources on both sides of the conflict said. Rebels fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad said additional tanks and artillery had been deployed around opposition-held territory in Qusair, a Syrian town close to the Lebanese border. "I've never seen a day like this since the battle started," said Malek Ammar, an activist speaking from the town by Skype. ... More »Hezbollah, Syrian government forces advance in border town
Westwood in confident mood as Canizares takes lead
AFP News - 12 hours agoEngland's Lee Westwood believes he is perfectly placed and primed for a final day assault on the European PGA Championship after finishing round three just a stroke behind leader Alejandro Canizares of Spain. More »Westwood in confident mood as Canizares takes lead
Khurshid in Saudi Arabia as India scrambles to help workers
IANS India Private Limited - 12 hours agoJeddah, May 25 (IANS) Indian External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid Saturday discussed bilateral issues, including the Nitaqat law, with his Saudi Arabian counterpart Prince Saud Al Faisal as the Indian missions there scrambled to help over 55,000 Indian workers leave the kingdom in adherence to its new stringent work policy. More »Khurshid in Saudi Arabia as India scrambles to help workers
Brazil cancels $900 million in African debt: presidency
AFP News - 12 hours agoBrazil said Saturday it plans to cancel $900 million (700 million euro) worth of debt in 12 African countries, as part of a broader strategy to boost ties with the continent. More »Brazil cancels $900 million in African debt: presidency
No soldiers sent to Syria: Iranian defence minister
IANS India Private Limited - 13 hours agoTehran, May 25 (IANS) Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi denied Saturday that Iran has dispatched any military forces to Syria, reported Xinhua citing the semi-official Fars news agency. More »No soldiers sent to Syria: Iranian defence minister
British spies 'tried to recruit' Islamist attacker
AFP News - 13 hours agoBritain's intelligence agencies came under fresh scrutiny on Saturday following claims that MI5 had tried to recruit one of two Islamists accused of butchering a soldier in London. More »British spies 'tried to recruit' Islamist attacker
Indian vice president attends AU golden jubilee function
IANS India Private Limited - 14 hours agoAddis Ababa (Ethiopia), May 25 (IANS) Indian Vice President Hamid Ansari Saturday participated in the golden jubilee celebrations of the African Union at Addis Ababa that is being attended by around 75 heads of state, including of 54 African countries. More »Indian vice president attends AU golden jubilee function
Istanbul Olympics bid is about 'building bridges'
AFP News - 15 hours agoIstanbul winning the right to host the 2020 Olympic Games would help bridge the gap between different cultures and religions, the bid's chief executive Hasan Arat told AFP. More »Istanbul Olympics bid is about 'building bridges'
Niger Islamist attackers 'came from Libya'
AFP News - 15 hours agoThe attackers who staged deadly twin bombings at an army base and French-run uranium mine in northern Niger came from neighbouring Libya, Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou said on Saturday. More »Niger Islamist attackers 'came from Libya'
BJP demands halting of Nitaqat law in Saudi Arabia
IANS India Private Limited - 15 hours agoNew Delhi, May 25 (IANS) Demanding a halt in the implementation of the Nitaqat law in Saudi Arabia, the BJP Saturday said here that it would work against Indian interests. More »BJP demands halting of Nitaqat law in Saudi Arabia
In Syria's shadow, Iraq violence presents new test for U.S
Reuters - 16 hours agoBy Warren Strobel WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Saddled with Middle East problems ranging from Iran to Syria and beyond, President Barack Obama now faces one that is both old and new: Iraq. Unresolved sectarian tensions, inflamed by the raging civil war in neighboring Syria, have combined to send violence in Iraq to its highest level since Obama withdrew the last U.S. troops in December 2011, U.S. officials and Middle East analysts say. A Sunni Muslim insurgency against the Shi'ite-led Baghdad government has also been reawakened. ... More »In Syria's shadow, Iraq violence presents new test for U.S