Republicans under pressure on payroll tax
December 22, 2011
US House Republicans are coming under pressure to pass a bipartisan deal on extending a payroll tax cut, in a wrangle that has split the party.
Iraq row deepens as PM calls for VP handover
December 22, 2011
Iraq’s government marked its first anniversary yesterday in turmoil as its premier urged Kurd officials to hand over the Sunni vice president on terror charges, in a row that has raised communal tension.
Karzai wants immediate halt to Nato night raids
December 21, 2011
Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Tuesday demanded an immediate halt to Nato-led night raids after the military insisted the operations will continue despite the recent death of a pregnant woman.
Saudi Prince Alwaleed buys Twitter stake
December 20, 2011
Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, an investor in some of the world’s top companies, has bought a stake in Twitter for $300 million, gaining another foothold in the global media industry.
Philippine storm killed nearly 1,000: disaster agency
December 20, 2011
Nearly 1,000 were killed when flash floods and landslides caused by Typhoon Washi swept through riverside and coastal villages in the southern Philippines late last week, the national disaster agency said on Tuesday.
US, South Korea close ranks after Kim death
December 20, 2011
The United States swiftly closed ranks with its ally South Korea yesterday as the death of nuclear-armed North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-Il landed President Barack Obama with a sudden foreign policy crisis.
Pak PM denies rift with army over memogate row
December 18, 2011
Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has dismissed rumours of a rift with the country’s powerful army over a secret memo that sought US intervention to prevent a feared military coup.
Japan declares Fukushima plant safe
December 17, 2011
Japan said yesterday it finally had control of leaking reactors at Fukushima, in what authorities say is a vital step on the long road to recovery, nine months after its nuclear crisis began.
UN lifts sanctions on Libya’s key banks
December 17, 2011
The UN Security Council has lifted sanctions on Libya’s central bank and the country’s foreign investments banks, diplomats say.
US lifts sanctions on post-Gaddafi Libya
December 17, 2011
The United States on Friday lifted most of the economic sanctions it had in place against Libya before the fall of former ruler Muammar Gaddafi.