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Iraq seeks a year’s deferral on Gulf War reparations 18 Dec 2014 - 02:14 am

GENEVA: Iraq has requested a one-year deferral of a $4.6bn reparations payment for destroying Kuwait’s oil facilities during its 1990-91 occupation, a UN ...

Tunisia second round vote on Sunday 18 Dec 2014 - 02:13 am

TUNIS: Tunisians vote in the second round of a presidential election on Sunday, capping off four years of a sometimes chaotic transition since...

UK inquiry finds no torture of Iraq detainees 18 Dec 2014 - 02:12 am

LONDON: A British inquiry set up to probe allegations of atrocities carried out by UK troops in Iraq in 2004 cleared them of...

Cuba frees US prisoner Alan Gross 18 Dec 2014 - 02:12 am

Washington: US contractor Alan Gross has been released from a Cuban prison and is on a flight bound for the US, senior White...

Siege: Australia orders sweeping probe 18 Dec 2014 - 02:10 am

SYDNEY: Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott yesterday ordered a sweeping investigation into a deadly hostage siege after tough new security laws and the...

Pope turns 78 18 Dec 2014 - 02:08 am

VATICAN CITY: Thousands of people sang “Happy Birthday” and danced a mass tango yesterday to celebrate the birthday of the first Latin American...

Church of England names first female bishop 18 Dec 2014 - 02:08 am

STOCKPORT: The Church of England yesterday named a saxophone-playing vicar with a taste for football as its first female bishop in a move...

Greek presidential vote enters second round 18 Dec 2014 - 02:07 am

ATHENS: Greece’s high-stakes presidential election went into a second round yesterday after parliament failed to pick a head of state in a first...

Obama was mistaken for waiter, valet driver: Report 18 Dec 2014 - 02:07 am

WASHINGTON: Barack and Michelle Obama have revealed their experiences of racism in a wide-ranging interview with celebrity weekly People Magazine published yesterday. Michelle...

Up to a million facing hunger in Ebola-hit countries: UN 18 Dec 2014 - 02:06 am

PARIS: Border closures, quarantines and crop losses in West African nations battling the Ebola virus could lead to as many as one million...

Philippines to get frigates, gunboats and helicopters as tension simmers 18 Dec 2014 - 02:05 am

Filipino Marines stand guard outside the Navy ship BRP Gregorio del Pilar during the Philippine Navy showcase of new and upcoming assets at...

N Korea marks end of mourning for ex-supremo 18 Dec 2014 - 02:03 am

People watch TV footage showing North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un attending a ceremony marking the third anniversary of late leader Kim Jong-Il’s death,...

US not to hand over Marine to Manila: Mission 18 Dec 2014 - 02:02 am

MANILA: The United States has rebuffed a Philippine government request to hand over custody of a US Marine charged with murdering a Filipino...

Indonesia’s landslide toll rises to 79 18 Dec 2014 - 02:02 am

Jakarta: Rescuers have recovered 79 bodies after a landslide in Banjarnegara district in Indonesia’s Central Java and are searching for at least 29...

Myanmar plans to overhaul court system 18 Dec 2014 - 02:01 am

YANGON: Myanmar yesterday announced plans to reform its graft-plagued judicial system, a move met with scepticism by lawyers and activists long used to...

Two arrested with ‘drone’-making components in Bangladesh 18 Dec 2014 - 02:01 am

Dhaka: Police in Bangladesh yesterday said that they have arrested two activists of the radical Ansarullah Bangla Team in Dhaka with components for...

Thai army chief calls on all to protect monarchy 18 Dec 2014 - 02:01 am

BANGKOK: Thailand’s army chief warned people yesterday not to break a strict law protecting the monarchy as the defence minister vowed to prosecute...

Heavy snow hits northern Japan 18 Dec 2014 - 02:00 am

TOKYO: Northern Japan was in the grip of a blizzard yesterday as strong winds and heavy snow forced the cancellation of almost 300...