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China tightens Internet controls, legalises deletion 29 Dec 2012 - 03:55 am

BEIJING: China unveiled tighter Internet controls yesterday, legalising the deletion of posts or pages which are deemed to contain “illegal” information and requiring...

China to enact strict food safety laws 29 Dec 2012 - 03:55 am

SHANGHAI: Beijing will introduce tough new laws to punish firms that flout food safety laws, the official Xinhua news agency reported, a significant...

Four Thais jailed over 54 Myanmar migrant deaths 29 Dec 2012 - 03:55 am

BANGKOK: Four people smugglers were sentenced to up to 10 years in prison by a Thai court after 54 illegal workers from Myanmar...

Vietnam upholds bloggers jail terms 29 Dec 2012 - 03:54 am

HANOI: Two prominent Vietnamese dissident bloggers yesterday lost their appeals against long prison sentences for “anti-state propaganda”, a lawyer said, despite international calls...

E Timor faces rampant poverty as UN leaves 29 Dec 2012 - 03:54 am

Dili: The UN winds up its peacekeeping mission on Monday after 13 years in Asia’s youngest nation East Timor, with the country hoping...

Aboriginal leader’s hunger strike puts pressure on Harper 29 Dec 2012 - 03:46 am

Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence speaking with journalists about her hunger strike in a teepee on Victoria Island in Ottawa, yesterday. OTTAWA: A Canadian...

New Year preparation 29 Dec 2012 - 03:44 am

Workers install the main stage for the New Year’s Party at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, yesterday. Hundreds of thousands of people...

Putin signs law banning US adoptions 29 Dec 2012 - 03:44 am

MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin yesterday signed into law a ban on the adoption of Russian children by American families that activists slammed for...

Berlusconi to pay €36m a year divorce settlement 29 Dec 2012 - 03:44 am

ROME: Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has agreed to pay his estranged wife Veronica Lario ¤100,000 ($132,200) a day as part of...

US shuts embassy as Central African rebels advance 29 Dec 2012 - 03:43 am

bangui: Fears that rebels will seize control of the Central African Republic’s capital were intensifying, as the US closed its embassy in the...

Second man pushed to death under New York City subway 29 Dec 2012 - 03:43 am

NEW YORK: Police in New York City yesterday were hunting for a woman in her 20s suspected of pushing a man to his...

Sand skiing 29 Dec 2012 - 03:42 am

Saudi men taking part in sand skis in the desert near Tabuk, 1,500 km from capital Riyadh, yesterday.

Russia urges Assad to talk to opposition 29 Dec 2012 - 03:35 am

MOSCOW/damascuss: the only world power with close ties to the Syrian regime, urged President Bashar Al Assad yesterday to talk to the opposition...

Talks only after Abbas goes: Lieberman 29 Dec 2012 - 03:35 am

JERUSALEM: The head of Israel’s ultra-nationalist Yisrael Beitenu party, ex-foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman, lashed out yesterday against Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, saying new...

Police shoot dead Shia protester in eastern Saudi province 29 Dec 2012 - 03:34 am

RIYADH: Saudi Arabian police shot dead a Shia protester in the country’s oil-producing east late on Thursday, local activists said yesterday, bringing the...

Mubarak has cracked ribs, fluid in lungs 29 Dec 2012 - 03:34 am

CAIRO: Ousted president Hosni Mubarak has a build-up of fluid in his lungs and cracked ribs, Egypt’s official news agency Mena reported after...

Iraqi Sunnis stage big anti-government rallies 29 Dec 2012 - 03:32 am

RAMADI, Iraq: Thousands of protesters from Iraq’s Sunni Muslim minority poured onto the streets after Friday prayers in a show of force against...

The joy of winning 29 Dec 2012 - 03:09 am

by Salim Matramkot Pakistani players are seen celebrating winning the Asian Champions Trophy after beating arch-rivals India at Al Rayyan Stadium on Thursday....