Fireworks but no joy as Latvia joins eurozone
Fireworks will light up the skies above Riga when Latvia adopts the euro on January 1, but on the ground the feeling will be far from festive among those fearing the impact of the switch.
Israel says to free Palestinians and build more settlements
Israel will announce plans for new settlement construction next week, coinciding with the release of a third batch of Palestinian prisoners as part of peace talks, an official said Thursday.
27 December 2013
Coloured tattoos escape ban in France
Tattoo artists in France, who were up in arms about a government ban on certain dyes, say the health ministry has reassured them they will be able to keep using coloured ink, attributing the uproar to a misunderstanding of thousands of pages of regulations.
US 'concern' over Uganda anti-gay billThe United States voiced concern on Tuesday over a draconian anti-homosexuality bill passed by Uganda's parliament.
26 December 2013
Kazakhstan to reach Top 30 by 2025Professor Robin Matthews of the Kingston Business School predicts that Kazakhstan will be among the Top 30 most developed countries by 2025.
25 December 2013
Kim urges N. Korea military to bolster combat readinessNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has urged the country's military to bolster its combat readiness, saying a war could break out "without any prior notice", state media reported Wednesday.
Turkey's scandal-hit ministers resignTurkey's economy and interior ministers, ensnared in a vast corruption scandal that has roiled the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, resigned.
25 December 2013
Alma Shalabayeva to be granted a visa to enter ItalyItaly’s Foreign Minister Emma Bonino had a telephone talk with Mrs. Shalabayava to inform the latter that she would be issued a Shengen visa to enter the EU.
Images show N. Korea efforts to restart nuclear complexSatellite imagery suggests North Korea is making "wide-ranging, extensive" efforts to fully reactivate its main nuclear complex, a US think tank said Tuesday, in line with Pyongyang's vows to strengthen its weapons programme.
24 December 2013
Snowden declares 'mission accomplished' on leaksJust six months after first leaking National Security Agency secrets in a move that triggered a revaluation of US surveillance policies, Edward Snowden is declaring "mission's already accomplished."