EU gives oil boost to Syria rebels
Syrian rebels fighting President President Bashar al-Assad's troops won a fresh boost Monday when the European Union eased its oil embargo to let them exploit the resources they control.
EU set to help Syria's rebels by easing oil embargo
The European Union is set Monday to ease its oil embargo against Syria in favour of rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad's regime in its latest signal of support to the opposition.
22 April 2013
Vatican urges dialogue in crisis-hit Venezuela
The Roman Catholic Church weighed in Sunday on Venezuela's political crisis, with Pope Francis expressing deep concern and calling for dialogue in the wake of a disputed presidential election.
22 April 2013
Protesters in final bid to block France gay marriage law
Tens of thousands of opponents of government plans to legalise gay marriage marched in Paris Sunday two days before a final vote on the bill, which has provoked fierce and sometimes violent protests.
22 April 2013
N. Korea missile test could take months: South
The wait for North Korea's expected missile test, which has kept South Korean and US forces on heightened alert for the past two weeks, may stretch to July.
22 April 2013
Cartes wins Paraguay presidential vote
Millionaire businessman Horacio Cartes of the opposition Colorado Party, a political neophyte with alleged drug ties, won Paraguay's presidential race.
22 April 2013
France's opponents of gay marriage fight to the end
France's bitter debate over gay marriage is set to reach a potentially explosive climax on Sunday, two days before a bill legalising same-sex unions is due to be finally approved.
21 April 2013
Italy centre-left leader Bersani to resign
Voting for a new Italian president headed towards a fifth round Saturday, after the political deadlock claimed another victim, with centre-left leader Pier Luigi Bersani saying he will step down.
High drama as new Venezuelan president sworn in Nicolas Maduro was sworn in as president of Venezuela on Friday, in a ceremony replete with drama as he replaced the late Hugo Chavez and urged dialogue with the opposition to build a better country.
20 April 2013
Venezuela's Maduro to Peru summit before swearing-in Election officials moved to defuse a political crisis on the eve of President-elect Nicolas Maduro's inauguration Friday, yielding to demands for an audit of the results in Sunday's bitterly contested elections.
19 April 2013
Pleas for US to name first ambassador to Arctic Top US diplomat John Kerry said he would mull ways to deepen US engagement in the Arctic amid pleas from lawmakers to name America's first ambassador to the resource-rich region.
19 April 2013
France's Hollande blasts 'homophobic' violence French President Francois Hollande on Thursday hit out at "homophobic" acts by opponents of a same-sex marriage bill following violent protests that included an attack on a gay bar.
19 April 2013
Suspect arrested in US over Obama ricin letter A letter addressed to President Barack Obama tested positive for ricin, and authorities arrested a suspect, stoking alarm in Washington on Wednesday after an earlier scare over poisoned mail.
Serbia, Kosovo talks fail once again Serbia and Kosovo again failed to clinch a deal to normalise ties and ease tension in the Balkans after lengthy talks brokered by the European Union.
Venezuela rules out recount after vote, deadly demos Opposition leader Henrique Capriles formally requested a recount in Venezuela's disputed presidential election Wednesday, even after being rebuffed by the country's Supreme Court.