Czechs to vote in first direct presidential election
Czechs vote Friday and Saturday in their country's first direct presidential election, with recession, austerity and graft weighing heavily on the nation as it turns the page on a decade under ardent eurosceptic Vaclav Klaus.
Passions rise in France ahead of anti gay marriage protest
Passions and tensions are rising in France ahead of an expected giant weekend rally against the government's plan to legalise same-sex marriage and adoption that has angered influential Catholic and Muslim groups.
09 January 2013
Japan plans extra $2.1 bn on military spend: official
Japan plans to spend an extra $2.1 billion on missiles, fighter jets and helicopters, an official said Wednesday, as Tokyo looks to boost defence capabilities with concerns growing over a rising China.
09 January 2013
TENGRI LIFE
TENGRI TRAVEL
Honduras leader regrets embassy orgy Honduran President Porfirio Lobo said Monday that a pre-Christmas party at the country's embassy in Colombia that included prostitutes was a "sad incident."
08 January 2013
Pentagon nominee vows 'total support' for Israel Chuck Hagel, bracing for a bruising Senate confirmation as the next US defense secretary, pledged "total support" for Israel on Monday after lawmakers criticized his Middle East views.
08 January 2013
Obama to host Afghan president Friday at White House US President Barack Obama will host Afghan President Hamid Karzai at the White House on Friday for talks centered on the long-term security compact between the two countries.
08 January 2013
Clinton returns to applause and a football helmet Secretary of State Hillary Clinton received a standing ovation from her staff and an American football helmet to protect her from Washington's hard knocks as she returned to work after a health scare.
08 January 2013
China celebrities back censorship protest China's blogosphere and celebrities -- many with millions of followers -- Tuesday backed journalists at a newspaper embroiled in a censorship row after hundreds of people held a rare protest demanding greater press freedom.
08 January 2013
Venezuelan regime calls for massive Chavez rally Venezuela's leftist leadership has called for a massive show of support for ailing President Hugo Chavez in Caracas on Thursday -- the day he is supposed to be sworn in to a new six year term in office.
08 January 2013
Japan summons China envoy for first time under PM Abe Tokyo summoned the Chinese ambassador Tuesday for the first time under the new nationalist government to "strongly protest" against the presence of official ships in waters around disputed islands.
08 January 2013
Obama picks new CIA, Pentagon chiefs US President Barack Obama on Monday nominated controversial former Republican senator Chuck Hagel to lead the Pentagon and proposed that hard-nosed counterterrorism czar John Brennan to head the CIA.