Syria regime using missiles, barrel bombs: US
The Syrian regime has begun using missiles and barrel bombs against rebels, a top US official said Wednesday, signaling a dangerous escalation of the deadly 21-month-old conflict.
13 December 2012
Same laws must apply to bloggers, tweeters: Leveson
The man who led the inquiry into Britain's phone-hacking scandal has warned that bloggers and tweeters should be subject to the same laws as traditional media outlets to prevent a decline in standards of journalism.
13 December 2012
India condemns N. Korea rocket launch, tests own missile
India condemned North Korea's long-range rocket launch on Wednesday even as it tested one of its own ballistic weapons, which were developed when India was a nuclear pariah itself.
13 December 2012
World leaders face big challenges in 2013
Barack Obama is back and China has a new leader in Xi Jinping, but world leaders face heavyweight issues in the coming year, from lingering economic crises to bloody tumult in the Middle East.
WTO approves membership for Tajikistan
The World Trade Organization on Monday approved Tajikistan's 11-year struggle to join the UN's global trade body, paving the way for the Central Asian nation to become its 159th member.
Limited options to punish N. Korea rocket launch With North Korea seemingly intent on going ahead with its planned rocket launch, the international community must decide how it can punish a country that has proved largely impervious to past sanctions.
12 December 2012
World powers watching closely Iran-IAEA talks World powers keen to re-start diplomatic efforts to resolve he Iranian nuclear crisis will be closely watching a UN atomic agency trip to Tehran on Thursday for any indications of a change in mood.
Weddings abound as Washington's gay marriage law kicks in Hundreds of same-sex couples flocked to get married in the northwest state of Washington on Sunday, the first day possible after the state approved gay marriage in a referendum in November.
11 December 2012
Chavez to leave for Cuba for more cancer surgery Hugo Chavez was set to leave for Cuba early Monday to undergo new cancer surgery that the Venezuelan leftist president admitted was urgently needed to fight the deadly disease.
Xi's Shenzhen visit a sign of reform: Chinese media China's new Communist Party chief Xi Jinping has signalled his commitment to push for economic reforms by visiting the city of Shenzhen, the historic hub of modernisation.