Obama 'modestly optimistic' for fiscal deal
President Barack Obama said Friday he was "modestly optimistic" a last-minute deal was possible with Republicans to avert a "fiscal cliff" crisis that could spark a recession and rock global markets.
30 December 2012 18:59
Philippines seeks unity after birth control law signed
President Benigno Aquino's government called for reconciliation on Saturday after a "divisive" birth control act was signed into law despite bitter opposition from the influential Catholic church.
Running from Putin: Russia's new political refugees
In August, a group of Russian environmentalists were walking along a beach on the Black Sea, just outside the walls surrounding a majestic palace that has been linked to President Vladimir Putin.
29 December 2012 16:24
Abbas warns of disbanding PA if no peace talks
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas warned Thursday that he would disband his Palestinian Authority if there was no Israeli movement toward renewing peace talks after Israel's elections on January 22.
C. Africa leader appeals for help to halt rebel advance
The United States evacuated its embassy in the Central African Republic as the nation's embattled leader appealed for French and US help after rebels seized large swathes of the mineral-rich country.
North Korea is nuclear test-ready: US think-tank
North Korea has repaired extensive rain damage at its nuclear test facility and could conduct a detonation on two weeks notice, a US think-tank said Friday, citing satellite imagery analysis.
29 December 2012 10:06
'Stormin Norman' Schwarzkopf dead at 78
Norman Schwarzkopf, the US general who led Operation Desert Storm, which liberated Kuwait from Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in 1991, died on Thursday at the age of 78.
28 December 2012 18:22
Pakistan to mark five years since Bhutto murder
Pakistan marks the fifth anniversary of the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto on Thursday, with her son expected to launch his political career with a speech in the family's ancestral home town.
28 December 2012 16:53
Former US president Bush in intensive care
After more than a month in a Texas hospital battling bronchitis, former US president George H.W. Bush has taken a turn for the worse and is in intensive care with a "stubborn fever".
28 December 2012 16:05
Syrian deputy FM Muqdad begins talks in Russia
A Syrian government delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Muqdad on Thursday began talks at the Russian foreign ministry on the crisis in the country.
28 December 2012 13:45
Israel PM met Jordan king in Amman over Syria: media
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held talks with Jordan's King Abdullah II in Amman recently to discuss violence in Syria and the country's chemical weapons stock.
Philippines to buy three naval helicopters
The Philippines said Thursday it would buy three naval helicopters from an Anglo-Italian manufacturer as part of its military modernisation programme amid a territorial dispute with China.
Kazakhstan marine corps received 30 new armored personnel carriers
The new vehicles provide better protection of personnel and systems; their liveness is 20 percent higher than that of the previous versions.
