Poorest WTO members win new patent-rule waiver
The globe's poorest nations have won an eight-year extension of a waiver on intellectual property rules, but still need to hold talks on the vexed issue of pharmaceutical patents.
13 June 2013 12:25
US envoy to Belgium denies soliciting prostitutes
The US envoy to Belgium Tuesday denied "baseless accusations" that he trawled for prostitutes in a park, as the State Department hit out at charges top staff tried to hush up sex-and-drugs charges.
Iran eyes 30 nuclear bombs a year: Israel minister
Iran is working round the clock to enlarge its nuclear infrastructure with the eventual aim of developing an industry capable of building up to 30 bombs a year.
12 June 2013 12:22
US 'disappointed' by Sudan order to shut pipline
The United States said Monday an order by Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to shut down an oil pipeline carrying South Sudanese crude was "deeply disappointing".
12 June 2013 10:00
S. Korea wonders who's coming to talk
On the eve of what are scheduled to be the first high-level talks between North and South Korea for six years, it was still unclear Tuesday exactly who would be doing the talking.
Obama and Xi play nice, but future unclear
The leaders of the United States and China appear to have started off on friendly terms during a weekend together in the California sun, but it remains to be seen if good vibes can bridge deep gaps.
Sudan freezes oil and security deals with South
Sudan on Sunday put on hold nine security and economic pacts with South Sudan, including on vital oil shipments, but said Khartoum remained committed to good relations if Juba ended support for rebels.
11 June 2013 10:56
Prayers for Mandela as family urged to 'let him go'
Nelson Mandela, the revered anti-apartheid hero, spent a third night in hospital after South Africa prayed for him on Sunday amid calls for his family and nation to "let him go".
10 June 2013 17:13
Karzai: Did 'War on Terror' encourage radical Islam?
Afghan President Hamid Karzai said on Sunday the Muslim world was "in turmoil" and wondered whether the "war on terror" led by the United States since 2001 was to blame for the radicalisation.
10 June 2013 15:25
Two Koreas strike cautious accord on high-level talks
North and South Korea reached Monday a patchy agreement to hold a high-level meeting in Seoul, following marathon talks aimed at rebuilding trust after months of soaring tension and threats of nuclear war.
10 June 2013 13:43
New documentary warns against Obama's 'Dirty Wars'
A new documentary released Friday portrays US secret raids against terror suspects as a misguided assassination campaign that generates new enemies and tarnishes America's image.
10 June 2013 10:00
Brazilian official resigns over indigenous protests
The Brazilian official in charge of indigenous affairs resigned Friday amid protests by natives locked in land feuds with white farmers and opposing construction of a huge dam in the Amazon.
09 June 2013 17:55
Obama, Xi urge new relationship in first summit
Throwing formality aside at a desert retreat, Presidents Barack Obama and Xi Jinping called Friday for a new approach to forge relations between the US superpower and a rising China.
