US House to vote imminently on 'fiscal cliff' deal
The House of Representatives will vote late Tuesday on a bill already approved by the Senate to avert huge New Year tax hikes and spending cuts known as the "fiscal cliff".
02 January 2013 13:30
Venezuela frets over ill Chavez as 2013 begins
Somber Venezuelans began 2013 fretting over their ubiquitous and garrulous leader Hugo Chavez, wondering what the future holds as the president wages a tough battle with cancer in a Havana hospital.
Vatican backs Monti, the anti-Berlusconi
The Vatican has thrown its weight behind outgoing prime minister Mario Monti, ditching the scandal-hit Silvio Berlusconi in favour of a practising Catholic they hope may lead Italy after February's general election.
31 December 2012 14:06
Talks stall as fiscal cliff looms
Two days of last-gasp talks produced no deal Sunday between US political leaders struggling to averting a fiscal calamity due to hit the American and world economy within hours.
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.
Russia invites Syria opposition chief for talks
Russia, one of the few powers to maintain links with the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad, has sent an invitation for talks to the head of the opposition Syria National Coalition.
29 December 2012 13:33
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.
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.
