Pope turns to Twitter, new allies to battle for faith issues Pope Benedict XVI has galvanised Catholics at the close of 2012 to go on the offensive over key faith issues, forging new alliances and fighting secularism in the West with a media campaign.
29 December 2012
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.
Belgium, France lay claim to fries Fries, crunchy, salty, tasty fried sticks of potato are claimed by Belgium and France as the product of their national gastronomic genius but the true origins are shrouded in popular folklore.
29 December 2012
India set to clear IKEA retail plan: minister India is on track to approve a bid by Swedish furniture giant IKEA to open its trademark blue-and-yellow stores in the country as it seeks big new markets for its flat-pack products.
28 December 2012
Leila Khrapunova ready to cooperate with Geneva prosecutorsFormer Almaty Mayor's wife said she was ready to cooperate with Geneva prosecutors who initiated an investigation against the Khrapunovs family in suspicion of money laundering.
28 December 2012
STX France lands major luxury liner order An ailing French shipyard landed a multi-million-dollar contract Thursday as a US cruise company announced it was ordering a massive luxury liner from STX France at Saint Nazaire.
Samsung hits back at Ericsson in patent battle South Korea's Samsung Electronics said Wednesday it had filed a complaint to seek a US import ban on some Ericsson products in an escalating patent battle with the Swedish mobile giant.
27 December 2012
S. Korea's KT bids for Vivendi stake in Maroc South Korean mobile operator KT said Wednesday it has submitted a preliminary bid for French group Vivendi's stake in Moroccan carrier Maroc in a deal estimated to be worth more than $7 billion.
27 December 2012
China and emerging powers to pay more for UN China, Brazil, India and other emerging powers agreed to major increases in their United Nations payments as the global body hammered out a new budget deal this week to avoid its own fiscal cliff.
Steve Jobs' estate pays to free impounded superyacht Steve Jobs' superyacht Venus was free to leave Amsterdam port Monday after the late Apple co-founder's estate paid a deposit to resolve a dispute with designer Philippe Starck, who had had the yacht impounded.
26 December 2012
King urges Spain to unite against crisis King Juan Carlos called on Spaniards to unite against an economic crisis of previously unimagined intensity in a Christmas Eve message Monday that took clear aim at Catalonia's bid for nationhood.
25 December 2012
2012 an 'extraordinary year' for Britain: PM Prime Minister David Cameron said 2012 has been an "extraordinary year" for Britain in which the country "showed the world what we're made of" with the London Games and Queen Elizabeth II's diamond jubilee.
24 December 2012
Italy election campaign kicks off as Monti quits Italy's election campaign kicked off in earnest on Saturday after Prime Minister Mario Monti's resignation opened the way for a contest dominated by a raging debate over austerity in the recession-hit country.
24 December 2012
Shock and sadness as Irish minister found deadThe Irish political world was in shock Saturday after a member of Prime Minister Enda Kenny's government was found dead in circumstances that police said were not suspicious.
23 December 2012
British PM under fire over 'pleb' spat Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron was under fire Saturday from friends of a minister who quit over claims he called police officers 'plebs', saying the PM left Andrew Mitchell 'swinging in the wind'.
23 December 2012
Judge clears BP's $7.8 bn settlement in US oil spill British oil giant BP won US court approval Friday of a $7.8 billion settlement with people and businesses who lost money and property due to the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.