site.news_by_theme politics
Fury over S. Korea presidential hopeful satire
South Korea's ruling party has threatened to sue an artist who painted its presidential candidate giving birth to her father, former dictator Park Chung-Hee, likening the work to Nazi propaganda.
21 November 2012
Battle to lead French opposition collapses into confusion
The battle to succeed former president Nicolas Sarkozy at the helm of France's main opposition party, the UMP, was left undecided early Monday after both candidates claimed victory amid allegations of ballot rigging.
20 November 2012
Messy battle expected in Japan vote next month: media
Japan's election next month will be a messy battle, media said Saturday, with more than a dozen parties fielding candidates and some of them trying to forge a "third pole" between the two largest camps.
18 November 2012
Tymoshenko ends hunger strike: doctors
Jailed Ukrainian opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko agreed to end her hunger strike, her doctors said, more than two weeks after she began her protest over alleged fraud in polls won by the country's ruling party.
17 November 2012
Panetta to tout US shift to Asia at ASEAN defence talks
US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta will outline Washington's strategic shift to the Pacific and a tentative rapprochement with Myanmar.
17 November 2012
Petraeus sex scandal amuses Taliban
The sex scandal that has brought down CIA chief David Petraeus may be causing heartache in the Washington security establishment but the affair has prompted laughter among the Taliban.
16 November 2012
Japan wants 'mutually beneficial' relations with new China
Japan said Thursday it wants to develop "mutually beneficial" relations with China's new leaders, as the two countries remain embroiled in a dispute over islands in the East China Sea.
15 November 2012
US 'concerns' at Ukraine vote fraud claims: Biden
Vice President Joe Biden expressed US "concerns" Tuesday to Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych about alleged fraud in parliamentary elections won by the ruling party.
14 November 2012
Who will be on Obama's new dream team?
A week after winning re-election President Barack Obama has yet to reveal his new White House dream team amid fierce jostling for coveted posts key to shaping America's foreign and defense policy.
14 November 2012
Reform hopes seen dashed at Sudan Islamist meet
Calls for change by Arab Spring-inspired reformers in Sudan will likely be ignored when thousands of government-linked Islamists begin meeting on Thursday.
14 November 2012
Palestinian UN bid on Nov 29: Abbas
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas has announced that the Palestinian Authority will present its bid for non-state UN membership, despite US and Israeli opposition.
13 November 2012
Darwin earns 4,000-plus votes in US election
Charles Darwin earned more than 4,000 votes in a US congressional race from voters protesting the unopposed candidacy of an ardent creationist.
10 November 2012
Congress vote leaves US set for more gridlock
Democrats were projected to hold onto the Senate and Republicans were to retain the House of Representatives on Tuesday, raising the likely prospect of more partisan gridlock in a divided US Congress.
07 November 2012
I fear for my mother's life: Tymoshenko's daughter
The daughter of Ukraine's jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko said she cannot talk her out of her hunger strike and wakes every day fearing for her mother's life.
06 November 2012
Kabul considers action against ICG over 'bias'
Afghanistan is considering action against the International Crisis Group, with officials on Monday accusing the respected think-tank of bias in its reporting on the troubled nation.
06 November 2012
Russia, Arabs agree on need to move forward on Syria
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met in Cairo on Sunday with Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi for talks about the Syrian conflict, agreeing on the need to move forward but finding little common ground.
05 November 2012
There will be 6 times less politics in Kazakhstan
The number of Kazakhstan’s political state workers will be slashed down to 538 people.
05 November 2012
S. Korea presidential favourite open to summit with North
South Korea's presidential front-runner, Park Geun-Hye, promised Monday a new policy of engagement with Pyongyang and said she would be willing to hold a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un.
05 November 2012
UN warns Bahrain protest ban could worsen tensions
UN leader Ban Ki-moon said Thursday that Bahrain's move to ban protests could "aggravate" tensions in the Gulf state.
03 November 2012
Australia wants closer ASEAN ties: FM Carr
Australia will elevate its engagement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and seek to more closely align its foreign policy with that of the bloc.
02 November 2012