CAIRO - Egypt has decided to advance the election of a new president, giving in to the demands of increasingly violent protesters and raising hopes of a civilian government taking over the task of...

WASHINGTON - Amid an escalated tension threatening a nuclear conflict between the two nations, US President Barack Obama has said he did not believe Israel had decided on an attack on Iran to disrupt...

MOSCOW- Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has stressed need for Russia to adopt new democratic mechanisms to move forward and to be able to react swiftly to the interests and desires of large groups in...

DAMASCUS - The West voiced its ire over Russia and China's veto of the UN Security Council resolution on Syria even as more clashes and deaths were reported in the violence-wracked country.

The...

LONDON - Heavy snowfall and intense cold this winter, one of the most severe in decades, has taken its toll across Europe, with many rural areas badly affected and several deaths reported.

More...

NEW YORK - Citigroup's Chinese subsidiary has been granted permission to offer its credit cards in China, becoming the first US based bank and the second foreign bank to receive the nod.

Currently...

Positive parenting during the child's formative years could help prevent obesity among them.

Today, one out of five US children is obese. They are five times more likely than their peers to be obese...

Pakistan and Qatar have agreed to collaborate in energy, trade, agriculture and infrastructure development during Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani's three-day trip that began Monday.

Gilani and his...

Pakistan's cricket team has been lauded for its historic win against England in the three-match Test series played at Dubai.

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan Monday...

Pakistan's economy would grow at four percent during the current fiscal year (2011-12), Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh has said.

"Despite challenges, the GDP growth would reach to four percent...

Amazon, the world's largest online retailer, is planning to open a retail store in America's Seattle city as a pilot test to see if a chain of stores would be profitable, a media report said.

Amazon...

With the losses due to corruption in Pakistan being pegged at a staggering Rs.8,500 billion, a Pakistani daily described it as "plunder" in a country where people still yearn for the most basic...

Corporal punishment makes children more aggressive and can harm them in the long term, says a study.

"Virtually without exception, these studies found that physical punishment was associated with...

Spanish artist Antoni Tapies, who wielded a strong influence on 20th century painting, died Monday, said sources in the Barcelona city government. He was 88.

The painter, born here in 1923, was...

A former militiaman was sentenced to 24 years in prison for his role in the murder of journalist Alvaro Alonso Escobar, who was gunned down a decade ago in a coastal town in northern Colombia,...

Ricky Martin, who is in New York these days getting ready for his return to the Broadway stage, will play a Spanish teacher in a popular television series "Glee".

Martin will play David Martinez, a...

President Barack Obama is preferred by 52 percent of Americans compared with 43 percent who favour Mitt Romney, the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, a Washington Post-ABC News...

Spanish cyclist Alberto Contador will lose his 2010 Tour de France title and be excluded from this year's Tour as well as the 2012 Olympics, the Court of Arbitration for Sport said Monday in its...

Three people who abducted and later released Mexican Ambassador Carlos Pujalte and his wife Jan 29 in Venezuela have been arrested, a minister said.

Among those arrested is "the head of the criminal...

It may come as a rude shock, but Facebook users should not feel surprised if tomorrow they come across their photos existing in the web world despite having deleted them personally long ago.

The...

In one year alone, over 4,500 children in the US were hospitalised due to child abuse, and 300 of them died of their injuries, a new study has said.

The report was prepared by researchers from the...

There will be no portraits of Russian Prime Minister and presidential frontrunner Vladimir Putin on campaign posters ahead of the March 4 polls, as he was quite "well known", an official has said.

A...

The director of a training centre lost her job for refusing to ensure her employees' attendance at a rally in support of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

Yelena Travina, director of the...

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has dismissed the idea of a political amnesty because he said there were no political prisoners in the country.

"I don't quite understand what is meant by...

British Foreign Secretary William Hague has said the country's ambassador in Syria has been recalled for consultation, following America's move to withdraw all diplomats from Damascus.

The foreign...

Actor Russell Crowe has thanked former "Baywatch" star David Hasselhoff for taking time out of his busy schedule to visit a children's hospital in Sydney.

According to contactmusic.com, Hasselhoff...

Eight Turkish nationals have been charged with causing the deaths of five Russian tourists, who died after drinking poisoned bootleg whiskey.

The accused may be sentenced to life if convicted,...

US President Barack Obama has ordered the freezing of Iran's property under American jurisdiction, including that of the country's central bank, the White House said.

The US and its allies are...

Russia has defended its rejection of a UN resolution condemning the violent crackdown in Syria, saying the Security Council was too hasty in putting it to a vote.

"It is unfortunate that the...

Anders Breivik, the Norwegian extremist who killed 77 people in twin attacks in July last year, has asked an Oslo court to release him immediately.

"I do not accept imprisonment. I demand to be...

Johnny Depp has reportedly split from long-time girlfriend Vanessa Paradis as she was "absolutely convinced" the actor slept with Angelina Jolie.

Paradis believes Depp cheated with her with Jolie...

A number of local people "secretly" working for the BBC Farsi-language service have been arrested in Iran, the Mehr news agency reported.

A source told Mehr that a number of "deceived" locals who...

Actor George Clooney has been challenged for a wrestling match by Muppet character Miss Piggy at the British Academy of Film and Telivision Arts (BAFTA) Awards 2012.

The outspoken puppet star of the...

Russia and India Monday started preparations for the joint INDRA-2012 military exercises scheduled to be held in Russia this summer, a Russian official said.

Lt. Col. Alexander Gordeyev, spokesman...

Rapper Jay Z has ended a legal battle over allegations that he failed to pay for his flights on a private jet.

Bosses at Air Platinum Holding sued the star in 2010 over claims he paid for just 37 of...

Selena Gomez says her relationship with boyfriend Justin Bieber is like that of any other teenager. There is nothing starry about it.

"I'm just like every 19-year-old girl. If you're in love, you're...

At least 11 factory workers, most of them women, were killed when a three-storeyed building collapsed due to a factory blast in Pakistan's Lahore city, said rescue teams and health officials.

The...

Iraqi ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Arshad Ismail Al-Musalli visited the UAE Attorney General Counsellor Salem Saeed Kubaish at his office Monday.

Kubaish lauded the distinguished...

Hollywood couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's son Maddox is taking pilot lessons.

Jolie and Pitt are biological parents to five-year-old Shiloh and three-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne. They...

A Mysore-born Indian public affairs specialist has been charged with revitalising the Muslim Public Service Network (MPSN) that grooms young American Muslims for public service and to take on civic...

Citing poll fraud, the Pakistani Supreme Court Monday suspended 28 MPs and legislators, including two ministers, one of whom is currently with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on an official visit...

Romanian President Traian Basescu Monday named Catalin Predoiu as the country's acting prime minister after Emil Boc stepped down from the post while announcing his cabinet's resignation.

The...

Singer Leann Rimes underwent a minor surgery and the procedure has left her in pain. The 29-year-old had the operation last week, reports showbizspy.com.

"K, coming clean...I had minor surgery this...

At least 44 people were killed after an earthquake measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale jolted a central Philippines province Monday, Xinhua quoted a military official as saying.

The temblor struck...

Rapper Snoop Dogg has revealed that he was detained by Norweigian customs officers because his cash smelled of drugs but later they let him go.

Contactmusic.com reports that the rapper says he had...

Italian Fabio Capello's future as the England manager is doubtful after he criticised Football Association (FA) decision to strip Chelsea defender John Terry of national team captaincy.

Capello told...

A group of 27 visitors to a Chinese zoo had the shock of their life when their bus was attacked by enraged Bengal tigers. The trauma continued for 20 mintues since the tiger zone's gatekeeper had...

India-Sri Lanka development partnership has come alive through a photographic exhibition titled "India through Sri Lankan Eyes" that opened here Saturday.

Curated by Mithra Weerakone, president of...

A man in China stunned many people Monday when he jumped off a Metro station overpass amid rain, following a quarrel with his girlfriend, but soon got up and left the spot.

According to several...

The number of visitors to the famous Shaolin temple in Henan province, home to Shaolin Kung Fu martial arts, recorded a sharp decline during the weeklong spring festival celebrated in the last week...