World News Archive

REBELS in the Central African Republic have taken control of Sibut, a strategic town north of the capital, Bangui.

The president of the Philippines, President Benigno Aquino has signed a bill allowing free access to contraception.

President Vladimir Putin has signed a law banning Americans from adopting Russian children and imposing other sanctions in retaliation for a new US human rights law that he says is poisoning relations.

JOHANNESBURG: A South African lawyer has moved to file a class action suit against more than 30 gold firms on behalf of 17,000 former miners who say they contracted silicosis, a debilitating lung disease.

SEOUL: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, pictured, is to send envoys to meet South Korean President-elect Park Geun-hye.

DERA ISMAIL KHAN: The head of Pakistan's Taliban, Hakimullah Mehsud, said his militia is willing to negotiate with the government but not disarm, according to video message.

athens: Locals are seen turning in their licence plates in the tax office to avoid paying the exorbitant car taxes, which in addition to other taxes have made it very difficult for Greeks to pay.

President Barack Obama and congressional leaders were due to meet yesterday for the first time since November with no sign of progress in resolving their differences over the federal budget and low expectations for a "fiscal cliff" deal before January 1.

damascus: The international envoy seeking a negotiated solution to end Syria's civil war said political change was needed to end the violence which has killed 44,000 people.

China is highly vigilant about Japanese jet fighter flights over islands claimed by both countries and Japan must bear responsibility for any consequences, Chinese officials said yesterday.

President Bashar al Assad has sent a senior diplomat to Moscow to discuss plans to end the civil war in Syria.

Pyongyang: Musicians from the Korean People's Internal Security Forces Song and Dance Ensemble yesterday took to the stage to mark the launch of a long-range three-stage Unha-3 rocket on December 12.

Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi signed into law a new constitution shaped by his Islamist allies, a bitterly contested document which he insists will help end political turmoil and allow him to focus on economic matters.

EMMY-WINNING actor Jack Klugman, best known as the gruff medical examiner in the hit television show Quincy ME, has died aged 90.