December 21, 2011
Former Miss Venezuela dies of breast cancer at 28
Former Miss Venezuela Eva Ekvall, whose struggle with breast cancer was closely followed by Venezuelans, has died at age 28. Her family said Ekvall died Saturday at a hospital in Houston.Ekvall's father, Eric Ekvall, is an American of…
December 21, 2011
Obama, Boehner square off in payroll tax fight
The congressional impasse over extending the payroll tax cut became a showdown…
December 21, 2011
ECB offers banks three-year loans for the first time
The European Central Bank is offering three-year loans to banks for the first time in an attempt to shore up investor confidence in the eurozone. The central bank hopes to sell up to 450bn euros ($590bn; £375bn) of loans. When the plan was…
December 21, 2011
Prosecutors raid the HQ of Olympus in earnings probe
Japanese prosecutors have raided the headquarters of camera and medical equipment maker Olympus as part of an ongoing investigation. Olympus is being probed over its accounting practices and the admission that it hid losses. The issue came to…
December 21, 2011
Cuban banks begin offering loans to private businesses
Banks in Cuba have begun offering loans to individual citizens, in the latest free-market reform in the communist-run island. The loans are aimed at the growing number of small businesses and the self-employed, as well as farmers and people…
December 21, 2011
Japanese exports fall on strong yen and euro troubles
Japanese exports have fallen again as demand for the country's goods continues to suffer. Overseas shipments fell 4.5% in November from a year earlier, Ministry of Finance data showed. The strength of the Japanese yen as well as the ongoing European…
December 21, 2011
Syria crisis: Nearly 200 lives lost’ in last two days
Almost 200 people have died in two days of clashes in Syria, activists say, as the violence there intensifies. Two activist groups put Tuesday's toll at 84 - the majority in Idlib province in the north-west. Video has emerged of a young boy, whose…
December 21, 2011
Indian Activist Threatens Hunger Strike Over Corruption Bill
Veteran Indian activist Anna Hazare says he is opposed to a landmark anti-corruption bill that is set to be introduced to parliament later this week. India's Cabinet on Tuesday approved the legislation, which would create a nine-member oversight…
December 21, 2011
Chinese Villagers Win Rare Compromise In Standoff Against Provincial Government
Southern Chinese officials have given into the demands of protesting villagers in southern China in a rare agreement to release several detained village leaders. Protest leaders in Wukan, in the southern Guangdong province, say a senior…
December 21, 2011
Activists Say Syrian Troops Kill More Than 100 Civilians
Syrian rights activists say government troops killed more than 100 civilians and dozens of army defectors Tuesday, in one of the deadliest days since an anti-government uprising began in March. The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights…