March 31, 2013
Pope Francis to lead Easter celebrations at St Peter’s
Pope Francis is set to celebrate his first Easter Sunday since his election with an open-air Mass in St Peter's Square. He will then deliver a speech to Rome and to the world - the "Urbi et Orbi" address - from a balcony of St Peter's. Easter…
March 31, 2013
Egyptian Satirist Faces Arrest for ‘Insulting’ Islam, President
A state prosecutor in Egypt has ordered a popular satirist to be arrested for allegedly insulting Islam and President Mohammed Morsi. The arrest warrant issued Saturday is one of a series of legal actions against Bassem Youssef, whose popular…
March 31, 2013
Eiffel Tower Evacuated After Bomb Threat
French police evacuated about 1,400 people from the Eiffel Tower for about two hours Saturday after an anonymous caller phoned in a bomb threat. The tower was reopened after a search of the monument with sniffer dogs found no suspicious……
March 31, 2013
NATO Strike Kills Child in Afghanistan
Afghan officials say a NATO helicopter strike Saturday killed at least one child near the capital of Ghazni province. Other reports said two children had died. Officials said the helicopter strike also killed at least nine Taliban fighters. The…
March 31, 2013
Syrian Rebels Kill Pro-Government Cleric
Syrian rebel forces have killed a pro-government Sunni cleric in the northern city of Aleppo and reportedly mutilated his body. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and Syrian state media reported Saturday that Sheikh Hassan Seifeddine, the…
March 22, 2013
UN to investigate North Korea human rights abuses
The UN human rights council has set up an inquiry into human rights abuses in North Korea for the first time. The council unanimously voted for the probe, which will examine allegations of prison camps, slave labour and food deprivation in the…
March 22, 2013
Nicolas Sarkozy to be investigated in Bettencourt scandal
French ex-President Nicolas Sarkozy has been placed under formal investigation over claims his 2007 election campaign received illegal donations from France's richest woman. Mr Sarkozy is accused of accepting thousands of euros from L'Oreal heiress…
March 22, 2013
Xi Jinping heads to Russia in first foreign tour
Xi Jinping is heading to Russia on the first stop of his maiden overseas tour as president of China. Mr Xi is set to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, with the two likely to discuss energy and investment deals. Speaking ahead of the visit, Mr…
March 22, 2013
Australia’s Kevin Rudd in party leadership vow
Kevin Rudd has ruled out any return to the Australian Labor Party leadership, as ructions continue after Thursday's abortive ballot. In a statement, Mr Rudd said there were "no circumstances" under which he would seek the party's top job. His…
March 22, 2013
Obama: Peace with Palestinians Crucial to Israel’s Future
President Barack Obama leaves Israel on Friday, going to Jordan on the next stop of his Mideast trip. Obama told Israelis on Thursday that Palestinians deserve an independent state and Israel's future depends on forging a lasting peace.…