Politics

Carnage as Taliban storm Pakistan school, kill 141

In Pakistan's bloodiest terror attack, Taliban insurgents stormed a school run by the army on Tuesday, killing at least 141 people, almost all of them children.

Dec 17, 2014

Residents of Donetsk mistrust ceasefire in Ukraine

There is mistrust in Donetsk over the latest ceasefire between pro-Russian forces and the Ukrainian army.

Dec 17, 2014

Protesters stage anti-corruption rally in front of Petrobras

Dozens of people protested against corruption in front of the headquarters of Brazilian oil giant Petrobras in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday.

Dec 17, 2014

In Brazil, a call for legal medicinal use of cannabis compound

Brazils parliament is currently examining a draft law to legalise cannabidiol, one of at least 85 active cannabinoids in cannabis, for use in medical treatments for patients suffering from serious epileptic fits.

Dec 17, 2014

French press freedom NGO protests Eritrean reporters' detention

Reporters Without Borders staged a demonstration in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris to mark the release of its annual report on press freedom on Tuesday.

Dec 17, 2014

L'Oreal former head kicks up stink over chip stall at ski resort

British businessman and L'Oral former head Lindsay Owen-Jones sues a chip stall outside his chalet in the French Alps, claiming it represents an 'olfactory nuisance.'

Dec 17, 2014

Treatments offer hope for Ebola breakthrough in 2015

In Sierra Leone, despite major public health efforts to contain Ebola, it continues to spread. But with a number of treatments in development, medical professionals hope that the epidemic could be stopped in 2015.

Dec 17, 2014

Dutch launch 'intelligent bicycle' that warns of danger

The Netherlands launched its first-ever "intelligent bicycle", fitted with an array of electronic devices to help bring down the high accident rate among elderly cyclists in the bicycle-mad country.

Dec 17, 2014

Six dead in US shootings, manhunt for gunman

Police are hunting for a gunman suspected of killing six people and seriously wounding another in a series of shootings near the northeastern US city of Philadelphia.

Dec 17, 2014

Turkey football fans on trial for 'seeking to oust Erdogan'

Thirty-five supporters of Turkish top flight football side Besiktas went on trial in a hugely controversial case on charges of seeking to overthrow the authorities led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2013 protests.

Dec 17, 2014

France's Sauternes wine threatened by new train line

Winemakers in southwestern France's Bordeaux are concerned about a proposed high speed train line that could affect the microclimate required for the region's sweet wine.

Dec 16, 2014

Russians see the ruble tumble to an all-time record low

The Russian ruble set a new all-time record low on Tuesday after bouncing back briefly despite an emergency move by Russia's central bank to raise interest rates to 17 percent.

Dec 16, 2014

Nigerians flee to Niger to escape Boko Haram attacks

Niger is facing a massive influx of Nigerian refugees fleeing deadly attacks by Islamist group Boko Haram. The UN says at least 115,000 people have crossed the border from Nigeria since April 2013.

Dec 16, 2014

Pakistan Sells Out PoK Resources to China

Muzaffarabad, December 16, 2014: Pakistan goes ahead with Chinese projects in PoK defying local resistance, Islamabad selling Pakistan's natural resources to China without consent of Kashmiris. Notwithstanding India's objections and International norms to China-backed developmental projects in PoK, Pakistan is going ahead with its plans, including the multi-billion dollar Sino-Pak economic corridor. Chinese strategy vis--vis PoK appears to be heading toward gaining tacit control of the region - both militarily and politico-diplomatically. By increasing investments and sponsoring various "development projects" in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of PoK, the activities involving several thousand Chinese personnel belonging to the construction corps of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) seem to point towards an expansionist Chinese geo-strategic agenda in the region. China's Western Highway, also known as the Lhasa-Kashgar/Xinjiang Highway connects Xinjiang to Tibet. From Quilanaldi, the road branches off to the Khunjerab Pass and, subsequently, becomes the Karakoram Highway right up to Gilgit. Pakistan is also selling off mines in the region. Locals are here very angry.

Dec 16, 2014

India condemns terror attack on innocent children in Peshawar

New Delhi, Dec 16 (ANI): Cutting across party lines, Indian political and social leaders on Tuesday condemned the attack by a terror outfit on a Pakistani school, terming it as 'inhuman', and adding that the Islamic Republic has fallen prey to its own Frankenstein's monster. Leaders Shashi Tharoor, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Sanjay Raut, Arvind Kejriwal, Former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda and Former External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid condemned the attack. Child Rights Activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi also condemned the attack. The ongoing attack on Peshawar's Army Public School by the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), has reportedly led to the death of 130 people, including at least 100 students.

Dec 16, 2014