AMMAN - Security forces killed 37 people in Syria on Friday, activists and residents claimed, as the UN Security Council prepared to discuss Damascus later in the day ahead of a possible vote next...

BAGHDAD - In the deadliest attack in nearly two weeks at least 28 people were killed and around 50 injured Friday in a car bomb blast in Zafraniyah district of east Baghdad near a funeral procession...

SEOUL - The United States and South Korea are to hold annual military exercises on the Korean peninsula soon, the first since the recent change of leadership in North Korea.

There had been...

JACKSONVILLE, Florida - Republican presidential frontrunners Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich sparred repeatedly in a livewire debate Thursday, five days ahead of the high-stakes Florida primary voting...

NEW YORK - Fitch Ratings Friday downgraded the sovereign credit ratings of five euro currency countries - Italy, Spain, Slovenia, Belgium and Cyprus, contending they lack financing flexibility in the...

PARIS - The founder of a French company at the centre of a global health scare over faulty breast implants was Friday charged with "involuntary injury", his lawyers said.

Jean-Claude Mas, 72, head...

LONDON - Royal Bank of Scotland boss Stephen Hester will receive a bonus of 963,000 pounds, or $1.51 million, for last year, a decision by the government-owned bank that has been strongly...

DAVOS - The web economy of the G20 is projected to reach $4.2 trillion in 2016 - nearly double the size of $2.3 trillion in 2010, according to a study by a global management consulting firm.

The...

The country that has long been known to abuse its powers and privileges in the United Nations is now leading a campaign to reform the same organization.

While UN reforms are welcomed, if not...

WASHINGTON - In a move that has caused dismay among its users, popular social network Twitter said it can selectively censor messages on a country-by-country basis.

In a blog post titled 'Tweets...

A total of 500 million yuan (around $79 million) from China's lottery earnings has been used to financially support underprivileged school students and teachers, the education ministry has said.

At...

India dropped a place to the third spot in International Cricket Council (ICC) Test rankings after their humiliating 0-4 whitewash by Australia in the Border Gavaskar Trophy that concluded here...

India is making its mark on the global economy with "electrifying skill, innovation and dynamism" and now is the time is right to study, invest and work with the country, British Foreign Secretary...

The UN has launched a tree plantation campaign in Pakistan's flood-hit areas and plans to plant 200,000 trees in 400 villages.

The campaign is part of an initiative by the UN Human Settlements...

India suffered another 0-4 whitewash in seven months, losing the fourth and final Test against Australia by a massive 298 runs at the Adelaide Oval here Saturday.

The defeat was very much on the...

Aneesh Chopra, President Barack Obama's information technology honcho, who was the highest ranking Indian American in the Obama administration, is leaving the White House, apparently to try his hand...

Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo who was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer in 2010 has overcome the disease, his doctors said.

"Medical examinations confirm the complete remission of lymphoma," the...

The final scoreboard of the fourth and final cricket Test between India and Australia at the Adelaide Oval here Saturday:

Australia first innings: 604/7 declared

India first innings: 272

Australia...

Iran's parliament is to discuss a bill Sunday that seeks to halt its oil exports to the European Union (EU).

The bill calls for a ban of oil exports to the EU as early as next week, Hossein...

India were all out for 201 runs in the second innings as Australia won the fourth and the final Test by a massive 298 runs to wrap up the series 4-0 at the Adelaide Oval here Saturday.

Local boy...

An undersea quake measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale Saturday struck near the eastern coast of Honshu island in Japan, the US Geological Survey said.

The tremor occurred at 0022 GMT at a depth of 34...

Model Daisy Lowe is appointed as the new face of fashion store Biba.

According to creative director Lara Bohinc, the 23-year-old has been appointed for brands' Lara Bohinc accessories collection,...

Actor Johnny Depp is planning to ignore this year's Oscar awards over rumors of his relationship problems.

The 48-year-old is expected to present an award at the ceremony but feels his appearance...

Mitch Winehouse, father of Amy Winehouse, has accused fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier of cashing in on the late singer's death by using her as the inspiration for his latest catwalk show.

The ...

More than 800 firefighters, policemen and villagers were battling to put out a raging forest fire that broke out in the mountains in southwest China.

The inferno broke out around 4.30 p.m. Friday in...

International ratings agency Fitch has downgraded its sovereign credit ratings of Belgium, Cyprus, Italy, Spain and Slovenia.

Ratings of Italy and Spain, two Eurozone economic heavyweights, were...

Conspiracies are hatched against the government everyday and "we will foil all of them", Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari has said.

Zardari said the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)...

Singer Kylie Minogue says her relationship with model Andres Velencoso is the most fulfilling she's ever had and she just "feels" right with him.

The 43- year-old, who has previously dated actors...

Actor George Clooney says he wants to attend this year's London Olympics.

The "Descendants" actor is delighted the world's biggest sports event is coming to the British capital as he loves visiting,...

US stocks ended mixed Friday as investors weighed conflicting economic data against the ongoing Greek debt swap talks.

The Dow Jones industrial average lost 74.17 points, or 0.58 percent, to...

Nine people died Friday in Peru when their van tumbled down a cliff into a deep ravine as the driver and his helper were checking the vehicle's tires.

The highway police said the accident took place...

Actress Vanessa Hudgens says she is very boring.

The 23-year-old believes she has not been lured by the dark side of Hollywood thanks to her love of being dull.

"That kind of thing isn't really my...

Ford Friday posted a net income of $20.2 billion in 2011, the third consecutive year of the company's increased operating profits.

The company's 2011 net income, equal to $4.94 per share, was an...

The US economy grew at the fastest pace in a year and a half in the fourth quarter of 2011, the Commerce Department said Friday.

The encouraging acceleration ended the year with a positive note, but...

The UN Children's Fund (Unicef) Friday appealed for $1.28 billion to provide humanitarian assistance to children in over 25 countries this year.

"We have achieved many positive results in emergency...

Head of the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) Stephen Hester has been criticized for receiving nearly one million pound bonus.

The 963,000-pound share bonus is on top of his 1.2 million-pound basic...

The UN Friday organised a memorial ceremony to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust, with a particular focus on child victims.

The memorial ceremony was held on the annual International Day of...

US stocks traded mixed Friday amid news that the US economy grew slower than expected, and concerns over the ongoing Greece debt negotiations.

The Commerce Department reported that US gross domestic...

Turkish President Abdullah Gul will begin an official visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Sunday.

Leading a high-level delegation, Gul will hold talks with UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed...

Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev Friday said the energy-rich Central Asian nation would prioritise diversification of the economy away from resource extraction toward industrial-innovation...

Former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf will definitely be arrested if he returns to the country, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said here Friday.

"In fact, there had been murder charges...

Technology giant Apple has launched a probe into a report that said factories in China that manufactured its products employed child labour and had 24-hour working days and unsafe conditions, a media...

Real Madrid will need to put their Copa del Rey disappointments behind them when they host Zaragoza in the Spanish Primera Liga football Saturday night.

Madrid took some consolation from their 4-3...

Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola will have to overcome a serious injury crisis in order to keep his side's bid for a fourth successive Spanish Primera Liga title alive.

Barcelona progressed to the...

Sahara Force India Friday named Frenchman Jules Bianchi as their reserve driver for the 2012 Formula One season.

The 22-year-old will be integrated in the team's programme and will participate in a...

Passengers on the wrecked Italian cruise ship Costa Concordia will receive a compensation lump sum of 11,000 euros (around $14,000) each, the Italian Association of Tour Operators said in a statement...

Russia, which sent into space the first artificial satellite, the first man and the first woman, has now launched a competition to select new cosmonauts.

State space agency Roscosmos Friday said...

Male mice are able to sing melodic tunes to attract female partners, a study has said.

The tunes are sung at ultrasonic range beyond human hearing, and each mouse has its own individual signature...

American intelligence agency FBI is reportedly developing new software to scan social networks Twitter and Facebook to look for emerging threats and predict crimes.

The FBI has asked technology...

Lashing out against the non-performing seniors, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has said that three seniors have played their last Test series for the country.

As India head towards their second...