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Syria’s Assad rebuffs Annan, troops attack Idlib

The president, Bashar al-Assad, told UN/Arab League envoy Kofi Annan on Saturday that no political solution was possible in Syria while ‘terrorist’ groups were destabilising the country.‘Syria is ready to make a success of any honest effort to... Full story

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Air raids kill 33 al-Qaeda suspects in Yemen

Air strikes killed at least 33 suspected al-Qaeda militants in Yemen, in the first such action since a massive attack on the army, local officials said on Saturday. The sources said that 27 were killed and 55 wounded in air raids which... Full story

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Thousands rally against federalism across Libya

Demonstrators flooded the streets of Tripoli and Benghazi in protest against federalism on Friday and one person was killed when an iconic market was set ablaze, a medic and AFP journalists said. Thousands of people converged at the seaside... Full story

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Still searching for Japan tsunami missing to ease pain

The Japanese police painstakingly search the river and shoreline for bodies of the missing a year after the huge earthquake and tsunami swept away large areas of the fishing town of Rikuzentakata. Full story

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Israeli air strikes kill 14 in Gaza

Israeli air strikes on Gaza killed 14 Palestinians, including a militant group chief, medics said Saturday, in the deadliest flareup in more than three years. The Israeli military said earlier the air force carried out 13 attacks on a range of... Full story

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Young new star rises in Uttar Pradesh

A fresh young star was chosen Saturday to take power in India’s most populous and politically key state after dealing a stinging electoral humiliation to the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty scion Rahul Gandhi. Full story

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Taliban demand release of bin Laden’s widows, threaten attacks

The Pakistan Taliban will attack government, police and military officials if three of the late al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden’s widows are not released from Pakistani custody, a spokesman for the militant group said on Friday. Full story

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Tibet exiles blame China ‘hardliners’ for immolations

Tibet’s government-in-exile on Saturday blamed China’s ‘hardline’ leaders for a string of Tibetan self-immolations as it marked the anniversary of the Dalai Lama’s failed revolt against Chinese rule. Full story

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Registration for Egypt presidential poll kicks off

Egypt’s presidential race kicked off on Saturday, with registration open for candidates to run the country after a popular uprising ousted veteran president Hosni Mubarak last year. Full story

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Republican race moves to US conservative heartland

The battle for the Republican Party crown moves into new territory Saturday, with the ‘reddest of the red’ states, conservative heartland Kansas, heading for the polls amid attempts by Rick Santorum to hobble Mitt Romney’s slow march forward. Full story

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Moscow police arrest a dozen after anti-Putin rally

The Moscow police on Saturday arrested about a dozen protesters, including radical leftist leader Sergei Udaltsov, who had tried to march after a rally against president-elect Vladimir Putin. Full story

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Supporters rally for Chavez’s recovery from cancer

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Protests as Strauss-Kahn speaks at Cambridge University

Scuffles broke out Friday at Cambridge University as about 200 protesters demonstrated against a speech by Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former IMF chief accused of sexual assault. Full story

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