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US, Israel responsible for Syria conflict: Iran

The United States and Israel are responsible for the conflict scorching Syria by ‘flooding weapons’ to rebels there, the supreme leader of Iran -- the main ally of Syria’s regime -- said on Friday, according to his official website. ‘The main and behind-the-scenes operators... Full story

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Assange expects to stay in embassy for up to a year

Julian Assange expects to remain holed up in Ecuador’s London embassy for up to a year as the two countries struggle to resolve a diplomatic row over the controversial WikiLeaks founder. Full story

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US grants asylum to Ecuador opposition reporter

The United States has granted asylum to an Ecuadoran journalist critical of President Rafael Correa in what could be a subtle swipe at Quito over its sheltering of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Full story

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Pacific leaders urge US to clean up nuclear mess

Pacific leaders preparing to greet US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on Washington on Thursday to clean-up the mess left by its nuclear tests in the Marshall Islands. Full story

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Syrians ‘fear for their lives every minute’: ICRC

Syrian civilians are living in a constant state of fear, the International Committee of the Red Cross said on Friday, warning of a fast deteriorating humanitarian situation across large parts of the country. Full story

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Myanmar posts names trimmed from blacklist

The names recently trimmed from Myanmar’s blacklist read like a who’s who of prominent diplomats, human rights campaigners and Asian-based journalists. After announcing this week... Full story

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15 Pakistan troops missing after clashes

Pakistani security officials on Friday said 15 troops were missing following fighting with militants in the country’s lawless northwest three days ago. The clashes on Tuesday came as part... Full story

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Vietnamese dog thieves lynched

Two suspected dog thieves were beaten to death in Vietnam by an angry mob that caught them allegedly trying to sell the animals to local restaurants, state media said. Police have opened a murder... Full story

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Berlusconi dislocates shoulder, wrist in fall

Italian former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has dislocated his shoulder and a wrist after a fall in the garden of his villa in Sardinia, Italian media reported on Friday. The 75-year-old took a tumble while walking in the park... Full story

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Mexico wastewater project uncovers Ice Age bones

Workers have discovered hundreds of bones belonging to Ice Age animals, including mammoths, mastodons and glyptodons, while digging to build a wastewater treatment plant north of Mexico City. Full story

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Merkel urges Israel not to strike Iran

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to order a military strike against Iranian nuclear sites, the newspaper Haaretz reported on Friday. Full story

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Bing adds Facebook photo search feature

Bing added a feature Thursday that lets people search through photos friends posted on Facebook. ‘With more than 300 million photos uploaded to Facebook per day, photo viewing is one... Full story

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Sudan rebels destroy army camp

Rebels in Sudan’s South Kordofan state said Friday they destroyed a military camp in a district capital, killing four soldiers after vowing to step up their efforts to overthrow the government. Full story

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Thai south rattled by coordinated attacks

Militants in Thailand’s Muslim-majority south carried out a wave of coordinated attacks Friday, wounding several soldiers and hoisting the Malaysian flag across the restive region, officials said. Full story

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Afghans among 54 rescued from asylum boat

Afghans were among the 54 survivors from an asylum-seeker boat that disappeared two days ago off the Indonesian coast, but hopes of finding about 100 more missing were fading fast on Friday. Full story

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Three killed in US shopping centre shooting

A shooting early Friday at a shopping center in a New York suburb has left three people dead, including the alleged gunman, local media reported. The shooting took place around 4:00am inside a Pathmark store... Full story

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Abramovich wins court battle against Berezovsky

Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky lost his long-running legal battle with fellow tycoon Roman Abramovich in London’s High Court on Friday and was roundly criticised by the trial judge. Full story

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Seven believed killed in Philippine landslide

At least seven people are believed to have been killed after a landslide struck a gold-rush mountain community in the southern Philippines, the mayor of a nearby city said Friday. Full story

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HK students’ hunger strike over patriotism class

Three Hong Kong students have gone on a 72-hour hunger strike in the latest protest against government plans to introduce Chinese patriotism classes, a student activist group said Friday. Full story

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Malaysian transsexuals challenge cross-dressing law

Four transsexuals are challenging an Islamic law that bars men from dressing or behaving as women in Muslim-majority Malaysia, saying it is unconstitutional. The landmark case was heard Thursday at the Seremban... Full story

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