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Fresh clashes in Damascus, Aleppo

Syrian troops on Sunday fought rebels and shelled their bastions in the country’s two main cities Damascus and Aleppo, a day after UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi warned the conflict threatens world peace. The fighting in Damascus erupted at dawn and was focused in the... Full story

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India labels anti-Islam film ‘offensive material’

India on Sunday said that Google had blocked access in the country to an anti-Islam film which has triggered protests across the Muslim world as it condemned the ‘offensive’ movie. Full story

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Man linked to anti-Islam film taken in for questioning

A California man linked to an anti-Islam film that sparked violent protests across the Muslim world was questioned on Saturday by authorities investigating possible violations of his probation... Full story

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Anti-Japan protests again erupt across China

Thousands of anti-Japanese demonstrators mounted protests in cities across China on Sunday over disputed islands in the East China Sea, a day after an attempt to storm Tokyo’s embassy in the capital. Full story

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Stiff test ahead for Indian reform drive

The Indian government faces protests, strike threats and internal dissent this week in what promises to be a test of its reform credentials and its bid to regain momentum. Determined to reduce public... Full story

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Bomb blast kills 14 in northwest Pakistan

A remote-controlled bomb targeting a passenger van killed at least 14 people and wounded 10 others in northwestern Pakistan on Sunday, the police said, blaming militants for the attack. Full story

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Topless Kate photos to spread despite legal action

Britain’s royal family said on Sunday it would seek legal damages from French magazine Closer as it tries to prevent the spread of topless photos of Prince William’s wife Catherine. Full story

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Death of AQAP 2nd man not confirmed

Saudi Arabia cannot confirm that the second in command of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula was killed in a Yemeni army raid last week, al-Riyadh newspaper reported on Sunday citing... Full story

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Egypt militants attack Sinai security HQ

Militants attacked a security building in Egypt’s Sinai on Sunday sparking clashes, while three policemen were wounded in separate fighting in the area, security officials said. The clashes erupted as armed... Full story

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Maldives rejects dancing ban, vows ‘tolerant society’

The Maldives government rejected Sunday a ban on dancing in public between men and women called by its own Islamic Affairs ministry and pledged that the honeymoon hotspot would remain a beacon of tolerance. Full story

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Suu Kyi leave for US

Democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi leaves Myanmar Sunday for her first visit in two decades to the United States, where she will be garlanded by supporters keen to discuss... Full story

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First gay HK lawmaker seeks same-sex marriage

Hong Kong’s first openly gay lawmaker is known as ‘Slow Beat’ from his days as a disc jockey, but Raymond Chan says there is nothing slow about his plans to reform the Asian banking hub. Full story

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Iran admits Guards in Syria, warns against attack

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards admitted Sunday for the first time that members of its elite Quds Force are in Syria, and warned Israel and Washington against any attack on the Islamic republic’s nuclear sites. Full story

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S African police disperse march by striking platinum miners

The South African police on Sunday blocked a march by protesting miners after a security crackdown in the restive platinum belt, where officers shot dead 34 strikers exactly a month ago. Full story

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W House race nudges toward Obama

President Barack Obama has carved out a clear advantage in the White House race even as he juggles the demands of his re-election campaign with managing a raging Middle East crisis. Full story

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30,000 Swimmers celebrate sea goddess in Taiwan

About 30,000 people swam a 3.3-kilometre route across a scenic lake in central Taiwan on Sunday in celebration of a Taoist sea goddess. An idol of the goddess Matsu was placed... Full story

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Zimbabwe PM marries under polygamy custom

The Zimbabwean prime minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, whose wedding plans appeared to have been thwarted when a court ruled he was already wed to a former flame, pressed ahead with his marriage on Saturday under a custom that permits polygamy. Full story

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Iran foundation boosts bounty to kill Rushdie

An Iranian foundation has reportedly increased a bounty for the death of Salman Rushdie, saying that if the British writer had previously been killed for blasphemy an anti-Islam film currently enraging Muslims would... Full story

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Khmer ‘first lady’ walks free

The former ‘first lady’ of Cambodia’s murderous Khmer Rouge regime was freed on Sunday, a court official said, after the country’s war crimes tribunal had ruled she was unfit to stand trial. Full story

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