DAMASCUS – Tension brewed Wednesday between the United Nations and Syrian rebels after about 30 rebels detained 21 U.N. peacekeepers and refused to let them go. The U.N., in turn, is demanding they be released. The rebels contend that the peacekeepers entered a Syrian village near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, an area where peacekeepers should…
CARACAS – Venezuelans began seven days of painful and public mourning on Tuesday night after the announcement that their president, Hugo Chávez, had died aged 58 after a long battle against cancer. The country’s vice-president, Nicolás Maduro – tipped as a likely successor – broke the news on Tuesday night, prompting a wave of grief…
ALEPPO – Rebels have captured large parts of a Syrian police academy near Aleppo, after a fierce battle resulting in heavy loss of life, activists say. Video emerged on Saturday apparently showing rebels breaking into the sprawling Khan al-Assal compound. Almost 200 fighters had been killed on both sides over eight days, UK-based activist group…
QUITO – Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa has been re-elected for a third term with more than 50% of the vote. His main challenger has admitted defeat. Addressing his supporters in the capital, Quito, Mr Correa called for “another four years of revolution”. First elected in 2007, the socialist leader is widely credited with bringing political…
VATICAN – Pope Benedict XVI is to resign at the end of this month in an unexpected development, saying he is too old to continue at the age of 85. He became Pope in 2005 following John Paul II’s death. Resignations from the papacy are not unknown, but this is the first in the modern…
SHANGHAI – Shanghai’s Hotel Industry Association is, you would think, naturally a conservative kind of organisation. It represents more than 50 five-star hotels, which cater for the city’s rich and powerful elite. The association’s president, Huang Tiemin, is himself a top hotelier and a card-carrying member of the Communist Party. He seems a very unlikely…
DAMASCUS – The bodies of dozens of young men, all apparently summarily executed, have been found in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, rebels and activists say. At least 65 bodies were found on the banks of the Quwaiq river in the western district of Bustan al-Qasr, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR)…
PYONGYANG – North Korea has issued another warning, a day after announcing plans for a third nuclear test. In a statement, Pyongyang pledged “physical counter-measures” against South Korea if it participated in the UN sanctions regime. The threat came 24 hours after North Korea said it would proceed with a “high-level” nuclear test in a…
WASHINGTON – Barack Obama has arrived at the US Capitol, where he is soon to take the oath of office for his second term as president. Hundreds of thousands of supporters have gathered to see Mr Obama, 51, be sworn in by Chief Justice John Roberts. Festivities include black-tie balls, a parade, and musical performances….
PARIS – The UN Security Council has unanimously backed France’s military intervention in Mali to fight Islamist rebels, officials have said. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he hoped the intervention would help restore “Mali’s constitutional order and territorial integrity”. Thousands of African troops are due to join Malian and French forces to help push…
