Afghan official: 8 policemen killed at checkpoint (AP)

Afghan official: 8 policemen killed at checkpoint (AP)


Afghan official: 8 policemen killed at checkpoint (AP)

Posted: 13 Dec 2009 10:53 PM PST

This undated handout picture shows Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden (centre) at an undisclosed location in Afghanistan. The US may be expanding its war against Al-Qaeda, but experts warn that prize target, bin Laden, has become a symbolic icon whose liquidation alone would not destroy the terror network.(AFP/HO/File/AFP)AP - Militants killed eight Afghan policemen during an attack Monday on a checkpoint in northeast Afghanistan.



Report: 1,400 killed in east Congo over 9 months (AP)

Posted: 13 Dec 2009 10:48 PM PST

Members of TP Mazembe's soccer team take part in a training session at Mohammed Bin Zayed stadium in Abu Dhabi December 10, 2009. TP Mazembe Englebert of the Democratic Republic of Congo will play South Korea's Pohang Steelers on Friday during the FIFA Club World Cup soccer tournament. REUTERS/Fadi Al-Assaad (UNITED ARAB EMIRATES SPORT SOCCER)AP - A human rights group says more than 1,400 civilians have been killed in eastern Congo during army operations to oust militiamen from the area.



China blocks Sun TV signal in content crackdown (Reuters)

Posted: 13 Dec 2009 10:45 PM PST

Reuters - China has revoked permission for cable operators to distribute commercial network Sun TV due to its outspoken talk shows, sources said on Monday, as part of a government crackdown on content deemed sensitive and too bold.


Gunmen kill eight Afghan policemen

Posted: 13 Dec 2009 08:35 PM PST

altKUNDUZ, Afghanistan Islamist gunmen stormed an Afghan police post set up to protect NATO convoys in northern Baghlan province overnight, killing eight policemen, the provincial governor said Monday.

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Afghan air strike wreaks more havoc in Germany

Posted: 13 Dec 2009 05:35 PM PST

BERLIN - Pressure is growing on Chancellor Angela Merkel over a deadly air strike in Afghanistan in September that has already claimed the scalp of Germany's top general and the defence minister at the time.

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Afghan war decision toughest of presidency

Posted: 13 Dec 2009 04:30 PM PST

WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama said that his decision to pour 30,000 more US troops into the war in Afghanistan was the most difficult of his presidency so far.

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Iran's Khamenei issues stern warning to opposition

Posted: 13 Dec 2009 03:17 AM PST

TEHRAN - Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned opposition leaders on Sunday to distance themselves from protesters he accused of acting against the Islamic regime's late founder Ayatollah Khomeini.

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Philippine kidnappers 'free 47 hostages'

Posted: 13 Dec 2009 01:14 AM PST

PROSPERIDAD, Philippines - Tribal gunmen on Sunday released all 47 hostages they had been holding for four days in a mountainous area of the southern Philippines, a government official said.

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Thais extend North Korean arms cargo crew's detention

Posted: 13 Dec 2009 10:55 PM PST

BANGKOK (Reuters) - A Thai court on Monday extended the detention of the crew of a seized cargo aircraft loaded with 35 tonnes of arms from North Korea as its unscheduled arrival in Bangkok stirred questions over illicit-weapons trade.


S.Lanka set for record current account surplus (AFP)

Posted: 13 Dec 2009 10:20 PM PST

Sri Lankan workers pack tea at a factory on the outskirts of Colombo in August. Sri Lanka is expected to record a surplus in its current account for the first time in 32 years, the central bank said Monday.(AFP/File/Ishara S. Kodikara)AFP - Sri Lanka is expected to record a surplus in its current account for the first time in 32 years, the central bank said Monday.



Hamas celebrates anniversary in war-damaged Gaza (AP)

Posted: 13 Dec 2009 10:56 PM PST

A general view shows the Jewish settlement of Givat Zeev behind Israel's controversial separation barrier in the occupied West Bank, as seen from Jerusalem. Israel approved Sunday listing some Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank as zones that entitle the communities to millions of dollars of extra state funding.(AFP/Ahmad Gharabli)AP - The Islamic militant group Hamas is marking the anniversary of its 1987 founding with celebrations Monday, hoping to show it still has broad support despite four years of rule that have led Gaza into war, poverty and isolation.



Gunmen storm Afghan police post, kill 8: governor (AFP)

Posted: 13 Dec 2009 10:30 PM PST

An Afghan policeman keeps guard behind sandbags on a street in Kandahar. Islamist gunmen stormed an Afghan police post set up to protect NATO convoys in northern Baghlan province overnight, killing eight policemen, the provincial governor said Monday.(AFP/File/Banaras Khan)AFP - Islamist gunmen stormed an Afghan police post set up to protect NATO convoys in the north of the country overnight, killing eight policemen, a senior local official said Monday.



Abu Dhabi gives $10bn to Dubai

Posted: 13 Dec 2009 10:46 PM PST

Move by biggest member of UAE will cover bond payments of Dubai World conglomerate.


Myanmar rebels grow more opium to buy arms: report

Posted: 13 Dec 2009 10:09 PM PST

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Ethnic groups in northeastern Myanmar have stepped up opium cultivation to buy weapons to defend themselves against possible attacks by the country's military, a United Nations report said on Monday.


Abu Dhabi gives Dubai $10 billion to cover debt (AP)

Posted: 13 Dec 2009 09:40 PM PST

AP - Dubai's government says it has received $10 billion in emergency funds from oil-rich neighbor Abu Dhabi that will go toward paying debts owed by its struggling Dubai World conglomerate.


Gunmen kill eight Afghan policemen: governor

Posted: 13 Dec 2009 08:35 PM PST

KUNDUZ, Afghanistan - Islamist gunmen stormed an Afghan police post set up to protect NATO convoys in northern Baghlan province overnight, killing eight policemen, the provincial governor said Monday.

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Afghan war decision toughest of presidency: Obama

Posted: 13 Dec 2009 04:30 PM PST

WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama said that his decision to pour 30,000 more US troops into the war in Afghanistan was the most difficult of his presidency so far.

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Guinea junta rejects foreign troop calls

Posted: 13 Dec 2009 08:33 AM PST

OUAGADOUGOU - Guinea's military junta rejected Monday the dispatch of foreign troops after the international community called for a force to protect civilians from violence in the west African country.

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Philippines hunts escaped inmates

Posted: 13 Dec 2009 09:19 PM PST

Military launches manhunt after 31 prisoners break out of jail in southern province.


Ex-senior public servant blasts Blair over Iraq war (AFP)

Posted: 13 Dec 2009 09:04 PM PST

File photo of former Crown Prosecution Service chief Sir Ken Macdonald, who launched a scathing attack Monday on the former British prime minister over the Iraq war, accusing him of AFP - One of Tony Blair's most senior public servants launched a scathing attack Monday on the former prime minister over the Iraq war, accusing him of "sycophancy" towards Washington.