Malaysia Shiites protest at discrimination after arrests (AFP)

Malaysia Shiites protest at discrimination after arrests (AFP)


Malaysia Shiites protest at discrimination after arrests (AFP)

Posted: 27 Dec 2010 10:27 PM PST

File photo of Malaysian Muslims praying. A Malaysian Shiite leader Tuesday protested at discrimination against the sect's followers after the detention of 200 members by religious officials who claim they breached local Islamic laws.(AFP/File/Saeed Khan)AFP - A Malaysian Shiite leader Tuesday protested at discrimination against the sect's followers after the detention of 200 members by religious officials who claim they breached local Islamic laws.



Migrant workers missing in Mexico

Posted: 27 Dec 2010 10:35 PM PST

Survivors quoted as saying nine people were seized from a train in Oaxaca state in the latest kidnapping incident.


Inside the world's tallest tent

Posted: 27 Dec 2010 09:59 PM PST

Rayhan Demytrie visits Kakakhstan's giant transparent tent which allows visitors to enjoy summer weather in the middle of the winter.


Arrests follow Nigeria blasts

Posted: 27 Dec 2010 07:18 PM PST

Three men were arrested with bombs in their possession one day after blasts ripped through the Nigerian city of Jos on Christmas Eve, a government official said Monday.


Iran hangs man convicted of spying for Israel (AP)

Posted: 27 Dec 2010 09:55 PM PST

AP - Iran's official news agency says authorities have hanged an Iranian man convicted of spying for the country's archenemy Israel.


Strike call fails to hit main Ivory Coast city and ports

Posted: 27 Dec 2010 10:39 PM PST

ABIDJAN (Reuters) - Most workers in Ivory Coast's main city of Abidjan ignored a call by presidential claimant Alassane Ouattara for a strike on Monday to force Laurent Gbagbo out of power, saying they must work in order to survive.


Microfinance faces hurdles in empowering Afghan women

Posted: 27 Dec 2010 09:46 PM PST

KABUL (Reuters) - In a dimly lit room at the back of an Afghan house, 21-year-old Zahara is crouched on a plank of wood weaving a large carpet on a loom that she was able to buy using a microfinance loan of $1,100.


Japan DPJ's Ozawa to appear at ethics panel

Posted: 27 Dec 2010 09:36 PM PST

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese political powerbroker Ichiro Ozawa told a news conference on Tuesday that he would appear at a parliamentary ethics panel over a funding scandal, in an about-face likely to ease a rift in the ruling party.


Top China blogger shuts down magazine (AP)

Posted: 27 Dec 2010 09:33 PM PST

AP - One of China's most popular bloggers announced Tuesday he was forced to shut down his freewheeling print magazine after just one issue because government officials appear to have blocked the printing of any new editions.


El Salvador: 3 migrants abducted in Mexico, 5 flee (AP)

Posted: 27 Dec 2010 08:56 PM PST

AP - Gunmen kidnapped nine migrants in a southern Mexican state where 50 disappeared last week, El Salvador's Foreign Ministry announced Monday.


Official: 580 Chinese fugitives in other countries (AP)

Posted: 27 Dec 2010 09:49 PM PST

AP - Nearly 600 fugitives involved with economic crimes such as fraud and embezzlement have fled China and are hiding in other countries, a top security official was quoted as saying Tuesday.


Japan's Ozawa to appear at ethics panel over scandal

Posted: 27 Dec 2010 09:15 PM PST

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese political powerbroker Ichiro Ozawa said on Tuesday he would appear at a parliamentary ethics panel over a funding scandal, in an about-face likely to ease a rift in the ruling party.


US man nabbed for drugs jumps to death in Manila (AP)

Posted: 27 Dec 2010 08:38 PM PST

AP - Philippine and U.S. authorities are investigating the death of a U.S. Navy officer who police say jumped from a second-floor staircase at the Manila airport after being arrested with a sachet of cocaine.


Snow storm paralyses US Northeast

Posted: 27 Dec 2010 08:56 PM PST

Travellers trying to get home after the holiday weekend are stuck in airports and trains, stranded by a blizzard.


Bowlers dominate SA-India game

Posted: 27 Dec 2010 11:53 AM PST

Honours remain even in the second test after a thrilling second day's play in Durban.


Bomb at Rome embassy linked to anarchist attacks (AFP)

Posted: 27 Dec 2010 08:17 PM PST

Italian Carabinierei stand in front of the main entrance of the Greek embassy in Rome on December 27, 2010 after an explosive package was found. Italian police were Tuesday investigating whether an attempted parcel bombing at the Greek embassy in Rome might have been carried out by an anarchist group that targeted two embassies last week.(AFP/Vincenzo Pinto)AFP - Italian police were Tuesday investigating whether an attempted parcel bombing at the Greek embassy in Rome might have been carried out by an anarchist group that targeted two embassies last week.



2 mutilated bodies found in southern Mexico (AP)

Posted: 27 Dec 2010 08:01 PM PST

AP - Police in the Mexican resort of Acapulco found the decapitated bodies of two men in front of a bar where 11 men were reportedly abducted earlier this month, officials said Monday.


US man nabbed for drugs jumps to death in Manila (AP)

Posted: 27 Dec 2010 08:17 PM PST

AP - Philippine and U.S. authorities are investigating the death of a U.S. Navy officer who police say jumped from a second-floor staircase at the Manila airport after being arrested with a sachet of cocaine.


Amid Crisis, Europe Crosses the Rubicon

Posted: 27 Dec 2010 08:20 PM PST

Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy's pact at Deauville set off a chain of events that ultimately has led the leaders of the 16-nation euro zone to stumble into an even closer union.


S. Korea leader: We must be unified

Posted: 27 Dec 2010 10:50 AM PST

In the face of North Korean threats, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak stepped up his nationalist push, urging countrymen in a radio address "to stand together, united as one."