Asia shrugs off global banking shake-up
HONG KONG: Asian banks' shares rallied on Monday as regulators and investors shrugged off the biggest revamp to global banking rules in decades, confident that regional lenders were already in…
Dilemmas loom ahead of next round of Middle East talks Tuesday
JERUSALEM: Both Israel and the Palestinians face dilemmas this week as direct talks recently relaunched in Washington hang in the balance over the looming expiration of an Israeli settlement moratorium.…
Qatar hoping to prove it can host a cool World Cup
DUBAI: Qatar has promised it will keep fans and players cool if it wins the right to host the 2022 World Cup. This week, it will get a chance to…
Tens of thousands held without trial in Iraq jails, says amnesty
BAGHDAD: Tens of thousands of detainees are being held without trial in Iraqi prisons and face violent and psychological abuse as well as other forms of mistreatment, Amnesty International said…
Afghan poll candidate ‘on the front line of war for women’
HEART: Fawzya Gailani says her husband beat her when she won a seat in Afghanistan's parliament. He was jealous that she won more than 14,000 votes in the country's first…
Church school torched in Indian Kashmir in Koran protest
SRINAGAR: An angry mob protesting against a group of Christians who tore up pages of the Koran in Washington torched a missionary school in Indian Kashmir on Monday, police said.…
UN atomic watchdog examines Iran, Syria probes
VIENNA: The UN atomic watchdog convened Monday to discuss the latest developments in its long-running probes of disputed nuclear drives in Iran and Syria, with Chief Yukiya Amano set to…
Australian lawyer ‘smokes’ Quran, Bible pages on YouTube
SYDNEY: An Australian lawyer tore pages from the Quran and the Bible and smoked them on YouTube, days after a US pastor's threat to burn Islam's holy book triggered deadly…
Militants ‘planned maximum casualties’ at Sydney army base
MELBOURNE: Five men plotted to storm an Australian army base with high-powered weapons and shoot as many people as possible to further the cause of Islam, a court heard on…
Malawi’s Mutharika leaves for Iran-African summit
BLANTYRE: Malawian President Bingu wa Mutharika on Monday left for an Iranian-African summit which will discuss how Tehran can assist with development of the continent. "This is a very interesting…