Syria violence pushes diplomatic divide

At least 100 civilians were killed in attacks by Syrian government forces on restive areas across the country on Tuesday, activists said, as the Red Cross called for daily ceasefires to allow aid into the besieged city of Homs. The attacks, focused on Homs and the town of Idlib close to the Turkish border, came as the Obama administration hinted for the first time on Tuesday that it could give...

Nato apologises for Koran burning 'error'

Islamabad: The commander of US and Nato forces in Afghanistan was forced to apologise after the burning of copies of the Koran in a rubbish pit sparked a furious protest outside a military base. About 2,000 people gathered outside the gates of Bagram air base to throw rocks and burn tyres on Tuesday as word spread that copies of the Muslim holy book had been incinerated in a waste pit....

Greece races to meet bail-out demands

Athens: The Greek government is racing to complete a lengthy checklist of reforms demanded by international lenders before the end of February to unlock a 130bn bail-out agreed in the early hours of Tuesday morning after months of high-stakes bargaining. The tough conditions and the short timetable reflect the collapse of trust between Greece and its trio of lenders " the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International...

McCain calls for US to support Syria rebels

Cairo: An influential US senator on a trip through the Middle East called on Washington to take a strong stance in support of the uprising against Bashar al-Assad, Syria's president, by providing logistical support to the armed rebels fighting him. Though John McCain, the Republican senator, did not say the US should arm the rebel Free Syrian Army, he advocated providing them with medical help, intelligence and ways of getting...

Putin unveils plan to boost Russian military

Moscow: Vladimir Putin has promised a near-doubling of Russia's defence spending over the next decade as he seeks to bolster his credentials with the military two weeks before presidential elections on March 4. Outlining the need to strengthen Russia's defences, in an article in the Moscow daily Rossiskaya Gazeta, Russia's prime minister wrote: "New regional and local wars are being sparked before our very eyes...There are attempts to provoke such...

Eurozone agrees second Greek bail-out

Brussels: Eurozone finance ministers reached a long-delayed 130bn second bail-out for Greece early on Tuesday after strong-arming private holders of Greek bonds to take even deeper losses than they had accepted last month. Although Greek bondholders agreed in October to accept a 50 per cent cut in the face value of their bonds in face-to-face negotiations with Nicolas Sarkozy, France's president, and German chancellor Angela Merkel, they will now be...

Obama woos China's leader-in-waiting

Washington: China's leader-in-waiting smiled for the cameras this week at the White House, reminisced with old farming friends in Iowa and was due to watch a Los Angeles Lakers basketball game. But he gave little away about how he would run China over the next decade. Xi Jinping, who is expected to assume the Chinese leadership next year, made the most high-profile visit yet by a vice-president to the US...

Romney fights for home state win

Detroit, Michigan: On the campaign trail in Michigan, Mitt Romney listed what he loves about his birth state. The people, the cars, the lakes, the air " and even the trees. "The trees are just the right height," he said, without explanation. Mr Romney must be hoping that Republicans in Michigan love him back. After three recent losses in ballots to Rick Santorum for the partys 2012 nomination, Mr Romney...