Kuwait and Saudi Arabia told Wednesday the US Iraq-debt envoy that they were willing to begin talks over reducing debts owed by Iraq, the Lebanon Daily Star informed. However both states said this would be conditional on the election of a new, "legitimate
People across Asia and in Asian communities around the world have been celebrating the Lunar New Year. The star of Chinese celebrations was the country's first man in space, Yang Liwei, who appeared on TV to wish people a happy year of the monkey.
Bartholomew I, the Orthodox ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople, arrived in Havana on a five-day visit, the first time a leader of the Orthodox Church has paid a visit to Latin America. Cuban President Fidel Castro welcomed the patriarch, who claims to
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was under a cloud, facing the possibility of criminal charges after a businessman was indicted for attempting to bribe him when he was foreign minister. Meanwhile, the US said it would despatch two senior diplomats to t
Inspectors from the UN nuclear watchdog have arrived in Libya on Tuesday to work along with British and US inspection teams already present in the North African country, under a deal struck the day before in Vienna. Britain and the United States are to pr
Turkey's accession to the EU "passes" through resolving the Cyprus issue, President of New Democracy Kostas Karamanlis stressed in a speech at the solemn dinner held Tuesday in his honor in Cyprus, MPA news agency informed. The village of Pila is a good e
The World Bank may provide funding to finance the restoration of Iraq's economy only after a legitimate government is formed in the country, WB President James Wolfensohn said on Wednesday, cited by ITAR-TASS news agency. He stressed that the WB had alrea
A roadside bomb exploded near a group of U.S.
In his third State of the Union address since becoming US president, George Bush defended his administration record. The President also insisted that his foreign policies, including the war against Iraq, had made the country and the world safer.
For its supporters, gay marriage is a cause that has recently made historic strides. For Republicans and Democrats, it is a political hot issue that has made its way into election debates.
Israeli warplanes hit Hezbollah guerrilla bases in southern Lebanon late Tuesday. Israel said it was striking back for a Hezbollah attack that killed one Israeli soldier and wounded another just a day earlier, and said the attacks were intended as a messa
The British, French and German foreign ministers have met near London for a private three-way meeting, the Financial Times (FT) reported. The meeting, which was not confirmed by Britain's foreign ministry, indicated London's desire to boost its trilateral
Investigators say flight recorders from an Egyptian plane that crashed into the Red Sea on 3 January show terrorists played no role in the disaster, BBC informed. At first reading, the black boxes and the cockpit voice recorder showed that there was no ou
Thousands of Shiite Muslims marched through Baghdad on Tuesday, clamouring for Saddam Hussein's execution in the latest show of strength by a community repressed for decades by the former dictator. "Saddam is a war criminal, not a POW ...
China has approved human trials of an experimental SARS vaccine, and 30 people have volunteered, China state media reported on Monday. Researchers cautioned that the government's approval of what it called the first phase of human trials doesn't mean the
Cyprus' President Tassos Papadopoulos and Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis have reaffirmed that their countries were ready for a resumption of UN talks aimed at reunifying the island before it joins the EU on May 1. Simitis stressed that Turkey's bid t
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has had talks Monday and Tuesday with US Administrator in Iraq Paul Bremer, US civil military officials and eight members of the Iraqi Governing Council about the possibility to dispatch a new United Nations team to Baghdad
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has held talks with Turkish leaders in Ankara on terrorism, trade and regional concerns, BBC informed. General Musharraf is expected to meet Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Ergodan and to address deputies in parlia
More than 50 people have been injured in an Indonesia fire that started after two explosions rocked the Java Island, local police said. The blasts took place at a chemical plant in the most densely populated island in Indonesia.
Thirteen people were killed in a powerful explosion on Monday at Algeria's largest refinery and key exporter of gas and oil in the Mediterranean port city of Skikda. At least 74 people were injured in the blast at the petrochemical complex in the industri
Senator John Kerry won the first of a series of votes to choose a Democratic challenger to President George Bush in November's US election. Vietnam veteran Kerry, 60, beat Senator John Edwards into second place in the Iowa vote, with early favourite Howar
Bulgaria's Perperikon: A European Counterpart to Peru's Machu Picchu
Bulgarians Among EU's Least Frequent Vacationers, Struggling with Affordability
