Britain: Britain was Wednesday evacuating its diplomatic staff from Iran following the storming of its embassy by Iranian protesters the day before, which sparked international condemnation.
The Foreign Office in London confirmed information from EU diplomats in the Iranian capital that the British staff were being withdrawn.
"In light of yesterday s events and to ensure their ongoing safety...
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Cairo: Clashes between protesters and street vendors in Cairo s iconic Tahrir Square injured some 79 people overnight, the health ministry said on Wednesday.
The skirmishes erupted when protesters occupying the square for nearly two weeks tried to expel the peddlers, but the fighting quickly degenerated into clashes with both sides lobbing rocks and molotov cocktails, witnesses...
N. Korea: North Korea said Wednesday it is making progress in producing low-enriched uranium and insisted it would not accept US demands to shut down the programme.
"The construction of experimental LWR (light-water reactor) and the low-enriched uranium for the provision of raw materials are progressing apace," a foreign ministry spokesman told the official news agency.
The spokesman...
BEIJING: Rising trade protectionism and frustration over its domestic subsidies spell trouble for China and could lead to more friction within the World Trade Organisation (WTO) than Beijing has grown accustomed to over the past decade.
On the eve of China accession to the WTO 10 years ago this December, naysayers warned that the country could falter under the demands of opening up its economy....
France: France and Germany are engaged in a fierce behind-the-scenes battle over the key position of chief economist at the European Central Bank, the business daily Handelsblatt reported on Tuesday.
Until now, Berlin had assumed that its number two at the finance ministry, Joerg Asmussen, would automatically take over from compatriot Juergen Stark when he steps down from the ECB s executive...
China: China s first aircraft carrier began its second sea trial on Tuesday after undergoing refurbishments and testing, the government said, as tensions over maritime territorial disputes in the region ran high.
The 300-metre (990-foot) ship, a refitted former Soviet carrier called the Varyag, underwent five days of trials in August that sparked international concern about China s widening naval...
South Korean: South Korean warships staged a live-fire drill Tuesday in a show of strength towards North Korea despite its threats to retaliate, the defence ministry said.
The drill took place in the Yellow Sea to test readiness against infiltrations by North Korean warships and submarines.
"Today s drill shows our strong will not to tolerate further provocations by North Korea," a...
Iraq: A suicide car bomber detonated an explosives-packed vehicle at a prison north of Baghdad on Monday, killing 11 people and wounding at least 15, security officials said.
The attack, which left policemen and prison guards and employees among the dead, is the latest in a series of bloody assaults across the country in the past week which have killed at least 55 people.
The bomber blew up the...
Azerbaijan: Armenian forces have killed an Azerbaijani soldier on the frontline near the disputed region of Nagorny Karabakh, the defence ministry in Baku said Monday, amid a recent upsurge in clashes.
"As a result of violations of the ceasefire from the Armenian side... 19-year-old Azerbaijani soldier Elmar Samad Habibzade was killed," defence ministry spokesman Teymur Abdullayev told...
BEIJING: Chinese industrial companies' profits rose 25.3 per cent from a year earlier in the first 10 months of 2011 even as Europe's sovereign-debt crisis dims the outlook for demand and growth.
Net income climbed to 4.12 trillion yuan ($646 billion), the National Bureau of Statistics said on its website yesterday. That compares with a 27 per cent gain for January-through-September. Sales...
The first leg of the Outward Bound Oman/Tahaddi 41st National Day Youth Challenge journey kicked off last Saturday from Port of Salalah. Six youths aged between 16-24 years, sponsored by Port of Salalah, set sail for the 36 hour voyage in a traditional Oman dhow bound for the Hallaniyat Islands and Shuwaymiyah.
Led by Outward Bound Oman/ Tahaddi General Manager Mark Evans, the team left Port of...
Vietnam: At least 10 Vietnamese protestors were detained in Hanoi on Sunday when security agents forcibly broke up a rally in support of Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung s recent call for a law on demonstrations.
Around 30 people marched in silence through the centre of the city, before uniformed and plain clothed security agents moved in and forced them to disperse, dragging some demonstrators...
MUSCAT: The World Economic Forum (WEF) has ranked Oman 32nd out of 142 countries in its latest Global Competitiveness Report. It is an improvement of two places from last year and nine places from 2009.
The report highlights Sultanate's excellent macroeconomic environment, high quality infrastructure and liberal tax regime as the main reasons for the rapid growth of economic potential.
With...
N. Korea: North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il faces challenges in transferring power to his youngest son, according to South Korea s top official on cross-border affairs.
"I assume that the power succession is under way, though the internal and external environment is not that good," Unification Minister Yu Woo-Ik told Yonhap news agency in an interview published Sunday.
Kim, 69, is...
Muscat: The First International Nursing Conference on 'Innovations in Nursing Education and Practice Leading to Quality Care' to be hosted by Sultan Qaboos University's (SQU) College of Nursing from November 28 to 29, would showcase the emerging themes in nursing.
The official inaugural ceremony of the conference will be held at 9.00 am tomorrow, at the...