Qatar cuts jail term for maverick poet to 15 years
25/02/2013 - AFP

Qatar cuts jail term for maverick poet to 15 years

A Qatari appeals court on Monday reduced to 15 years the prison sentence handed to a poet accused of incitement against the regime after a lower court had jailed him for life, his lawyer said."My client was sentenced today to 15 years in prison," ...
Credit ratings agencies
25/02/2013 - AFP

Credit ratings agencies

Moody's stripped Britain of its triple-A debt rating late on Friday, saying government debt was still mounting and growth was too weak to reverse the trend before 2016.
Egypt's Morsi seeks talks with opponents over poll
25/02/2013 - AFP

Egypt's Morsi seeks talks with opponents over poll

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi on Monday called for a meeting with the country's opposition to discuss upcoming legislative polls, amid calls for a boycott."I call on all the brothers in the different parties in all of Egypt to come...
Chechen leader shows Depardieu a good time
25/02/2013 - AFP

Chechen leader shows Depardieu a good time

French star and newly-registered Russian citizen Gerard Depardieu was Monday visiting his "friend" the controversial Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, partying into the night and vowing to make a film about the Muslim region.The French actor, who was ...
British bond yield edges up after downgrade
25/02/2013 - AFP

British bond yield edges up after downgrade

The price of British 10-year government bonds, known as Gilts, fell slightly in morning trading on Monday and the interest rate firmed slightly to 2.144 percent from 2.109 percent on Friday, before Moody's rating agency downgraded Britain's triple ...
'Sinners' who hid sex abuse 'should vote for pope'
25/02/2013 - AFP

'Sinners' who hid sex abuse 'should vote for pope'

Cardinals suspected of having protected predator priests should be allowed to take part in next month's papal conclave, the Vatican's former prosecutor on child sex abuse cases said Monday.Amid mounting criticism over the presence of such cardinals, ...
Indonesian wins rare victory against noisy mosque
25/02/2013 - AFP

Indonesian wins rare victory against noisy mosque

An elderly Indonesian said Monday he had won a rare victory against a noisy mosque, despite being forced to withdraw legal action after an angry mob threatened to kill him.Complaints against the loud speakers issuing the call to prayer have been met ...
Palestinian militants vow revenge for prisoner death
25/02/2013 - AFP

Palestinian militants vow revenge for prisoner death

Militants of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the armed wing of the Fatah movement, vowed Monday to avenge the death of a Palestinian prisoner they say was tortured in an Israeli jail."This horrific crime will not go unpunished and we promise the ...
European stocks post solid gains
25/02/2013 - AFP

European stocks post solid gains

Europe's main stock markets posted solid gains at the start of trading on Monday, with Frankfurt's DAX 30 jumping 0.91 percent to 7,731.80 points.London's benchmark FTSE 100 index climbed 0.37 percent to 6,359.06 points despite a downgrade to ...
Syria regime ready for talks with rebels: Muallem
25/02/2013 - AFP

Syria regime ready for talks with rebels: Muallem

The Syrian regime is ready to talk with all parties, including armed rebels, who want dialogue to end the conflict, Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem said on Monday at talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov."We are ready for dialogue with ...
UK publisher Pearson reports annual profits slump
25/02/2013 - AFP

UK publisher Pearson reports annual profits slump

British publisher Pearson, owner of the Financial Times newspaper, said on Monday that its annual net profits slumped 66 percent in 2012 as its print business came under pressure from fast-growing digital media.Profits after tax tumbled to £326 ...
Nepal woman scales Mount Everest twice within days
25/02/2013 - AFP

Nepal woman scales Mount Everest twice within days

A Nepalese climber was confirmed on Monday as the first woman to scale Mount Everest twice in a single season, Guinness World Records said, after she made the second summit within days of the first.Chhurim Sherpa, 29, reached the 8,848-metre ...
Israel tests upgraded Arrow missile defence system
25/02/2013 - AFP

Israel tests upgraded Arrow missile defence system

Israel and the United States on Monday staged the first test flight of their upgraded Arrow missile defence system, the Israeli defence ministry said."This is the first flight test of the Arrow 3 interceptor and was conducted at an Israeli test ...
MasterCard launches new digital payment system
25/02/2013 - AFP

MasterCard launches new digital payment system

Credit card giant MasterCard announced Monday the launch of a new digital payment system that lets people use a wide variety of devices including smartphones to spend their money.The system, known as MasterPass, stores customers' banking and ...
Pistorius to report to police for first time since bail
25/02/2013 - AFP

Pistorius to report to police for first time since bail

Oscar Pistorius, South Africa's sporting hero who has been charged with murder over the killing of his girlfriend, on Monday is due to report to a Pretoria police station for the first time as part of his bail terms.Pistorius is due to report to the ...
Lightning-fast mobile hits speed bump in Europe
25/02/2013 - AFP

Lightning-fast mobile hits speed bump in Europe

Lightning-fast fourth generation mobile networks are spreading rapidly worldwide, led by the United States, Japan and South Korea, but Europe lags behind and its economic crisis could brake investment, an industry report said Monday.Next generation ...
Taiwan's long-serving central banker gets 4th term
25/02/2013 - AFP

Taiwan's long-serving central banker gets 4th term

Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou has reappointed the island's central bank governor -- Asia's longest-serving central banker -- for a fourth five-year term, officials said Monday.Perng Fai-nan, nicknamed "foreign currency killer" for his efficient ...
Russia's Putin signs law banning smoking in public places
25/02/2013 - AFP

Russia's Putin signs law banning smoking in public places

President Vladimir Putin has signed a law banning smoking in public places in Russia from June, a cornerstone of the government's bid to improve public health in the nicotine-addicted country, the Kremlin said Monday.The law makes smoking illegal in ...
Taiwan 'very proud' of Oscar winner Ang Lee
25/02/2013 - AFP

Taiwan 'very proud' of Oscar winner Ang Lee

Taiwan basked in reflected glory Monday after film-maker Ang Lee won the best director Oscar for fantasy epic "Life of Pi", which he shot on the diplomatically isolated island where he was born.Taiwan Culture Minister Lung Ying-tai sent a ...
China raises fuel prices for first time this year
25/02/2013 - AFP

China raises fuel prices for first time this year

China raised government-set fuel prices on Monday for the first time this year to reflect changes in global crude prices, the top economic planning body said.The benchmark price for petrol will rise 3.5 percent to 8,830 yuan ($1,416) per tonne while ...
Australia's iron ore centre braces for Cyclone Rusty
25/02/2013 - AFP

Australia's iron ore centre braces for Cyclone Rusty

Australia's three largest iron ore ports were shut down on Monday ahead of tropical cyclone Rusty which is whipping up rough seas along the resource-rich west coast.
Japan's ANA grounds Dreamliner fleet until May
25/02/2013 - AFP

Japan's ANA grounds Dreamliner fleet until May

Japan's All Nippon Airways said Monday it was grounding its fleet of Dreamliners until at least the end of May, with no end in sight to woes for Boeing's next generation plane.The airline is cancelling 1,714 flights in April and May, a period that ...
LG aims to sell 40 million smartphones in 2013
25/02/2013 - AFP

LG aims to sell 40 million smartphones in 2013

LG Electronics on Monday set a global sales target of 40 million smartphones for 2013, as the South Korean firm seeks to expand its presence in a market dominated by bigger rivals such as Samsung.The world's fifth-largest handset maker said in a ...
Swim star Magnussen reveals sleeping tabs 'tradition'
25/02/2013 - AFP

Swim star Magnussen reveals sleeping tabs 'tradition'

World 100m freestyle champion James Magnussen -- who led the much-vaunted 4x100m Australian relay team which bombed spectacularly at the 2012 Olympics -- has claimed taking sleeping tablets was "a tradition".The team last week admitted taking the ...
Bryant reaches milestone, Lakers beat Mavs
25/02/2013 - AFP

Bryant reaches milestone, Lakers beat Mavs

Kobe Bryant scored a game-high 38 points and became the youngest player in NBA history to surpass the 31,000-point mark as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Dallas Mavericks 103-99.Five-time NBA champion Bryant, who scored 14 of his points in the ...
Qantas director quits over Italy bank scandal links
25/02/2013 - AFP

Qantas director quits over Italy bank scandal links

A director at Australia's Qantas Airways resigned from the board Monday after being linked to scandals at Italy's Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena, the world's oldest surviving bank.Corinne Namblard, a French and Canadian citizen, denies any ...
Egypt vote could be 'road to total chaos': ElBaradei
25/02/2013 - AFP

Egypt vote could be 'road to total chaos': ElBaradei

Egyptian opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei warned of chaos in the troubled nation if parliamentary polls go ahead in April, as protesters demonstrated in Cairo against Islamist President Mohamed Morsi.ElBaradei, a leading figure in the National ...
South Korea swears in first female president
25/02/2013 - AFP

South Korea swears in first female president

Park Geun-Hye was sworn in as South Korea's first female president on Monday, vowing zero tolerance with provocations from a nuclearised North Korea and a new era of economic prosperity for all.As leader of Asia's fourth-largest economy, Park, 61, ...
Hollywood stars take seats for unpredictable Oscars
25/02/2013 - AFP

Hollywood stars take seats for unpredictable Oscars

Oscars host Seth MacFarlane kicked off an unpredictable 85th Academy Awards show, with Iran hostage drama "Argo" vying to beat Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln" on Hollywood's biggest night.
Billions at stake as BP oil spill trial opens
25/02/2013 - AFP

Billions at stake as BP oil spill trial opens

Billions of dollars will be at stake Monday at the opening of a complex trial to determine how much BP should pay for the devastating 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.The British energy giant has already resolved thousands of lawsuits linked to the ...
China manufacturing growth slows in February: HSBC
25/02/2013 - AFP

China manufacturing growth slows in February: HSBC

China's manufacturing growth hit a four-month low in February but remained positive, British banking giant HSBC said Monday, noting that the world's second-biggest economy was still recovering slowly.The bank's preliminary purchasing managers' index ...
Nadal in Acapulco still testing troublesome knee
25/02/2013 - AFP

Nadal in Acapulco still testing troublesome knee

Rafael Nadal will test his troublesome left knee again this week at the Mexico Open, then decide if he'll brave the first Masters Series event of the year on the hard courts of Indian Wells.
'Rope-a-dope' Scotland delight Johnson
25/02/2013 - AFP

'Rope-a-dope' Scotland delight Johnson

Scotland's Australian interim head coach Scott Johnson jokingly compared his side to boxing great Muhammad Ali after they came from behind to see off Ireland 12-8 in the Six Nations at Murrayfield.Ireland had more than 70 percent territory and ...
Japan's Nishikori captures Memphis title
25/02/2013 - AFP

Japan's Nishikori captures Memphis title

Japan's Kei Nishikori, who did not drop a set all week, easily defeated Feliciano Lopez 6-2, 6-3 in the final of the US Indoor Tennis Championships, claiming his third career ATP Tour title.The 23-year-old Nishikori needed just 67 minutes to earn ...
Japan to 'nominate ADB president' as BoJ chief
25/02/2013 - AFP

Japan to 'nominate ADB president' as BoJ chief

The Japanese government of Shinzo Abe is set to nominate Asian Development Bank president Haruhiko Kuroda as governor of the central bank, reports said on Monday, sending the dollar surging against the yen.The greenback surged past 94 yen in early ...
Centre-left favoured as Italy holds landmark election
25/02/2013 - AFP

Centre-left favoured as Italy holds landmark election

Italy on Monday holds a second day of voting in a critical election for the future of the eurozone in which the centre-left Democratic Party is expected to win but fall short of a governing majority.
Hollywood stars take seats for unpredictable Oscars
25/02/2013 - AFP

Hollywood stars take seats for unpredictable Oscars

Oscars host Seth MacFarlane kicked off an unpredictable 85th Academy Awards show, with Iran hostage drama "Argo" vying to beat Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln" on Hollywood's biggest night.
Djokovic aims to take Federer's Dubai Open title
25/02/2013 - AFP

Djokovic aims to take Federer's Dubai Open title

Novak Djokovic's first tournament since his successful defence of the Australian Open title offers him a chance to show why he could remain the world number one for the forseeable future.The 25-year-old Serbian's triumph in Melbourne saw him avenge ...
Messi rallies Barca ahead of Clasico
25/02/2013 - AFP

Messi rallies Barca ahead of Clasico

Lionel Messi admits that Barcelona need to raise their level after two below par performances for Tuesday's El Clasico in the Spanish Cup against a Real Madrid side desperate for a morale boost.Barca made an almost faultless start to the season only ...
Oscar, the golden statuette coveted by Hollywood
25/02/2013 - AFP

Oscar, the golden statuette coveted by Hollywood

He stands only 13.5 inches (34 centimeters) tall and weighs just 8.5 pounds (3.85 kilos) -- but Oscar, in all his bald gold-plated glory, is the holy grail of Hollywood.The iconic statuette was created in 1929, two years after the Academy of Motion ...
Close