Nigeria gunmen kill six at Christmas mass

GUNMEN have attacked a church in northern Nigeria during midnight mass on Christmas Eve, killing six people including the pastor, before setting the building ablaze, residents and police say. "A group of gunmen came into the village at midnight...

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Queen calls for togetherness at Christmas

LOOKING past the scandal which has at times shaken the royal family in 2012, a humble Queen has sent out a global thanks to those who helped celebrate her 60-year reign. During the monarch's Christmas message, in which she became the first royal...

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Fukushima kids getting fatter

CHILDREN in Fukushima are getting fatter as outdoor activities have been cut in the area due to radiation fears after last year's nuclear disaster, a Japanese government report said. The education ministry said it had surveyed the heights and...

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Morocco busts Qaida recruitment cell

MOROCCAN authorities said they had broken up a recruitment cell for al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb in the central Fez region, after announcing the discovery of a jihadist network last month. "The police, in coordination with the leadership...

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Egypt court frees Mubarak-era Senate chief

AN Egyptian court has freed the former Senate leader under ousted president Hosni Mubarak on bail, after spending the maximum permitted 18 months in jail awaiting his corruption trial, the official MENA news agency reports. Safwat al-Sherif,...

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Iran begins naval war games

IRAN has launched naval manoeuvres in the Gulf, and announced plans for another exercise in the strategic Strait of Hormuz later this week, media reports said. Revolutionary Guards naval units began a four-day exercise inside Iranian waters at...

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17 killed as Yemen army, tribesmen clash

YEMEN'S army has launched an offensive against tribesmen suspected of repeatedly sabotaging an oil pipeline in the country's east, sparking clashes that left 17 people dead, tribal sources say. The dead included 10 tribesmen and seven soldiers,...

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Military plane crashes, killing 27

KAZAKHSTAN'S acting border service chief was among 27 people killed in a military plane crash near a southern city, authorities said. The An-72 crashed at 1255 GMT (11.55pm AEDT) about 20 kilometres away from the city of Shymkent near the border...

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Crisis widens job market gap for women

WOMEN have always faced higher unemployment rates than men, and the sluggish global economy in recent years has only made the situation worse, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) says. On a global scale, women saw their unemployment rate...

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Egypt seeks to delay loan request: IMF

THE International Monetary Fund (IMF) says Egypt has asked to delay its request for a $US4.8 billion ($A4.60 billion) loan agreed in November as violent protests mount in Cairo ahead of a referendum on the constitution. "In light of the unfolding...

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US stocks gain in opening trade

US stocks have headed solidly higher in opening trade following gains in Europe's markets, which came on the back of a surge in German investor sentiment to a seven-month high. Ten minutes into trade the Dow Jones Industrial Average had gained...

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Fallen police officer to be honoured

THOUSANDS of Sydneysiders are expected to join dignitaries and the state's top brass as they farewell fallen Detective Inspector Bryson Anderson. The 45-year-old father of three will be mourned at a ceremony with full police honours at St Patrick's...

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Yemeni offensive on al-Qaeda kills 24

A MAJOR offensive launched by the Yemeni army against al-Qaeda following the assassination of a top officer has killed at least 24 people, including 17 soldiers, a military official says. "Troops backed by air forces launched a wide operation...

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Ghana opposition to challenge vote results

GHANA'S main opposition party says it plans to challenge presidential election results in court after it alleged a "pattern of fraud" in incumbent John Dramani Mahama's victory. "We are going to court," New Patriotic Party chairman Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey...

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Egypt protesters breach president's palace

SEVERAL hundred Egyptian protesters have breached a concrete and metal barricade outside the presidential palace in Cairo on Tuesday, forcing back the soldiers manning it, AFP correspondents report. There was no violent confrontation despite the...

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US blacklists key Syria rebel group

WASHINGTON has put a key Syrian rebel group on its terror blacklist, citing al-Qaeda links, a day after the jihadist faction showed its power in the battlefield by capturing a key army base. The US move came amid growing Western concern that al-Qaeda...

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Crude oil prices fall on US data

CRUDE prices have fallen after data showed US manufacturing activity contracted last month, while dealers grow concerned at the lack of progress on a deal to avert the fiscal cliff. Brent North Sea crude for January dropped $1.04 to $US109.88...

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US stocks open mixed amid budget impasse

US stocks have opened mixed, getting a lift from European market gains while US politicians continued to wrangle over a budget plan that would avoid the year-end "fiscal cliff." The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 12.40 points (0.10 per cent)...

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Police arrest 2 linked to Toulouse gunman

FRENCH police have arrested two people in connection with the attacks by extremist gunman Mohamed Merah, whose shooting spree in and around the southern city of Toulouse left seven people dead. A man described by police as a 38-year-old member...

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Exports, spending cuts to hurt GDP growth

WEAKER exports and government spending cuts are likely to have slowed the pace of economic growth in the September quarter. The median market forecast is for the Australian economy to have grown by 0.6 per cent in the September quarter, according...

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One dead in violent clashes in Bangladesh

PROTESTERS from Bangladesh's largest Islamic party have clashed with security forces in cities across the country in violence that has left one dead, police say. Jamaat-e-Islami called a strike on Tuesday to protest against the arrest and trial...

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West warns Damascus on chemical weapons

WESTERN powers have warned Damascus there will be an immediate reaction to any use of chemical weapons as NATO prepares to approve a Turkish request for missiles to protect its border with Syria. "The possible use of chemical weapons would be...

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Egypt opposition march on palace

OPPONENTS of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi have marched on the presidential palace to protest his power grab and a controversial draft charter, as the country plunged deeper into crisis. Thousands took to the streets waving Egyptian flags,...

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Fire in Chinese clothing factory kills 14

A FIRE in a clothing factory has killed 14 people in southern China, state media reports. The official Xinhua News Agency said one other person was injured in the fire, which broke out in Shantou city in Guangdong province and was put out after...

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France to vote for Palestinian state

THE French foreign minister says France plans to vote in favour of recognition of a Palestinian state at the U.N. General Assembly this week. Laurent Fabius has told parliament that France has long supported Palestinian ambitions for statehood...

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Portuguese MPs clear austerity budget

BAILED-OUT Portugal's MPs have given final approval to a 2013 budget imposing an unprecedented austerity squeeze even as protesters massed outside. The budget, aimed at saving 5.3 billion euros ($A6.63 billion), passed easily with the support...

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US stocks open lower despite Greek deal

US stocks have opened lower after Greece secured a revised bailout deal that will help it again avert a default on its huge debt load. Doubts remained about the new deal, which allows Athens to trim its debt load through bond buybacks and reduced...

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Pot-loving defendant asks for final toke

AN AVID marijuana user has agreed to give up his favourite pastime to avoid a jail sentence, but not before asking a judge if he could have just one more toke. Nineteen-year-old Damaine Mitchell got credit for time served for marijuana possession,...

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Amazon deforestation at record low

DEFORESTATION of Brazil's Amazon has slowed for a fourth consecutive year to its lowest rate since authorities began monitoring the world's largest rainforest, officials said. The National Institute of Space Research found that the Amazon lost...

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Gunmen kill 10 in Nigerian pub

GUNMEN said to be dressed as soldiers have opened fire on a central Nigeria pub, killing 10 people in a region hit by waves of clashes between Christian and Muslim ethnic groups, authorities say. The incident occurred in the Barkin Ladi area...

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Gunmen on the run after fatal shooting

POLICE are still searching for the gunmen who shot one man dead and seriously injured another in Sydney's southwest on Tuesday. Police found the dead man's body at the back of a house in Lumeah Avenue at Punchbowl after receiving reports of...

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GM cars to use Apple's Siri

GENERAL Motors said it will integrate Apple's voice-activated software Siri in some of its cars next year to allow iPhone users to perform hands-free tasks. GM announced at the Los Angeles International Auto Show it will use the Siri intelligent...

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Foreign property buyers offered residency

FOREIGN investors will be offered Spanish residency rights in an attempt to dispose of some 750,000 unsold properties abandoned since the 2008 market collapse. Bad debt in Spanish banks rose to a record 10.7 per cent of the loan total, about...

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Hamas kills six suspected collaborators

WITNESSES say masked gunmen have publicly killed six suspected collaborators with Israel at a busy Gaza City intersection. The Hamas military wing claimed responsibility. Witnesses said the six men were pulled out of a van on Tuesday, forced...

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One dead in fresh Kenya violence

FRESH violence has broken out in Kenya's restive northeast, with one person killed and seven others shot and wounded, officials say, a day after security forces cracked down on rioters. Several other people were also hospitalised, some of them...

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US stocks open lower after HP loss

US stocks have opened lower after Hewlett-Packard reported a quarterly loss due in part to a massive writedown, offsetting fresh data signalling recovery in the housing market. After a triple-digit gain on Monday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average...

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UBS rogue trader jailed for 7 years

A ROGUE trader who lost $US2.2 billion ($A2.12 billion) in bad deals at Swiss bank UBS has been sentenced to 7 years in prison after being convicted in what prosecutors called the biggest fraud case in UK banking history. Ghanaian-born Kweku Adoboli,...

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Syria troops besiege town near Damascus

SYRIAN troops have besieged Daraya and rained shells on the town near Damascus, killing a woman and a child, in a fresh attempt to storm it, activists and a watchdog say. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported that at least 29 people...

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Elmo actor resigns amid sex allegation

SESAME Workshop says Elmo puppeteer Kevin Clash has resigned from Sesame Street in the wake of allegations that he had sex with an under-aged youth. Last week a man accused Clash of having sex with him when he was a teenage boy, a charge Clash...

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Hey Dad! star extradition approved

THE British government has authorised the extradition of Hey Dad! star Robert Hughes, who is expected to face multiple child sexual assault charges on his return to Australia. Home Secretary Theresa May on Tuesday signed an extradition order...

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US stocks mixed on Greece, US worries

US stocks have been mixed in early Tuesday trade amid worries about Greece's debt crisis and a US "fiscal cliff" of spending cuts and tax hikes at year-end which threaten to drag the economy into recession. After opening lower, the Dow Jones Industrial...

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AMF Bowling files for Chapter 11

BOWLING centre operator AMF Bowling Worldwide says it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy so it can implement a pre-arranged restructuring agreement. Virginia-based AMF announced the bankruptcy filing and the agreement on Tuesday morning. The...

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Myanmar quake toll 26: Red Cross

THE Red Cross says the death toll has risen to 26 from an earthquake that damaged homes and ancient Buddhist pagodas in northern Myanmar. The Red Cross said in a statement on Tuesday another 231 people were hurt in Sunday's magnitude-6.8 quake...

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Tassie premier Giddings celebrates 40th

TASMANIAN Premier Lara Giddings will celebrate her 40th birthday on Wednesday with a quiet dinner at the state's Parliament House with her family. The youngest woman to be elected to an Australian parliament, Ms Giddings reaches the milestone...

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Warhols fetch $16.3m at Christie's

A PLAN to sell off the Andy Warhol Foundation's entire collection of works by the Pop artist has gotten off to a $US17 million ($A16.37 million) start at Christie's in New York. The sale on Monday in Manhattan saw 91 per cent of lots going under...

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Thousands gather for solar eclipse

ABOUT 60,000 enthusiasts, scientists and astronomers are set to gather in northern Australia to watch Australia's first full solar eclipse for a decade. The eclipse, which will happen at around 6.39am (AEST) on Wednesday, is expected to be visible...

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New Israeli warnings on Gaza

DEFENCE Minister Ehud Barak is warning that a flare-up in violence with Gaza is "not over," with Palestinian militants firing two rockets and Israel carrying out air strikes overnight. The violence that began on Saturday appeared to have slowed...

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German investor confidence drops

GERMAN investor confidence in Europe's largest economy slipped unexpectedly this month over worries growth will cool over the next six months, a survey shows. The ZEW institute said on Tuesday its monthly confidence index fell to minus 15.7 points...

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New York rises to voting challenge

VOTING in a the US presidential election is the latest challenge for the hundreds of thousands of people in the New York-New Jersey area still affected by Superstorm Sandy. The campaigns of both President Barack Obama and Republican challenger...

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Moody's downgrades ArcelorMittal one notch

MOODY'S has downgraded ArcelorMittal's long-term credit rating by one notch to BA1, putting it into speculative or "junk" territory. Moody's says the deterioration in steel markets means the company can no longer reduce its debt enough to keep...

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Americans cast their first ballots

FROM a New England hamlet to a critical swing state neighbouring Washington's halls of power to the storm-scarred streets of New York, Americans are lining up to cast ballots for Barack Obama or Mitt Romney. Many were patient as voting got under...

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