US shutters embassy in Syria, withdraws staff
The US has closed its embassy in Damascus and withdrawn all American diplomats from Syria as President Assad's deadly crackdown on rebels continues.
6 Feb 2012 at 11:18am

'Deceptive practices': US levies new sanctions on Iran
WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama ordered new U.S. sanctions on the government of Iran, including the Central Bank, on Monday.
6 Feb 2012 at 8:15am

European politician taps into fear, sex appeal

A Flemish nationalist politician in Belgium has launched a new campaign that taps into anxiety about the country?s immigrant Muslim population, while capitalizing on the svelte figure of his 19-year-old daughter.

6.8 quake in Philippines kills 13, buries homes

A strong earthquake in the Philippines killed at least 13 people Monday as it destroyed buildings and triggered landslides that buried dozens of houses, trapping residents.

Israel: Palestinian deal abandons 'way of peace'
The main Palestinian political rivals took a major step Monday toward healing their bitter rift, agreeing that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas would head an interim unity government to prepare for general elections in the West Bank and Gaza.
6 Feb 2012 at 3:42am

European freeze disrupts schools, transit

Overwhelmed by deep snow and harsh temperatures, some countries in Europe closed down schools and struggled to run public transport Monday, as post-snow rains caused a dam to collapse in Bulgaria, flooding a village and killing at least four.

Greece plays game of chicken over bailout

Greece let yet another deadline slip on Monday for responding to painful terms for a new EU/IMF bailout as patience in Brussels wore thin over drawn-out negotiations among its feuding political leaders.

Aww, man! Bart Simpson joins Barbie in Iran ban
TEHRAN -- The Simpsons are corroding the morals of Iranian youth, an official said on Monday, as dolls based on Bart, Homer and the rest of the American cartoon family joined the shapely Barbie among Western toys targeted by a new crackdown in Tehran.
6 Feb 2012 at 7:50am

Radical preacher to be released, UK judge rules
A British court ruled Monday that an extremist cleric described as one of Europe's leading al-Qaida operatives should be released on bail.
6 Feb 2012 at 10:35am

Egypt speeds up work for presidential vote

Egypt's military leader told electoral officials Monday to speed preparations for presidential elections after a new eruption of street protests demanding that the ruling generals move more quickly to hand power to an elected government.

Diplomatic crisis follows day of continued violence in which at least 50 people were killed in Homs, according to activists

Britain and the US recalled their ambassadors to Damascus on Monday in protest at what the British foreign secretary, William Hague, called the "doomed" and "murderous" regime's violent behaviour towards its civilian population.

The diplomatic crisis followed a morning in which at least 50 people were killed in attacks on the Syrian city of Homs, according to activists, in...

Emil Boc says he is quitting to 'release tension' after weeks of protests over austerity measures and alleged corruption

The Romanian prime minister and his cabinet have resigned after weeks of sometimes violent protests over widespread corruption and austerity measures.

Emil Boc said on Monday he was quitting "to release the tension in the country's political and social situation".

During his three-year rule, salaries of state employees were cut by a quarter and VAT increased by five percentage...

Executive order halts transactions by Iranian bank in US, despite concerns that it may drive up petroleum costs

Barack Obama has ordered the freezing of Iranian government assets in the US, including transactions by the Iranian Central Bank, in tightened sanctions over Tehran's nuclear programme.

The White House said the executive order by the president "re-emphasises this administration's message to the government of Iran ? it will face ever-increasing economic and diplomatic pressure until it...

Arab and western governments contemplate backing the Free Syrian Army as hopes fade of a negotiated peace

Arab and western governments scrabbling to find strategies to deal with the crisis in Syria are considering ways to strengthen opposition to the president, Bashar al-Assad, including supporting the Free Syrian Army.

The Russian and Chinese vetoes of a UN security council resolution on Syria have weakened the already bleak prospects for a negotiated end to the uprising. But western diplomats...

NGO's report says western donors must build up local and national groups to cope with expected rise in global disasters

Western donors and relief groups must build up the capacity of local and national organisations to respond to disasters, or the international humanitarian response system will fail to cope with an expected rise in emergencies, Oxfam warned.

In its report, Crises in a New World Order, Oxfam said international NGOs and the UN provide only part of the answer to crises from Haiti ...

Rebel stronghold remains under siege, with opposition reporting at least 50 deaths from latest violence

The city of Homs has come under fresh bombardment by the Syrian regime on Tuesday morning as Russia's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, heads to a meeting where he will press President Bashar al-Assad to implement swift reform aimed at ending 11 months of deadly fighting.

Gunfire was reported as dawn broke in Homs where the main opposition Syrian National Council says at least 50 people were k...

Two teachers are accused of committing lewd acts on children, leading to extraordinary move by district

The entire teaching staff has been suspended at Miramonte elementary school in Los Angeles, where two teachers have been arrested on suspicion of sexually abusing children.

The Los Angeles school superintendent, John Deasy, announced the extraordinary move, telling parents that replacement teachers would be taking over classrooms and psychiatric social workers would be placed with each class ...

Houses flattened in remote villages on Negros island that have been cut off by fallen bridges and damaged roads

Rescuers have found only bodies while digging for survivors among dozens of people buried by landslides on a central Philippine island after an earthquake. The death toll has climbed to 15, with more than 70 people missing.

The 6.9-magnitude earthquake on Monday also collapsed bridges and damaged roads on Negros island. Soldiers and firefighters had to hike into mountains to reach rem...

American student jailed but later cleared of Briton's murder in Italy says police made her wrongly implicate Patrick Lumumba

Amanda Knox, the American woman cleared in October 2011 of murder by an Italian court, has asked an appeals court there to overturn her slander conviction as well.

Knox family spokesman David Marriott said it was not immediately clear when the appeals court, based in Perugia, would consider that appeal or issue a ruling.

He said the appeal was filed with the court on Mond...

Mogul's former deputy tells how bankers planned real estate transactions to revalue $64m in property at $3.2bn

Allen Stanford used fake accounting to prop up his offshore bank in its waning days as withdrawal requests from investors poured in, Stanford's former top deputy has said.

Faced with a worrying number of withdrawals in 2008, Stanford came up with a plan to make a $600m capital infusion into the bank, said James Davis, Stanford's former chief financial officer and the US government's to...

Manage the Chinese relationship at a personal level
It’s the challenge for statecraft in this century. By focusing on people-to-people connections, Canada can build trust that will serve our commercial interests and advance our ability to play constructive internationalism

Taking sides in a country on the brink
Russia sticks with the Assad regime to keep the West at bay, but may want to see the dictator himself replaced

On the ground in Homs
The Globe’s Sonia Verma speaks to Syrian activist Sami Ibrahim

Canada joins in diplomatic offensive against Assad regime
Canada works to persuade Russia to stop selling arms to Syria

Qatar orchestrates creation of unity government in Palestine
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounces agreement between Fatah and Hamas

Flashpoint Iran: Tightening sanctions, arrest of people over alleged links to...
Amid rising concerns over Tehran’s suspected nuclear program, Monday’s developments include the U.S. tightening sanctions, the arrest of alleged BBC workers and banning of The Simpsons

Vatican urged to unveil secret files on pedophile priests
American cardinal defends Pope Benedict’s handling of sex abuse cases

On the ground in Homs: ‘The killing is continuous’
The Globe speaks to Sami Ibrahim, an activist with the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, about the violence in Syria

Obama orders new sanctions on Iran
New sanctions on Iran’s Central Bank come amid rising tension over the country’s nuclear program

On China visit, Harper picks up where Trudeau left off
Much of the issues at stake in 2012 - trade, the Middle East, winning influence - are the same as the ones Pierre Trudeau tackled 39 years ago with Chairman Mao