MANILA: An ex-policeman armed with a high-powered assault rifle took hostage a tourist bus carrying adults and children including 22 South Koreans in the Philippine capital on Monday, police said.The circumstances or the motive behind the hostage-taking remained unclear, but negotiations

KABUL: With the withdrawal of the final American combat brigade from Iraq, US commanders in Afghanistan are hoping to emulate a strategy used there as they step up the war against insurgents.The number of US and NATO soldiers in Afghanistan is set to peak at 150,000 in coming weeks

STOCKHOLM: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said in an interview published Sunday he believed the Pentagon could be behind a rape allegation against him that was swiftly dropped by Swedish authorities.His comments came as prosecutors justified their treatment of the 39-year-old

PARIS: The Solar System could be nearly two million years older than thought, according to a study published on Sunday by the journal Nature Geoscience.The evidence comes from a 1.49-kilo (3.2-pound) meteorite, found in the Moroccan desert in 2004, that contains a "relict" mineral, which

ADEN: Seven Al-Qaeda members were killed in clashes on Sunday with the Yemeni army in the south of the country after an ultimatum for the militants to surrender expired, the defence ministry said."Seven members of Al-Qaeda were killed during clashes with the security forces," in the city

WASHINGTON: The top US commander in Iraq admitted Sunday that a "complete failure" of Iraqi security forces could oblige the United States to resume combat operations there, but he called this an unlikely scenario.The last US combat brigade withdrew from Iraq on Thursday. On August 31

WASHINGTON: Afghanistan`s President Hamid Karzai said Sunday there are no formal peace talks between his government and the Taliban, although he admitted to "individual contacts" with the hardline Islamic group."Of course, there are individual contacts with some Taliban elements -- that`s

DUBAI: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ruled out an Israeli or US attack against the Islamic republic, in an interview broadcast on Sunday by the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera satellite television channel."I reject the possibility of an attack by Israel. Israel is too weak to face up to

BEIJING: More than 120,000 people have been evacuated in northeast China following serious floods that have already left four dead and forced the relocation of thousands in neighbouring North Korea.Heavy summer downpours have dangerously swollen the Yalu river, which forms the border

SRINAGAR: Six people were hurt Sunday when police fired pump action shotguns at stone-throwing protesters in Kashmir, where more than 60 people have died during anti-India protests.Police said the incident took place in Srinigar, the main town in Indian Kashmir, when police were

VINEYARD HAVEN: The resumption of direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians is a welcome diplomatic coup for US President Barack Obama, as long negotiators steer clear of well-known obstacles, political observers said."We`re very hopeful" the talks will lead to a lasting

TEHRAN: Iran unveiled a prototype long-range unmanned bomber on Sunday, the latest in a stream of announcements of new Iranian-made military hardware as tension mounts over its nuclear programme.On a stage in front of military officials, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad pulled a sheet away

Japan: Tarapur Atomic Power Station in Thane district of Maharashtra state, India India`s atomic energy market is worth a reported $150 billion.The Indian and Japanese foreign ministers have held talks on a civil nuclear co-operation agreement.The Japanese minister, Katsuya Okada, said

KARACHI: Pakistani authorities Sunday evacuated tens of thousands from flood-threatened areas in the south but insisted that the 2.5 million people of Hyderabad were safe from the nation`s worst-ever inundation.The weak civilian government has faced an outpouring of fury over sluggish

PORT-AU-PRINCE: UN peacekeepers in Haiti appealed for calm Saturday after electoral officials rejected international hip-hop star Wyclef Jean`s candidacy in Haiti`s November 28 presidential election.Jean, who has a strong following among Haiti`s youth, was the best known of the 15

WASHINGTON: A new tropical depression, the sixth of the Atlantic hurricane season, has formed over the central Atlantic Ocean and could become a hurricane by Monday, the US National Hurricane Center said Saturday.Tropical Depression Six currently packs winds of 45 kilometers (30 miles)

CARACAS:  A soldier opened fire at a military base in Caracas early Saturday, killing two officers and wounding six other soldiers before fleeing, authorities said.The shooting at Fuerte Tiuna erupted after an argument between the soldier, who was identified as Jeffersson Trujillo, and a

TAIPEI: Six earthquakes including one with a magnitude of 5.4 struck off Taiwan`s east coast early Sunday, the Seismology Centre said, but there were no reports of damage or casualties and no tsunami warning.The moderate 5.4-magnitude quake hit shortly after midnight, 35 kilometres (22

RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazilian police said all hostages taken Saturday by heavily armed gunmen who stormed an upscale Rio hotel have been released, adding that one person was killed in a shootout and nine suspects were arrested.The incident began when a group of heavily armed criminals

JERUSALEM: Five years ago on Sunday, the last of 8,000 Jewish settlers were pulled out of the Gaza Strip, some kicking and screaming, in a move that remains controversial in Israel to this day.Israel`s handling of the evacuees has been widely seen as a test case for a potentially much