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Bank reveals fall in net profit

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 07:53:06 +0000

Switzerland's biggest bank UBS AG has reported a net profit of 393 million Swiss francs (£271 million) in the fourth quarter of 2011 in the wake of a two-billion US dollar rogue trading scandal.

Greece cuts jobs in austerity drive

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 07:53:03 +0000

Greece's coalition government has caved in to demands to cut civil service jobs, announcing 15,000 positions would go this year, amid mounting international pressure to agree on austerity measures needed to secure major new debt agreements.

Australian PM marks Queen accession

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 06:04:14 +0000

Australian prime minister Julia Gillard has congratulated the Queen on her 60 years on the throne.

West pushes for Assad's departure

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:48:01 +0000

The US has closed its embassy in Syria and Britain recalled its ambassador to Damascus in a new Western push to get President Bashar Assad to leave power and halt the murderous grind in Syria - now among the deadliest conflicts of the Arab Spring.

Venezuela claims capture of warlord

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:43:05 +0000

Venezuela said it has arrested on murder and drug trafficking charges the last major Colombian far-right paramilitary warlord still at large.

Stocks muted amid Greece deadlock

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:43:01 +0000

Asian stock markets were muted as talks dragged on to resolve a massive debt mess in Greece before it explodes into a wider financial crisis.

Factory collapse death toll rises

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:28:28 +0000

The death toll from a factory that collapsed in eastern Pakistan has risen to 18.

Blaze death fuels conspiracy theory

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:13:17 +0000

Testimony before an inquest into a Zimbabwean power broker's fiery death has ended, leaving the last hours of General Solomon Mujuru's life shrouded in suspicion he was murdered by political rivals.

Military in skirmishes with police

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:13:16 +0000

The Maldives military has fired rubber bullets and clashed with the country's police force, which has defied a presidential order to end a protest against what it perceives as illegal orders by authorities.

Suu Kyi visits disaster region

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:13:14 +0000

Burma's Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi is hitting the campaign trail as an official candidate and travelling to the Irrawaddy delta for the first time in two decades.

Boeing 787 nit by tail problems

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:13:04 +0000

Boeing said repairs are needed in the tail sections of some of its new 787s, although it said there is no immediate safety concern.

International aid resources warning

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:09:02 +0000

The international community will fail to provide effective help during humanitarian emergencies unless aid charities and governments based in the world's poorest countries are given more resources to prevent disasters from developing in the first place, Oxfam has warned.

Europe still in grip of Big Freeze

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:29:27 +0000

The big freeze has continued to overwhelm parts of eastern Europe as record snowfall and harsh temperatures brought entire regions to a standstill.

Recharged Romney goes for more wins

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:24:12 +0000

Front-running Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney will this week battle for three more US states, hoping to build on the growing sense of inevitability that he will win the race to challenge President Barack Obama.

I deserve a medal, says Breivik

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:28:16 +0000

Mass killer Anders Breivik has told a court he deserved a medal of honour for the murder of 77 people and demanded to be set free.

Simpsons join Barbie on banned list

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:43:45 +0000

An Iranian government-affiliated agency has banned dolls of the Simpsons cartoon characters, which join Barbie and others on a toy blacklist, a newspaper has reported.

12 killed as Homs attack continues

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 08:48:00 +0000

At least 12 people have been killed as Syrian troops shelled parts of the city of Homs, striking a makeshift medical clinic and residential areas, activists said.

Desperate search for quake victims

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 08:13:06 +0000

Rescuers used picks and shovels trying to reach dozens of people trapped by a strong earthquake that shook a central Philippine island.

Apology over MIA Super Bowl gesture

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 07:58:09 +0000

American TV bosses have apologised after London-born singer MIA swore and flashed her middle finger at the camera during the half-time performance at the Super Bowl.

Asian stocks rise after US unemplo

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 07:23:04 +0000

Asian stock markets have climbed after US unemployment fell to its lowest in three years, suggesting a stronger recovery in the world's No 1 economy that could benefit the region's exporters.

Suu Kyi can run for parliament

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:28:26 +0000

Burma's election commission has given opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi the green light to run for parliamentary by-elections, seen as a key test of the long-repressed country's commitment to democratic reforms.

China to defy EU emissions tax

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:03:05 +0000

The Chinese government has banned the country's airlines from paying controversial charges on carbon emissions imposed by the European Union.

Beer key to ultra runner's success

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 04:49:48 +0000

An Irish ultra runner has revealed a bottle of beer helped him become the only man on the planet to run seven marathons on seven continents in less than five days.

Israel 'undecided on Iran attack'

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 04:33:02 +0000

US president Barack Obama has moved to calm growing fears among world leaders of an imminent Israeli attack on Iran.

Finns elect conservative president

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 02:43:02 +0000

A former finance minister has won Finland's presidential election, becoming the country's first conservative head of state in 50 years.

US protesters confront Yemen leader

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 02:33:04 +0000

A protest against embattled Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh outside a luxury hotel in New York erupted in fury when demonstrators saw him leave the building.

Crunch Greek talks to be delayed

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 02:03:33 +0000

Crucial austerity talks between Greece's coalition party leaders are due to be pushed back for a day despite strong pressure from the European Union for a speedy agreement.

Hague condemns 'unacceptable' Syria

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:43:02 +0000

Syria's ambassador in London has been summoned to the Foreign Office for a rebuke over the "utterly unacceptable" violence being inflicted on civilians in the country as President Bashar Assad's regime cracks down on dissent.