News

Anglicans mull call for Faith and Order Commission

Bishops at the Lambeth Conference are mulling calls for the establishment of a Faith and Order Commission to help move the worldwide Anglican Communion beyond its present crisis.

Lutherans see stronger ties with Anglicans after women bishops vote

The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) has welcomed this month's decision by the Church of England General Synod to reaffirm its support for women bishops.

World's oldest known Bible goes online

Parts of the world's earliest known complete copy of the New Testament went online for the first time on Thursday.

Hopes of reaching world trade deal revive at WTO

Ministers hailed an emerging trade deal on Friday, as compromise proposals revitalised deadlocked talks at the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

India police say few clues over bombings

Indian police have few leads into the eight bombings in quick succession across the south Indian IT city of Bangalore that killed a woman and wounded at least six people on Friday, officials said.

Karadzic reportedly escaped arrest in Austria last year

Radovan Karadzic evaded capture last year when Austrian police raided a Vienna apartment where he was staying but did not recognise the disguised war crimes suspect, an Austrian newspaper reported on Friday.

NATO force kills four civilians in Afghan south

NATO-led troops killed four Afghan civilians and wounded three more when their vehicle failed to stop at a checkpoint in the southern province of Helmand on Saturday, the NATO force said.

War on terror is Pakistan's own war

Pakistan is fighting al Qaeda and the Taliban for its own interests, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said on Saturday as he embarked on his first official visit to the United States.

Hamas arrest 120 Fatah men after Gaza blast

Hamas security forces in the Gaza Strip arrested 120 men aligned with the rival Fatah faction on Saturday after an explosion there killed five Hamas gunmen and a girl, the Islamist group's officials and Fatah said.

Lebanese factions clash in north for second day

Rival sectarian factions clashed in Lebanon's northern city of Tripoli on Saturday for a second consecutive day and medical sources said the death toll from the fighting rose to eight.

McCain meets Dalai Lama, presses China on rights

U.S. Republican presidential candidate John McCain urged China on Friday to address human rights concerns and free Tibetan prisoners after he met with the Dalai Lama in Colorado.

Taiwan said to open five sectors to China by year end

Taiwan is aiming to open five sectors of its economy to mainland Chinese by the end of the year, as part of a campaign by a new China-friendly administration to boost growth, media reported on Saturday.

Venezuela's Chavez makes up with king of Spain

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Spain's King Juan Carlos shook hands and made up on Friday in their first meeting since the monarch told the president to "shut up" at a summit in November.

Italian funfair's electric chair closed after protests

An Italian funfair closed an attraction where a life-sized dummy was "executed" in an electric chair on Thursday following protests by opponents of capital punishment.

Orthodox festivities reopen Ukraine-Russia row

Top clerics from Orthodox countries converged on Ukraine on Friday for three days of festivities, deepening a longstanding dispute with Russia over the ex-Soviet state's right to its own independent church.

Obama wraps up tour in London

U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama, on a tour abroad where he has got a rock star reception, will wrap up his trip on Saturday with talks in London on the Middle East conflict, Iran and Afghanistan.