EU leaders close in on long-term budget deal
France24
France24
EU leaders in Brussels on Friday edged towards a 2014-2020 budget deal that would fix the bloc's ceiling for overall spending at €960 billion, with hours of hard bargaining still expected before a final agreement is signed today. By News Wires (text) EU leaders edged Friday towards a...
Tunisia faces general strike as political crisis deepens
The Star
The Star
TUNIS: Tunisia faces a general strike Friday, with tens of thousands expected to take to the streets after the murder this week of a leftist opposition leader that sparked violent clashes with police. The General Union of Tunisian Workers (UGTT) called the strike to coincide with the funeral of...
CIA nominee pressed on U.S. drone policy, waterboarding
Reuters
Reuters
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - John Brennan, President Barack Obama's nominee for CIA director, said on Thursday he did not try to stop waterboarding, an interrogation technique that some consider torture, as he faced tough congressional questioning on that issue, security leaks and the use of drones to...
Blizzard threatens New England; 1 to 2 feet feared
The Tribune San Luis Obispo
The Tribune San Luis Obispo
Juror in Texas case wishes he heard more evidence 12 minutes ago Blizzard threatens New England; 1 to 2 feet feared 17 minutes ago UN: US air raids kill hundreds of Afghan children 27 minutes ago...
EU leaders brace for tough fight at budget summit
RoadRunner
RoadRunner
BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union leaders drew hard lines Thursday ahead of a bracing fight over EU spending for the next seven years that reflects deep divisions over the role of their union. On one side, newer — and generally poorer — members see Europe as a club that is only as...
Iran: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Rejects Direct Talks With U.S.
Huffington Post
Huffington Post
Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, strongly rejected proposals for direct talks with U.S....
Rights Groups Demand Release of Azerbaijan Opposition Leaders
Bloomberg
Bloomberg
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch demanded the release of two leading opposition politicians in Azerbaijan, saying their arrests were politically motivated. Ilgar Mammadov, leader of the Republican Alternative movement who plans to run for president in elections slated for October, and...
Activists renew Blair trial appeal
Orange News
Orange News
7 February 2013, 10:03 Activists renew Blair trial appeal Tweet Activists have marked the 10th anniversary of the huge protests against war in Iraq by renewing their call for Tony Blair to be put on trial over the UK's involvement in the conflict. More than a million people took to the streets on...
Tunisia on edge as PM calls for new elections
France24
France24
Tunisia's Islamist Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali has announced that the country’s government would be dissolved and a national unity cabinet formed amid fierce protests following the assassination of a prominent secular opposition leader. By FRANCE 24 (text) Tunisia's prime minister has...
Solomon Islands tsunami: Death toll rises to nine
NZ Herald
NZ Herald
Aid workers struggled to reach remote, tsunami-ravaged villages in the Solomon Islands on Thursday, as the death toll rose with more bodies found in wrecked homes and debris in the South Pacific island chain. At least nine people, including a child, were killed when a powerful earthquake...
Lawmakers to get classified info on drone strikes targeting U.S. citizens
Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
Updated: February 7, 2013 12:29AM WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama has directed the Justice Department to give Congress’ intelligence committees access to classified legal advice providing the government’s rationale for drone strikes against American citizens working with al-Qaida abroad, a...
EU leaders set for crucial budget summit
BBC News
BBC News
European Union leaders are due to begin a two-day summit in Brussels to try to strike a deal on the next seven years of EU spending. High EU expenditure at a time of cutbacks and austerity across the continent is the main issue dividing the 27 member states. They failed to reach a compromise at a...
Hamas and Fatah in unity talks, says Khaled Meshaal
BBC News
BBC News
Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal has told the BBC he is in talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas about forming a national unity government. Mr Meshaal also said preparations were being made for presidential and parliamentary elections. The split between the militant group and Mr Abbas's...
Pakistani Militant, Price on Head, Lives in Open
The New York Times
The New York Times
LAHORE, Pakistan — Ten million dollars does not seem to buy much in this bustling Pakistani city. That is the sum the United States is offering for help in convicting Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, perhaps the country’s best-known jihadi leader. Yet Mr. Saeed lives an open, and apparently...
