Global briefing
Week in review: Al Qa'eda denounced by Libyan group
- Jihadist ideology is now under attack from its erstwhile proponents. A Libyan group has issued a new religious document denouncing the tactics used by al Qa'eda as illegal under Islamic law.
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37 killed, 71 trapped in China mine
A gas explosion at a state-run coal mine in northern China, has killed 37 people and trapped 71 others nearly 500 metres underground.
Obama toughens stance on Iran
As Obama tours Asia to renew alliances strained under his predecessor, he makes curbing Iran's nuclear programme a priority.
Bigotry stops Muslims volunteering
Human rights activists have reported that racial and religious bigotry have prevented young Muslims in Australia from joining mainstream voluntary groups.
Obama cautious over human rights in China
The US president did not ignore the issues during visit nor did he actually push China on them.
Twins joined at head successfully separated
Twin Bangladeshi girls who were joined at the top of their heads and shared blood vessels and brain tissue are successfully separated in Australia.
Obama boosts hopes of climate change deal after China talks
The United States and China agree to cooperate on a host of issues, from climate change to North Korea.
The Korean conundrum: did Bill meet Kim or actor?
Experts disagree on theory that the North Korean leader has as many as three lookalikes to meet dignitaries and attend functions.
Rudd apologises to 'Forgotten Australians'
The Australian prime minister makes an emotional apology to half a million 'Forgotten Australians' who faced abuse and neglect in care homes over decades.
Obama pushes for Suu Kyi release
Supporters of Aung San Suu Kyi voiced guarded hope after US President Barack Obama raises her case directly with the junta.
Call for crocodile cull in Australia
There are renewed calls for big-game hunters to be allowed to curb the spread of deadly crocodiles after a series of fatalities.
Pride of the Philippines rewrites the history books
Manny Pacquiao becomes the only prize-fighter in history to claim seven world titles in seven weight divisions.
APEC leaders call for new growth strategies
Nations must push ahead with free trade and investment to ensure growth, Barack Obama and fellow Asia-Pacific leaders say.
Today's comment
A spiritual analysis of extremism
Jihad Hashim Brown : Westerners need to stop thinking they are celebrities living out pop-modern lives for us on a stage for all their eastern fans to wish they were them.
Your Prophet is your Islam
Omid Safi: Whenever I ask non-Muslims about the Prophet Mohammed: the response is invariably one of deafening silence.
Cold feet as I prepare for journey of a lifetime
Hadeel al Shalchi: By this time next week I hope to be in the final stages of possibly the most challenging duty of my faith – the Haj.
Most popular stories
- With a tainted image, Karzai takes oath
- Obama welcomes new EU President
- School reforms pass the test
- Suicide bomb in Afghan town
- Maoists suspected of derailing train
- Germany’s Christmas offensive
- Hundreds rescued from floodwaters
- Army faces friction over evacuations
- Iraqi exiles praise vice president’s election law veto
- Karzai sworn in for second term
Philippines killing raises fears of poll violence
Gun control and reducing candidates’ armed guards could help to solve the increasing electoral brutality, police chief says.
Thaksin concludes Cambodia trip
Fugitive former Thai premier has left Cambodia, concluding a trip that has stoked a diplomatic crisis between the neighbours.
Japan, US ties still troubled after summit
President Obama stressed the importance of the US-Japan alliance today, but his stay in Tokyo has left unresolved a feud over a US military base.
Across an ocean of rubbish on a recycled ship
Plastiki expedition will take conservationists to a rubbish tip about twice the size of Texas where litter is brought together by sea currents.
Spotlight
The legal legacy of a ‘hedonist’
- In an unprecedented case, the former prime minister Ehud Olmert faces trial for graft, while some of his ministers have been sentenced.
Frontiers
Why the historian is wearing flippers
- Prehistoric European cultures existed along coastlines that have since been reclaimed by the sea. Archaeologists are turning to the ocean floor to join the missing pieces of human civilisation.
Dispatches
Bad blood between Egypt and Algeria runs deeper than football
- Violence is latest incident in escalating diplomatic row between Egypt and Algeria, whose two World Cup qualifying matches this week inflamed decades-old tensions.
The week
- 14.11.2009 to 20.11.2009 Jet fighters took to the Dubai skies, five people survived two months adrift on open seas and Apple entered talks to allow music downloads in the UAE.
Review
- World Young Egyptian women, Ursula Lindsey reports, are taking to blogs and publishing books to give voice to their frustration with the indignities of single life, the pressure to marry and the stigma of divorce.
