ISLAMABAD – Pakistan’s new Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said that former military ruler Pervez Musharraf should face trial for high treason. Mr Musharraf, who returned to Pakistan from self-imposed exile earlier this year, is currently under house arrest. He is fighting a series of charges relating to his time in power, which began with…
IRELAND – World leaders are gathering in Northern Ireland for a G8 summit set to be dominated by the conflict in Syria. UK Prime Minister David Cameron said he hoped the G8 nations would focus on “common ground” on the issue of bringing peace to Syria. But Russia, Syria’s key ally, opposes US plans to…
MOSCOW – Russians reeled on June 6 from the shock announcement by President Vladimir Putin that his 30-year marriage was over, a break-up that was long an open secret but few imagined would ever be made public. In a highly choreographed joint interview with state television after attending a ballet performance together, Putin’s wife Lyudmila…
TAICHUNG – Taiwan’s imprisoned former President Chen Shui-bian has tried to take his own life, the justice ministry says. In a statement the ministry said the attempt was made on Sunday night in Taichung prison in central Taiwan. The statement added that he had used a towel in the attempt but was stopped by guards…
DAMASCUS – Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad has warned Israel that it will respond in kind to any future air strikes. Mr Assad told a Lebanese TV channel a Russian contract to supply it with air defence missiles was being implemented – but did not confirm any deliveries. Israel has warned it will attack if the…
PARIS – IMF chief Christine Lagarde has arrived at a court in Paris for questioning over a payout to a controversial tycoon during her time as finance minister. She is being asked to explain her handling of a row in 2007 which resulted in some 400m euros (£342m; $516m) being paid to Bernard Tapie. She…
OKLAHOMA – At least one person has died and several others were injured in a series of tornadoes that have torn through the US state of Oklahoma. The worst damage was caused by a twister near the town of Shawnee, 35 miles (55km) from Oklahoma City, local media report. A mobile home park near Shawnee…
LOS ANGELES – Angelina Jolie says that she has had a preventive double mastectomy after learning she carried a gene that made it extremely likely she would get breast cancer. The Oscar-winning actress and partner to Brad Pitt made the announcement in the form of an op-ed she authored for Tuesday’s New York Times under…
LONDON – A fresh attempt to curb immigration is the centre piece the government’s planned new laws, set out by the Queen at the state opening of Parliament. Access to the NHS will be tightened, landlords forced to check immigration status and illegal migrants prevented from obtaining driving licences. But alcohol pricing and monitoring web…
DAMASCUS – Syria has accused Israel of launching rocket attacks on Damascus, after a night of huge explosions near the city. Syrian state media said the rockets hit the Jamraya research centre, which Western officials have suggested is involved in chemical weapons research. Israeli radio quoted a senior security official confirming an attack, and sources…
