2013-11-05

The Canadian mayor at the centre of a drug and alcohol scandal has apologised for smoking crack cocaine and promised never to make the same mistakes

Iran has said it is ready to call for the withdrawal of foreign fighters in Syria. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was asked if Iran

The Vatican has warned Catholics not to expect rapid change in the Church’s stance on major social issues, whatever the results of a global survey it

The UN has estimated that 40 percent of all Syrians now need humanitarian aid. The number has gone up dramatically from 6.8 million people

The EU is warning that Germany’s trade surplus – when a country pockets more for exports than it spends on imports – could hinder Europe’s

It is a shoot ‘em up computer game, but the battle is not on the screen but in the shops, between ‘Call of Duty: Ghosts’ – which was just launched –

Ukraine has signed a shale gas production-sharing agreement with US firm Chevron. It is another step in Kiev’s drive for more energy independence

New Yorkers are voting today to choose a new mayor. The Democratic candidate Bill de Blasio is the overwhelming favourite in the polls. The

After being blocked for three years over the disputed island of Cyprus, the EU opened a fresh chapter of accession negotiations with Turkey on

Spain is delaying making further cuts to Erasmus, a European scheme that allows thousands of students to study abroad. Two years ago, the Spanish

Hopes of a much-delayed international peace conference on Syria taking place later this month appear to be dashed. The US and Russia had been

Famous in ice climbing circles for its large number of icefalls the stunning Eidfjord in Norway lies three hours east of the city of

Pakistan’s military says it has carried out a successful test fire of a new short-range surface-to-surface missile. The NASR missile is said to be

A rocket due to carry the Olympic torch into space ahead of the Sochi Winter Olympics has been hauled into position in Kazakhstan. The torch will

A volcano has erupted for the third time in as many months on the western Indonesian island of Sumatra. Some 1,300 people have been moved out of

Sochi is a city readying itself for the winter spectacle of the Olympic Games. Construction works continue with just under three months to go until

Bill de Blasio, aged 52, stands out for more than his physical size; the almost-two-metre-tall Italian-American, well-anchored towards the left of

There was a rough reception in Athens for officials of the International Monetary Fund, European Commission and European Central Bank – the

The United States must deploy all its instruments of power, not just military might, as it seeks to lead the world in the future while drained

Greek police have released a video they say is from the scene of last week’s fatal shooting of two men outside the far-right Golden Dawn party’s

Catalonia looks set to become the first Spanish region to ban circus acts which use live animals. Many towns there already outlaw the practice, as

The long-awaited biopic “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom” has opened in South Africa. British actor Idris Elba, who stars as Mandela, almost did not

US Secretary of State John Kerry took a brief European detour from his 11-day visit to the Middle East and North Africa to meet with Polish allies in

In Spain, the number of people registered as unemployed rose in October. Job centres saw an increase in jobseekers as those hired for the tourist

The Philippines not only offers white beaches and a turquoise sea – the home-grown cuisine seduces visitors as well. Adobo, Lechon and Pancit are

There are claims that the UK as well as the US has been spying on Germany from a sophisticated electronic listening post within the British embassy

A number of previously unknown works of art by masters are among the trove of Nazi-looted art discovered in a Munich flat. Bavarian customs

Hotel Verde near Cape Town airport claims to be the greenest in Africa. Among the environmentally-friendly systems used to build and run the hotel

In Bangladesh, 152 soldiers have been sentenced to death by a special court for their role in a mutiny four years ago. The convicted are among some