An elderly man shot himself in the head Wednesday in a central Athens, drawing an emotional response from Greeks who flooded the area in a spontaneous anti-government protest. The 77-year-old retired pharmacist killed himself in busy Syntagma Square, just 100 metres (yards) from the Greek parliament, which for two years has been the main rallying point for protests against the austerity measures designed to haul Greece from its fiscal crisis. …

Libya's prime minister flew to a desert oasis city on Sunday to try to patch up a tribal dispute that has killed about 150 people over the past week and underscored the ethnic faultlines threatening Libya's stability. A Reuters team that flew with the prime minister to Sabha, about 750 km south (450 miles) of the Libyan capital, said a ceasefire appeared to be holding between the Tibu ethnic group and the Sabha militias with which they had been …

The government today stepped up efforts to iron out differences on contentious aspects of the Lokpal Bill, with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh meeting leaders of various parties during which it was decided that the legislation could be taken up during the second half of the Budget Session. At the all-party meet of Rajya Sabha members convened by the Prime Minister at his residence here, it was agreed that the government will work for a consensus …

As the government prepares to face the opposition in Parliament, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today exuded confidence that the UPA has “all the numbers” that are needed to tackle issues. “I think pressure is part of parliamentary life. We are willing to discuss and debate all issues on the floor of Parliament,” he said ahead of the start of the Budget Session. “I am confident that we have all the numbers that are needed,” the Prime Minister …

A remote controlled car bomb exploded near the Kohat bus depot on Thursday, killing at least 12 people and injuring 36 others. Almost 15 cars were also badly damaged in the blast. Following the blast, security forces cordoned off the area while the injured people were rushed to Lady Reading Hospital where emergency has been imposed.The condition of five injured persons is critical. According to the police 45 kilograms of explosives were used in …

What his national award winning movie couldn't do to Dhanush, the catchy Kolaveri seems to have done. He is nothing less than the face of the nation and is flying from city to city to participate in product launches and television shows, thanks to his new found superstardom. To top it all, Dhanush became the special invitee for the state dinner hosted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda at his 7 Race Course …

Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani formally inaugurated the commercial operation of Pakistan’s second communication satellite Paksat-1R in Lahore Saturday, Geo News reported. Paksat-1R was launched on August 12 from Xichang Satellite Launch Centre by China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC). It was moved to its designated position at 38 degree East in the geo-stationary orbit to replace the existing satellite Paksat-1. It has 32 transponders …

The death toll from Thailand's worst floods in decades surged above 400 on Wednesday as public anger simmered over the authorities' handling of the crisis. The government said the disaster has now killed 427 people -- an increase of 42 from the figure reported a day earlier. So far no deaths in Bangkok have been reported in the official toll. While the centre of the capital remains dry, areas in its outskirts and to the north have been submerged …

The death toll from the devastating earthquake that hit eastern Turkey last week risen to 596, the government's emergency unit said on Sunday. More than 4,150 people were injured in the 7.2 magnitude quake that shook the eastern Van province near the Iranian border a week ago on October 23, the unit said in a statement on its website. Some 231 people had been pulled out alive from the rubble, Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay said late on Saturday …

Libya's new rulers said on Thursday they would prosecute the killers of ousted dictator Moamer kadhafi following the international outcry over the circumstances of his death. "With regards to Kadhafi, we do not wait for anybody to tell us," said Abdel Hafiz Ghoga, vice chairman of the ruling National Transitional Council at a news conference in Benghazi. "We had already launched an investigation. We have issued a code of ethics in handling of prisoners …