The Irish Times - World

Employers may face fines on pay

Thu, 24 May 2012 11:11:58 GMT

Employers could face hefty fines and disqualification from EU funding and public procurement procedures under a resolution passed by the European parliament in Strasbourg today if they are found to be paying women less than men for the same job.

UN report highlights Syria abuses

Thu, 24 May 2012 09:51:41 GMT

Syrian government forces and opposition fighters are committing gross human rights violations despite a six-week-old ceasefire in the conflict and children are often the victims, United Nations investigators said in a report today.

Lindt loses chocolate bunny case

Thu, 24 May 2012 09:35:24 GMT

Swiss chocolate maker Lindt's chocolate rabbits are devoid of any distinctive character and cannot be registered as a trademark in the EU, the union's top court said today.

Egyptians return to polls today

Thu, 24 May 2012 09:19:20 GMT

Egypt resumed its first free presidential election today after a first day of voting that passed off mostly calmly, apart from a stone-throwing attack on candidate Ahmed Shafiq, who was premier for a few days before Hosni Mubarak fell.

Brother of blind China activist flees

Thu, 24 May 2012 09:02:56 GMT

The brother of blind activist Chen Guangcheng has fled his village in northeastern China, evading a security clampdown to seek help from lawyers for his son who has been detained in a case that has become a rallying point among rights activists.

Iran nuclear talks enter second day

Thu, 24 May 2012 07:42:08 GMT

Talks between Iran and world powers to defuse a dispute about Iran's nuclear goals go into a second day today with Washington cautiously hopeful of progress towards an agreed framework for addressing concerns that Tehran wants to build an atom bomb.

US drone kills 10 in Pakistan

Thu, 24 May 2012 06:38:24 GMT

A US drone strike on suspected Islamist militants in northwest Pakistan killed 10 people today, Pakistani intelligence officials said, an attack likely to raise tensions in a standoff with Washington over Nato supply routes to Afghanistan.

Court told of 'cowardly' Breivik attack

Wed, 23 May 2012 20:58:46 GMT

Mass killer Anders Behring Breivik is a "cowardly little man," one of his teenage victims said on today, after showing a court the scars left by four bullets that had pierced her body.

Paxman given 'hacking' lesson

Wed, 23 May 2012 16:16:13 GMT

Former Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan once told Jeremy Paxman how to access voicemail messages Britain’s Leveson Inquiry heard today.

Google honours synthesiser creator

Wed, 23 May 2012 16:00:44 GMT

Users of Google's search engine today found an interactive musical “doodle” that can be played using a mouse.

MEPs back financial transaction tax

Wed, 23 May 2012 15:44:10 GMT

MEPs meeting in Strasbourg today have backed a proposal to introduce a tax on financial transactions across the European Union.

Russia test-fires ballistic missile

Wed, 23 May 2012 15:11:36 GMT

Russia has successfully test-fired a new intercontinental ballistic missile with an enhanced capability to penetrate missile defences, according to a military spokesman.

Egypt votes for new president

Wed, 23 May 2012 12:14:47 GMT

Egyptians queued patiently to vote on Wednesday, eager to pick their leader for the first time in a national history dating to the pharaohs, with Islamists and secular-minded rivals who served under deposed President Hosni Mubarak heading the field.

Pakistan jails 'CIA helper' doctor

Wed, 23 May 2012 11:58:54 GMT

A Pakistani doctor accused of helping the CIA find Osama bin Laden has been jailed for 33 years for treason, a government official said.

World powers open Iran talks

Wed, 23 May 2012 11:58:54 GMT

World powers began talks with Iran today to test its readiness under pressure of sanctions to scale back its nuclear program, seeking to ease a decade-old standoff and avert the threat of a Middle East war.

Aid workers abducted in Afghanistan

Wed, 23 May 2012 10:21:44 GMT

Five aid workers, including two Western women doctors, have been kidnapped by unidentified gunmen in northeastern Afghanistan, police and the provincial governor's office said today.

Official suspended over ticket 'scam'

Wed, 23 May 2012 06:37:50 GMT

The Ukraine National Olympic Committee has launched an investigation and suspended a top official accused of offering to sell thousands of dollars worth of tickets for the London Olympics on the black market.

Tunisia to extradite former Gadafy PM

Tue, 22 May 2012 18:37:23 GMT

Tunisia will extradite former Libyan prime minister Al-Baghdadi Al-Mahmoudi — currently being held in Tunis — back to Libya,officials said today.

Man guilty of Terre'blanche killing

Tue, 22 May 2012 15:41:44 GMT

A South African farm worker was found guilty today of murdering white supremacist leader Eugene Terre'blanche in April 2010.

Britain moves to replace Asbos

Tue, 22 May 2012 15:25:21 GMT

Britain's plans for replacing antisocial behaviour orders will repeat previous failings, campaigners warned today.

Tymoshenko daughter before MEPs

Tue, 22 May 2012 15:09:09 GMT

The daughter of jailed Ukrainian opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko told the EU parliament in Strasbourg today that more accusations are being levelled against her mother by president Viktor Yanukovich.

Man survives 50m Niagara Falls plunge

Tue, 22 May 2012 10:45:21 GMT

A man survived a plunge of at least 54m (180ft) over Niagara Falls to become only the third person known to have lived after going over the falls without a safety device.

SpaceX rocket launch a success

Tue, 22 May 2012 09:56:46 GMT

An unmanned rocket owned by privately held Space Exploration Technologies blasted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station today for a mission designed to be the first commercial flight to the International Space Station.

US Senate approves Iran sanctions

Tue, 22 May 2012 09:23:48 GMT

The US Senate has unanimously approved a package of new economic sanctions on Iran's oil sector just days ahead of a meeting in Baghdad between major world powers and Tehran.

Support for German opposition rises

Tue, 22 May 2012 09:07:21 GMT

Support for Germany's opposition Social Democrats (SPD) has jumped since their victory in a regional election, a new poll has shown, highlighting the increased domestic pressure on chancellor Angela Merkel as she battles the euro zone crisis.

Fake anti-malaria drugs flood market

Tue, 22 May 2012 07:30:25 GMT

Low-quality and fake anti-malarial drugs flooding into markets in Asia and Africa are driving drug resistance and threatening gains made in the fight against the disease in the past decade, according to a study by global health experts.

Nato backs 2014 Afghanistan exit

Tue, 22 May 2012 06:58:39 GMT

Nato set an "irreversible" course out of Afghanistan yesterday but US president Barack Obama admitted the Western alliance's plan to end the deeply unpopular war in 2014 was fraught with peril.

Over 90 die in Yemen bomb attack

Mon, 21 May 2012 20:33:31 GMT

A man with explosives strapped under his army uniform killed more than 90 people in the Yemeni capital Sanaa today when he blew himself up in the midst of a military parade rehearsal.

Call for deeper European integration

Mon, 21 May 2012 19:31:05 GMT

A European growth pact and deeper political integration in the euro zone could bolster the currency union, but there must be no softening of the bloc's fiscal pact on budget discipline, ECB policymaker Joerg Asmussen said today.

Putin tightens grip with new cabinet

Mon, 21 May 2012 18:12:54 GMT

Russian president Vladimir Putin unveiled a government dominated by loyalists today, tightening his grip on the economy and national security after protests, and limiting prime minister Dmitry Medvedev's ability to pursue market reforms.

Bee Gees star Robin Gibb (62) dies

Mon, 21 May 2012 13:27:28 GMT

Bee Gees singer Robin Gibb, who with brothers Barry and Maurice helped define the disco era with their falsetto harmonies and funky beats on smash hits such as Stayin' Alive and Jive Talkin', has died after a long fight with cancer.

Olympic torches being sold on eBay

Mon, 21 May 2012 09:59:56 GMT

Olympic torchbearers have cashed in on their once-in-a-lifetime privilege by selling their torches on eBay.

Nato set to agree Afghan handover

Mon, 21 May 2012 08:55:56 GMT

Nato will hand over the lead role in combat operations to Afghan forces across the country by mid-2013, alliance leaders said yesterday as they charted a path out of a war that has lost public support and strained budgets in Western nations.

Many homeless after Italy quake

Mon, 21 May 2012 08:40:09 GMT

A strong earthquake in northern Italy killed at least six people, injured dozens and damaged historic buildings including a famed mediaeval castle early on Sunday, waking terrified citizens and sending thousands running into the streets.

Earthquake in northern Italy kills six

Sun, 20 May 2012 14:57:23 GMT

A strong earthquake rocked a large swathe of northern Italy early today, killing at least six people, injuring dozens and seriously damaging historic buildings such as churches, bell towers and a mediaeval castle.

Lockerbie bomber dies in Libya

Sun, 20 May 2012 13:54:53 GMT

The former Libyan intelligence officer convicted of the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am flight over Lockerbie, Scotland, that killed 270 people has died, his brother said today.

Shootings rise tensions in Lebanon

Sun, 20 May 2012 12:05:55 GMT

Lebanese soldiers shot dead a Sunni cleric and a second member of a Lebanese political alliance against Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in northern Lebanon today, security sources said.

Pakistan blocks access to Twitter

Sun, 20 May 2012 11:50:27 GMT

Pakistan today blocked access to Twitter in response to "blasphemous" material posted by users on the microblogging and social networking website, a senior government official said.

Nato leaders to discuss Afghan exit

Sun, 20 May 2012 11:34:56 GMT

Nato leaders gather in Chicago today for a summit that will chart a path out of Afghanistan, as Western nations seek to fend off fissures in their alliance and ensure Afghanistan can hold a still-potent Taliban at bay when foreign troops withdraw.

World leaders back keeping Greece within the euro zone

Sun, 20 May 2012 10:32:31 GMT

World leaders backed keeping Greece in the euro zone and vowed to take all steps necessary to combat financial turmoil while revitalising a global economy increasingly threatened by Europe's debt crisis.

Blind Chinese dissident arrives US

Sun, 20 May 2012 09:29:50 GMT

A blind Chinese legal activist who was suddenly allowed to leave the country has arrived in the US, ending a nearly month-long diplomatic tussle that had tested US-China relations.

G8 focuses on euro zone growth package

Sat, 19 May 2012 19:45:44 GMT

US president Barack Obama has pledged to work with Europe on a package that balances growth with debt reduction as world leaders try to prevent the worsening euro zone crisis from destabilising the global economy.

10 dead in Afghan bombing

Sat, 19 May 2012 18:28:02 GMT

A suicide bomber on a motorcycle detonated explosives in an Afghan district close to the border with Pakistan, killing at least 10 people including children, officials said today.

Nine dead in Syria bomb attack

Sat, 19 May 2012 16:23:37 GMT

A car bomb blew up at a Syrian military post in the eastern city of Deir al-Zor today killing nine people, an attack that Syria said was the latest proof that an uprising against president Bashar al-Assad is a foreign plot.

Aborted lift-off for US spaceship

Sat, 19 May 2012 16:08:07 GMT

The launch of a privately owned Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station was delayed when a computer detected a possible problem with one of the rocket's engines, a Space Exploration Technologies official said.

Anti-austerity march in Frankfurt

Sat, 19 May 2012 15:05:52 GMT

At least 20,000 demonstrators marched through Frankfurt today in a peaceful protest against austerity measures implemented to tackle the intensifying euro zone debt crisis.

Bomb explosion hits Italy school

Sat, 19 May 2012 13:31:58 GMT

A bomb exploded in front of a school in southern Italy today, killing a 16 year-old girl and wounding as many as ten others, one seriously, authorities have confirmed

Activist Chen 'leaves China'

Sat, 19 May 2012 12:14:06 GMT

Blind Chinese legal activist Chen Guangcheng, whose stay at the US embassy in Beijing caused a diplomatice crisis, has left China for the United States.

Italy recalls envoy from India

Sat, 19 May 2012 07:49:31 GMT

Italy's recall of its envoy from New Delhi is aimed at signalling its "strong displeasure" with the Indian government's handling of a case involving two Italian sailors charged with murder, a top Italian official said today.

Euro zone crisis to dominate G8

Fri, 18 May 2012 18:20:20 GMT

US president Barack Obama called the European debt crisis an issue of "extraordinary importance" to the global economy and said that fiscal responsibility should be coupled with policies to promote growth.

Queen's jubilee guestlist criticised

Fri, 18 May 2012 16:46:25 GMT

The Queen was accused of making a catastrophic error of judgment today by dining with the King of Bahrain, whose regime is accused of a catalogue of human rights abuses.

Al-Qaeda behind Syrian attacks - UN

Fri, 18 May 2012 15:27:28 GMT

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he believed al-Qaeda was responsible for two suicide car bombs that killed at least 55 people in Syria a week ago and that the death toll in the country's 14-month conflict was now at least 10,000.

Invisible art: minimalism in the extreme

Fri, 18 May 2012 12:02:35 GMT

A leading British gallery is to push the boundaries of visual art with an exhibition of works which cannot be seen.

Dieting 'safe' for pregnant women

Fri, 18 May 2012 10:10:56 GMT

The common belief that pregnant women can eat for two has been scotched by research suggesting dieting during pregnancy can be beneficial.

Bus crash in Vietnam 'kills 34'

Fri, 18 May 2012 06:27:43 GMT

A passenger bus plunged into a river in Vietnam's Central Highlands killing 34 people and injuring at least 25 others, state-run newspapers reported today.

Obama, Hollande to discuss crisis

Fri, 18 May 2012 05:56:28 GMT

US president Barack Obama will seek to cement a bond with France's new leader at the White House today before heading to Camp David for a G8 summit where he is set to press Europe to do more to fix the region's deepening economic crisis.

Disco queen Donna Summer (63) dies

Thu, 17 May 2012 20:50:50 GMT

Disco queen Donna Summer died of cancer today at the age of 63.