PA denies UN moves freeze report

By MOHAMMED MAR’I RAMALLAH: Senior Palestinian officials on Thursday denied reports that the Palestinian Authority has offered the United States a deal under which it would freeze all moves to achieve full membership for Palestine in various UN agencies until the end of January while the US and Israel would […]

Pilgrims urged not to overstay

By MD HUMAIDAN | ARAB NEWS JEDDAH: The Passport Department has urged all foreign pilgrims who have come for Haj to leave the Kingdom before the expiry of their visas. “Saudi regulations do not allow pilgrims overstaying their Haj visas,” it said. Brig. Ayed Al-Harbi, commander of the Passport Department […]

Fears of debt contagion spread as French borrowing costs increase

By RFI France. European stockmarkets fell further on Friday over investor fears the financial problems facing Italy and Spain could be spreading to France.The three countries this week faced sharp spikes in borrowing costs in what is seen as a dangerous new phase of the debt crisis. More:  http://www.english.rfi.fr/economy/20111118-fears-debt-contagion-spread-french-borrowing-costs-increase

Canadian athletes nabbed in doping scandal at kabaddi World Cup

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/canadian-athletes-nabbed-in-doping-scandal-at-kabaddi-world-cup/article2240582/ Few in Canada have even heard of the ancient Indian sport of kabaddi, a game of power and speed that blends elements of tag, wrestling and rugby. And even fewer would assume such a niche sport could be rife with performance-enhancing drugs. But the Canadian national squad is one […]

Some surprising words now banned from Pakistan text messages

http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1088952–some-surprising-words-now-banned-from-pakistan-text-messages?bn=1 Sebastian Abbot The Associated Press ISLAMABAD—Texters in Pakistan better start watching their language. Pakistan’s telecommunications authority sent a letter ordering cellphone companies to block text messages containing what it perceives to be obscenities, Anjum Nida Rahman, a spokeswoman for Telenor Pakistan, said Friday. It also sent a list of […]

Eurozone crisis

source:dawn.com Stronger action is needed to tackle the two-year-old eurozone crisis. Certainly, the formation of technocrat-led unity governments in Italy and Greece is a step forward. But the markets appear unconvinced amid concern that the crisis is spreading from heavily indebted Greece and Italy to Europe`s `core` nations, including Austria, […]