Oliver Tree

Russia's ruble-denominated Micex index dropped 3.9 percent, while the dollar-denominated RTS fell more than 4.3 percent a day after Monday's Putin bounce lifted both to record highs.

As rescue teams frantically dug for survivors the death toll is expected to rise.

One of the worst affected areas was the New South Wales town of Wagga Wagga, where 8,000 people were ordered to abandon their homes amid warnings flood waters were expected to breach an 11-meter levee, Reuters reported.

The report claimed the government set up a private company to keep the Swedish government at arm's length from any dealings with the Saudi authorities and to get around export restrictions.

Passengers described hellish scenes at Paris' Gare Du Nord with some stuck on trains or waiting in stations for over nine hours.

Iran on Tuesday said it will give U.N. weapons inspectors access to a secret military complex where it's believed work on a nuclear weapon may be taking place, as Western countries offered to resume talks with Tehran over its nuclear program.

Thousands of protesters gathered in Moscow and other Russian cities to denounce what they considered an unfair electoral victory Sunday by Vladimir Putin, who will return to his country's presidency in May.

The U.N. refugee agency said Monday as many as 2000 Syrians had crossed into Lebanon in the last two days, many carrying what few possessions they could.

Geir Haarde presided over the Iceland's economic meltdown which saw the collapse its three main banks, its currency nosedive and soaring inflation, costing the country billions of dollars.

The 15-month-old girl from Indiana had been found alive in a field Friday after a tornado ripped through her family's mobile home, killing her parents and two siblings.

The former KGB-man spoke of how he was favored by a majority of Russians, with recent polls putting his popularity at around 60 percent.

The ICC want Hussein on 20 counts of crimes against humanity, including persecution and rape, and 21 counts or war crimes which include murder and attacks against a civilian population.

The EU's decision was taken at a summit in Brussels late Thursday night, and launched the former pariah state on what will be a lengthy process towards full blown membership of the Union.

Rebel fighters were finally driven out of the Baba-Amro district in Homs when forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad launched a final assault on the beleaguered city Thursday after a siege that had lasted 26 days. Meanwhile, Turkey's president said Russia and Iran will have little choice but to join diplomatic efforts toward Assad's ouster .

Thursday's statement marks the first by the Security Council relating to Syria in seven months, after previous efforts were blocked by Russia and China.

Military options tabled by the Joint Chiefs of Staff range from supplying the Israeli Air Force with tankers for mid-air refueling, to using the Air Force's 30,000 pound bunker-buster bombs to penetrate fortifications at Iran's Fordo uranium-enrichment facility.

Elderly Wade, 85, gained 34.8 percent of the vote, failing to secure an outright majority in Sunday's presidential elections

The remote-controlled device exploded near the offices of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AK), wrecking a police bus and nearby vehicles.

Almost all the fighters battling Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces withdrew from their stronghold in the Baba Amro district of the city, leaving behind comrades to cover their retreat.

Occupy Wall Street drew a top U.S. security agency's scrutiny, Rolling Stone reported, as protesters across the country tried to revive the movement in a day of action against corporate greed.

The activists are all accused of obtaining foreign funds without the proper approval of Egyptian authorities and carrying out political activities unrelated to their work.

At least 100 people a day are now crossing the border, with up to 3,000 fleeing since elections in November.

Among the victims of the Syrian uprising are a number of western journalists, the only independent witnesses remaining in the besieged city. Their plight was highlighted after the renowned war correspondent Marie Colvin, 56, and French photographer Remi Ochlik, 28, were both killed when a rocket hit their makeshift media center in the middle of Homs last week.

A senior Tunisian official agreed to offer Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad asylum if he promised to step down. The overture presents a shred of hope that a peaceful end can be found for the nearly yearlong uprising against Assad's autocratic rule.

Rioters armed with knives reportedly attacked victims near the city of Kashgar, killing 10, while police shot two of the attackers dead.

The decision by France's Constitutional Council invalidates the law, which was due to be ratified by President Nicolas Sarkozy in February.

The attack, which has been blamed on Islamist militant groups, occurred in the northern district of Kohistan, which neighbors a former Taliban stronghold in the Swat valley.

According to the rights group, lawyers, teachers, students and journalists are all being arrested as the country prepares for elections on Friday.

Photographer Paul Conroy, 47 -- the first foreign journalist to escape Syria -- was being carried by stretcher from Baba Amr to the Lebanese border when the party was shelled by government forces, according to the opposition group Local Coordination Committees (LCC).