POLITICS

If the Greek debt is cut by as much 60 per cent, one of the solutions to the debt crisis proposed by EU leaders at Wednesday's summit, it could be disastrous for European banks, according to the former Chancellor of the Exchequer Lord Lamont.

Reports that Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi had agreed to step down as part of a 'secret deal' emerged Wednesday denied by The Northern League, the coalition's main ally and the PM's office.

The four-decade rule of Libyan autocrat, Col. Moammar Gadhafi finally came to an end on Thursday, after he was dragged from his hiding place - a drainpipe - in the town of Sirte and killed. However, there is growing international unease about increasingly graphic and disturbing images of the abuse of a body that appears to be Gadhafi's, following his capture and the fall of his hometown of Sirte on Thursday.

While evidence of illegal killings and violations of human rights committed by both sides are slowly emerging, the absence of official and updated death toll figures show many secrets are still to be unlocked before the carnage wrought by nine months long civil war is known.

Reports have emerged suggesting riot police are attempting to forcefully disperse the Occupy Oakland movement using tear gas, rubber bullets and armoured vehicles on peaceful protesters.

The flood crisis continues to engulf Thailand's capital, Bangkok, as residents stockpile food.

As Europe’s leaders gathered for their second emergency summit in four days, news emerged that there was no concrete agenda for Wednesday’s crisis meetings.

It's Diwali time! The "Festival of lights" is back this year bringing fun, frolic and exciting promises. With more than one million British Indians residing in the UK, the festive spirit has always been upbeat. Meanwhile, acknowledging the contribution made by the British Hindus and the British Indian community, the UK Prime Minister David Cameron has extended Diwali wishes.

Muammar Gaddafi's autopsy confirmed the former Libyan leader died from a gunshot to the head, the country's chief pathologist said, a move which is set to amplify allegations the deposed head of state has been executed by one of his captors.

Zimbabwe's Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, a long-time opponent of Mugabe's Zanu-PF has changed his stance on gay rights, saying he now wants them enshrined in the new soon-to be constitution.

The Occupy protesters, that were mocked in the media for abandoning the site, have hit back saying the publications who carried the thermal images of empty tents are “confused.”

The funeral of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Sultan on Tuesday set the stage for the nomination of a new heir, widely expected to be interior minister Prince Nayef, at a time where the Kingdom has seen increasing demand for reforms.

There can be no doubt of the bitter disappointment that Chris Huhne, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, must have felt when the consortium led by Scottish Power walked away from the chance of establishing and operating Britain's first power plant with Carbon Capture (CCS) and reported by the media on 19 October 2011. The consortium led by Scottish Power, a subsidiary of Spanish utility firm Iberdrola though its headquarters is in Glasgow, also included National Grid and Shell...

A 14-day-old new born has miraculously survived after being trapped for 46hours in debris after the 7.2 earthquake hit Turkey on Sunday.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet issued a statement confirming the approval of a prisoner exchange deal with Egypt to release suspected Israeli spy Ilan Grapel, a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen arrested in June and accused of being a spy in exchange for 25 Egyptian prisoners from Israeli jails.

Thailand has approved a five-day holiday for its residents and urged them to protect their homes, assess and look after their property and evacuate to safer places Tuesday.

Private Eye, the fortnightly magazine mixing politics with comedy, marks its 50th anniversary today.

Muammar Gaddafi, his son Muatassim and a top aide have been buried at a secret desert location after Muslim rites with a few relatives and officials in attendance, but the burrials are unlikely to calm down the controversy surrounding Libya's former "brother leader."

An analysis of a video obtained by GlobalPost from a rebel fighter who recorded Colonel Gaddafi's capture appears to show the former leader being sodomized as he was being dragged from the drainpipe where he had taken refuge.

Moderate Islamists claimed victory Monday in the first democratic elections in Tunisia, proving that years of state-sponsored secularism by toppled leader Ben Ali has not prevented the return of Islamists parties in Tunisia.

The prime minister, David Cameron, faced a major rebellion as 81 of his own backbenchers defied a three-line whip and voted for a motion to hold a referendum on Britain's future relationship with the EU.

Residents of quake-affected areas spent their second night out, in freezing temperatures, after Turkish towns were rattled by several aftershocks from a massive 7.2 magnitude earthquake that has, so far, killed more than 270 people and wounded another 1,000.

If the UK had an “in-out” referendum tomorrow on membership within the EU half the country would vote “out”, a majority that would comfortably pass the motion.

Guards locked the gates to the compound where the three bodies were conserved and displayed, with one guard reportedly saying "That's enough," "he's been causing us as much trouble dead as he did alive."

Supporters of the UK Independence Party are gathering outside of parliament ahead of the EU referendum debate this afternoon with the intention of lobbying their MPs.

Libya might have now been 'liberated' but the consequences of nine months of conflict between the anti and pro Gaddafi forces might take much longer to heal as the 53 bodies of apparent Gaddafi loyalists who appeared to have been executed were found by Human Rights Watch (HRW).

David Cameron made a forceful plea to the House of Commons to see the positive sides of remaining a member of the EU and top have an “in-out” referendum would be “wrong timing”.

With the popularity of Islamic-based political parties in Tunisia and Egypt, and the announce of the continuation of a sharia law-based Libya, political Islam in some of the Arab Spring countries is it seems regaining momentum, re-launching the debate between democracy and Islam.

Julian Assange of Wikileaks today announced that the Whistleblowing site will be introducing a new, more secure, submission system and claims that every web-based encryption is not to be trusted.