Seoul adopts Christmas tree diplomacy

Seoul adopts Christmas tree diplomacy
Strong take-up of ECB loans expected
Crisis fails to dent German optimism
Syria deaths rise despite Arab League deal
Discoveries in search for twin Earths
Ski resorts give Colorado workers a lift
Turkey and France step up row on ‘genocide’
Iraq vice-president declares unity efforts ‘gone’
Afghan rail plan to boost mineral exports
Infighting fails to quell Russia opposition

Posted: 20 Dec 2011 12:31 PM PST

South Korea is determined to avoid provoking the North's inexperienced new leader into proving himself through an early military standoff

Strong take-up of ECB loans expected

Posted: 20 Dec 2011 11:33 AM PST

Some banks have historically been keen to avoid turning to the central bank for fear of signalling weakness to their peers

Crisis fails to dent German optimism

Posted: 20 Dec 2011 03:36 AM PST

Germany's companies are shrugging off the eurozone debt crisis, according to the latest survey of business confidence

Syria deaths rise despite Arab League deal

Posted: 20 Dec 2011 07:17 AM PST

The bulk of Monday's deaths were army defectors as debate raged over whether President Bashar al-Assad's regime was committed to a peace plan

Discoveries in search for twin Earths

Posted: 20 Dec 2011 11:09 AM PST

The discovery by Kepler observatory is a landmark in the search for a "twin" planet that might harbour life like ours

Ski resorts give Colorado workers a lift

Posted: 20 Dec 2011 08:09 AM PST

A few years ago, the state's resorts had to look overseas for staff but the recession has changed all that

Turkey and France step up row on ‘genocide’

Posted: 20 Dec 2011 12:26 PM PST

France has warned Turkey against commercial reprisals in a dispute over a French bid to make it a crime to deny a genocide of Armenians took place during the Ottoman Empire

Iraq vice-president declares unity efforts ‘gone’

Posted: 20 Dec 2011 11:23 AM PST

Tariq al-Hashimi accuses the Shia-led government of persecution and declares efforts to unite the country 'gone' just days after the withdrawal of US forces

Afghan rail plan to boost mineral exports

Posted: 20 Dec 2011 09:19 AM PST

Asian Development Bank wants to raise $1bn to expand new line into network to deliver iron ore and copper to global markets

Infighting fails to quell Russia opposition

Posted: 20 Dec 2011 12:30 PM PST

Tens of thousands plan to attend a mass anti-government demonstration in Moscow despite Kremlin efforts to discredit opposition leaders