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Regime 'hides' tanks in flashpoint district of rebel city Observers already in Homs 'unable to move freely' Al-Qaida in Iraq claims bomb attacks in Baghdad Iranian woman convicted of adultery 'may be hanged' 10.33am: The Arab League observer mission has arrived in Homs and is meeting with the governor of the province, AFP reports. It quotes Syria's Dunia television as reporting: The Arab League observers' delegation has begun its meeting with Homs governor Ghassan Abdel Al. 9.33am: Tanks are reportedly being pulled out from the city of Homs as Arab League officials make their way there. At least 11 tanks have withdrawn this morning from the particularly badly hit district of Baba Amr, Reuters quotes the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. But it also quotes Rami Abdelrahman, the organisation's chief, as saying the pull-out may not be quite as it seems: Many tanks remain inside the neighbourhood; the army is hiding them inside government buildi...

Duke of Edinburgh expected to rejoin the royal family at Sandringham after treatment for a blocked coronary artery The Duke of Edinburgh has left Papworth hospital in Cambridgeshire following treatment for a blocked coronary artery. He is expected to rejoin the Queen and other members of the royal family at Sandringham, according to a Buckingham Palace spokeswoman. Prince Philip who has taken to hospital last Friday after complaining of chest pains, has been recuperating after treatment for a blocked coronary artery at the specialist heart hospital in Cambridgeshire. Following tests, doctors discovered a blocked artery and he underwent a "minimally invasive procedure of coronary stenting", which was declared a success but he has been kept in for four nights so doctors can keep a close eye on his recovery. This is the most serious health scare suffered by the duke, who is known for being a robust and active 90-year-old. On Christmas Day, Princes William and Harry drove separat...

Senior officials from foreign ministries of China and South Korea held the fourth high-level strategic dialogue in Seoul on Tuesday, vowing to deepen cooperation and boost bilateral ties. The one-day talks, led by Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun and South Korean First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Park Suk-hwan, come under a mechanism established in 2008 for annual dialogues between high-level diplomats of the two nations. During Tuesday's talks, the two sides exchanged views on bilateral relations, and major international and regional issues of common interest. They agreed that the two nations should take the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties next year as an opportunity to further boost practical cooperation in various areas, and achieve new development on bilateral ties. The two sides also agreed that all parties concerned should make joint efforts to maintain peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and the region. On the same da...

Zhu Mingguo condemns local party officials as 'red apples, rotten inside' in wake of Wukan protests over confiscated farmland The senior Chinese official who helped defuse a standoff with protesting villagers has told officials to get used to citizens who are increasingly assertive about their rights and likened erring local governments to red apples with rotten cores. Zhu Mingguo, a deputy Communist party secretary of southern Guangdong province, last week helped broker a compromise between the government and residents of Wukan village. Ten days of protests over confiscated farmland and the death of a protest organiser drew widespread attention as a rebuff to the government. Guangzhou Daily, the official paper of the provincial capital, quoted Zhu as telling officials that Wukan and other protests were not isolated flare-ups. "In terms of society, the public's awareness of democracy, equality and rights is constantly strengthening, and their corresponding demands are ...

Rule change will help stretch Tokyo's defence budget further in response to China's increased military spending Japan has relaxed its self-imposed decades-old ban on military equipment exports in a move that will open up new markets to its defence contractors and help it squeeze more out of its defence budget. The rule adopted in 1967 banned sales to communist countries, and those involved in international conflicts or subject to United Nations sanctions. It later became a blanket ban on exports and on the development and production of weapons with countries other than the United States, making it impossible for manufacturers to participate in multinational projects. The government's security council agreed to the relaxing of the ban to allow Japan to take part in the joint development and production of arms with other countries and to supply military equipment for humanitarian missions, chief cabinet secretary Osamu Fujimura said. "The new standards [on weapons export...

Kuram Shaikah Zaman was shot and stabbed after argument broke out at resort of Tangalle, reports say A British man has died after being shot and stabbed in a Sri Lankan resort, according to reports. Local police said the victim, named as Kuram Shaikah Zaman, was killed in Tangalle early on Christmas Day. The Foreign Office confirmed a British man had died in the country but would not confirm any other details. "Next of kin have been informed and we are providing consular assistance," said a spokesman. Zaman and a Russian woman were attacked following an argument with a man at a hotel, according to reports. Four men had been arrested, including Sampath Chandra Pushpa Vidanapathirana, 24, the chairman of Tangalle village council, Sri Lankan police told the BBC. A post-mortem examination revealed Zaman, believed to be a British national of Israeli origin who was working in the Gaza Strip, had been attacked by a sharp weapon and shot. The Russian woman, named as 23-year-old Victo...

Afghanistan will accept a Taliban office in Qatar to help peace talks but no foreign power can get involved in the process without its consent, the government's peace council said, as efforts gather pace to find a solution to the 10-year war. Afghanistan's High Peace Council, in a note to foreign missions, has set out ground rules for engaging the Taliban after Kabul grew concerned that the United States and Qatar, helped by Germany, had secretly agreed with the Taliban to open an office in the Qatari capital, Doha. It said that negotiations with the Taliban could only begin after they stopped violence against civilians, cut ties to al-Qaida, and accepted the Afghan constitution, which guarantees civil rights and liberties, including rights for women. The council, according to a copy of the 11-point note made available to Reuters, also said any peace process with the Taliban would have to have the support of Pakistan since members of the insurgent group were based there. "...