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There is no prospect of peace talks between the Taliban and Afghan government, the Taliban’s leader Mullah Omar has insisted. In a statement, Mullah Omar said “rumours of negotiation” were a ploy by Western powers to “cover up” their military defeat in Afghanistan. A BBC correspondent says some... 

Facebook has revamped its messaging system to make it the main way people communicate with friends and family. Confounding rumours about what Facebook would announce, founder Mark Zuckerberg said the system was “not e-mail”. Instead, he said, it was modelled on instant messaging systems and will route messages to... 

Four members of Silvio Berlusconi’s coalition government have resigned, deepening the political crisis surrounding the Italian prime minister. All four are backers of parliamentary speaker Gianfranco Fini, who left the prime minister’s party over the summer. Outgoing deputy minister Adolfo Urso said they wanted to... 

Two days after being freed from house arrest, pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has said that her aim is for a peaceful revolution in Burma. Speaking to the BBC at the headquarters of her National League for Democracy, she said she was sure democracy would come to Burma eventually, although she did not know how long it would... 

The Irish Republic has insisted it does not need European Union assistance amid speculation it is under pressure to use an EU bail-out fund. Dublin said it was in contact with “international colleagues”. But it dismissed reports that it may approach the European Financial Stability Fund (EFSF) for up to 80bn euros... 

A fire has destroyed a high-rise building in Shanghai, killing at least 42 people, state media report. At least 90 others were injured as the blaze tore through a 28-storey block of flats in the Chinese city, Xinhua said. The building was being renovated when the fire broke out. Chinese TV showed people clinging to scaffolding... 

NEW DELHI: At least 20 people were killed and nearly 40 others injured when a four-storey residential building collapsed in east Delhi tonight, police and hospital authorities said. Some 60 people were rescued from the building in Lalita Park area of Laxmi Nagar, but scores of others are still feared to be trapped, a senior... 

Sahara India Pariwar, the conglomerate run by Indian billionaire Subrata Roy, is all set to buy the landmark Grosvenor House hotel in central London, which was once home to the Duke of Westminster. According to the Sunday Times, Royal Bank of Scotland, which took control of the property in 2001 when it paid 1.2 billion pounds... 

New Delhi: The swanky new terminal 3 at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi Airport has become fully operational. National carrier, the Air India, as well as leading private airlines have shifted their operations to the new terminal. Though there was chaos and delays when the airlines shifted to T3 on Saturday, things were smoother... 

New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation registered two cases in connection with alleged irregularities during the Queen’s Baton’s Relay in London and carried out searches at CWG Organising Committee’s office and at residences of some of its former officials. The two cases were registered against London-based...