Barack Obama’s second-term inauguration sees him return with a far more aggressive political programme
US Treasury warns of ‘extraordinary measures’ amid fiscal cliff deadlock
Barack Obama cuts short holiday to tackle budget crisis as country faces breaching its $16.4tn debt limit
Fastjet takes EasyJet low-cost model into African airspace
Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou’s low-cost African airline is ready for takeoff in Tanzania
Hamas says ‘gates of hell opened’ as Israel kills military leader in Gaza
Ahmed al-Jabari’s assassination in missile strike marks ‘start of broader operation’ that may involve ground troops, says Israel
Israel fires warning shots into Syria as violence escalates in Gaza
Four Palestinian civilians are reported killed in Gaza as fears grow that Syrian civil war could spill across border
Greek MPs approve hefty budget cuts
Thousands gather in protest as parliament votes to pass new austerity measures in 2013 budget
Barack and Mitt finally feel brotherly love … thanks to their Kenyan mother
Twins born in a hospital close to Obama’s ancestral home village named to mark the events in the US on their birthday
Barack Obama’s odyssey continues
History made as first black US president is re-elected, defying jobless rate and assaults of American right
Julius Malema ‘unshaken’ after money laundering charge
Firebrand politician mocks South African president after reports that he would face more serious charges prove unfounded
Religious intolerance on the rise worldwide, says US report
Pew Research Centre report says the US and UK are among countries showing a worrying rise in religious discrimination
Pakistan explodes in fury as south Asia’s Muslims join anti-US protests
Violent demonstrations leave 15 dead as Pakistan, Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka witness Islamic anger at America
Striking South Africa platinum miners agree deal with Lonmin
Miners to return to work after pay rise ends five weeks of bitter industrial action during which 45 people were killed
Kenyan troops close in on al-Shabaab’s Somali stronghold
African Union forces set to take rebel-held port of Kismayo, according to military, as rights groups fear civilian death toll
China-Japan row over disputed islands threatens to escalate
Anti-Japan protests spread amid reports that Chinese boats are heading for archipelago where Japanese activists landed briefly
Nigerian police kill Boko Haram spokesman
Abu Qaqa, one of few publicly known members of Islamist group, shot after trying to flee military checkpoint, sources say
Japanese firms close offices in China as islands row escalates
US defence secretary urges restraint as diplomatic dispute over East China Sea islands threatens countries’ close economic ties
Deadly clashes in Kenya fuel fears of election violence
Death of at least 116 people in coastal region raises suspicions of political motives and Somali involvement as elections near
France opens murder inquiry into Yasser Arafat’s death
Public prosecutor will try to establish if Arafat was poisoned with polonium-210
The abuse of dissenting Jews is shameful
Jewish diaspora support is vital for Israel, yet those who oppose its policies are demonised and vilified
Syrian rebels fight on for Aleppo despite local wariness
Rebels say 70% of city is with regime, but exchanges with the few remaining residents who venture on to streets are civil