Kenyan house prices rise in Q3 on interest rate drop

 Kenya's house prices rose by 7.1 percent in the third quarter of 2012 compared to the same period last year, a real estate firm said on Wednesday, as lower mortgage rates on the back of falling interest rates spurred demand for prime real estate.Housing has been one of Kenya's fastest growing sectors over the last decade, fuelled by a burgeoning middle class with higher disposable incomes. Returns...

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AP Photos: Falconers hunting on outskirts of Dubai

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Like his ancestors, Iraqi-born falcon trainer Abu Badr al-Anazi swings the carcass of a pigeon to attract a falcon released a few hundred meters (yards) away. The bird of prey arcs over the desert outskirts of Dubai before sinking its talons into the lure.While the methods to develop top-quality hunting falcons date back to antiquity, its transition into a modern...

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Syrian interior minister leaves Beirut hospital

 Syria's interior minister, wounded in a Damascus bombing, headed home on a private jet Wednesday after treatment in Beirut, airport officials said, despite calls from some Lebanese to put him on trial for Syrian actions in their country.Mohammed al-Shaar's departure coincided with the defection of the commander of Syria's military police.Officials at Beirut's Rafik Hariri International Airport...

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Iran ex-president's family sues radical critic

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Four children of an influential ex-Iranian president are suing a radical lawmaker for describing his family as a corrupt "octopus," heating up a struggle between hard-liners and moderates simmering since a contested 2009 election.The latest salvo has rekindled the bitterness between backers of the current president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and moderates headed by the former leader,...

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Egypt's government sets priorities after charter

 Egypt's government set legislative priorities for parliament on Wednesday as it convened for the first time since a new constitution was passed, asking lawmakers to focus on setting rules for upcoming elections, regulating the media and fighting corruption.The official confirmation Tuesday that the Islamist-drafted constitution passed in a referendum ushered in a new chapter in Egypt's two-year...

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Syria minister leaves Beirut for fear of arrest

 Syria's wounded interior minister rushed home from a Beirut hospital on Wednesday for fear he would be arrested after some Lebanese called to put him on trial for his role in a 1986 crackdown by Syrian troops in Lebanon.In another blow to President Bashar Assad, his commander of military police defected.The defector, Maj. Gen. Abdul-Aziz Jassem al-Shallal, is one of the most senior members of...

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UPDATE 1-Soccer-Wiesinger and Reutershahn take over at Nuremberg

* Bundesliga strugglers act quickly to replace Hecking* Wiesinger will have final say on team matters (Adds quotes, detail)BERLIN, Dec 24 (Reuters) - Michael Wiesinger and Armin Reutershahn were appointed joint coaches of struggling Nuremberg on Monday following Dieter Hecking's decision to take over at Bundesliga rivals VfL Wolfsburg at the weekend.Wiesinger, 39, who has recently been working with...

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Soccer-Jeunechamp appeals against ban for hitting reporter

Montpellier defender Cyril Jeunechamp is appealing against a one-year ban for hitting a reporter after a Ligue 1 game last month, the French club said on Monday."Cyril Jeunechamp has decided to appeal his one-year ban," Montpellier said in a statement on their website (www.mhscfoot.com)The French Football League said after a meeting of its disciplinary committee this month that the sanction would...

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Soccer-Radnicki officials arrested in corruption raid - police

Two senior officials at Serbian first division club Radnicki 1923 Kragujevac and a soccer agent were arrested on Monday on suspicion of fraud and abuse of power, the Serbian Interior Ministry (MUP) said."FC Radnicki vice-president Nebojsa Vasiljevic and general secretary Darko Stojanovic as well as Zoran Pavlovic, a soccer agent with a FIFA licence, have been arrested on suspicion of illegal dealings...

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Soccer-Zambia retain faith in winning squad

All but two of the squad who took Zambia to the last African Nations Cup title have been retained by coach Herve Renard for their defence in South Africa next month.Renard named a provisional list of 26 players on Monday for the tournament, keeping faith in the rump of the squad who won a first continental championship for Zambia.The only players left out are defender Nyambe Mulenga, who has lost...

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