The Star U.N. launches record appeal for victims of Syrian war BEIRUT (Reuters) - The United Nations warned on Friday half of all Syrians would need humanitarian aid by the end of 2013 and launched what it said was the biggest emergency appeal in history to cope ... (photo: AP / SANA) Photos Syrian Victims War Wikipedia: Syrian Wars CNN Putin announces split: 'We have different lives' June 7, 2013 -- Updated 1058 GMT (1858 HKT ) Russian President Vladimir Putin and his wife, Lyudmila , have ended their nearly 30-year marriage, the state-run news agency reported on Thursday, June 6. ... (photo: Russian Presidential Press and Information Office) Moscow Photos Politics Wikipedia: Vladimir Putin Women Top Stories Al Jazeera US selects lawyer for 'closing' Guantanamo The US State Department is expected to announce the appointment of Washington lawyer Cliff Sloan to oversee the closure of the controversial Guantanamo detention ... (photo: AP/Brennan Linsley) Detention Guantanamo Photos US Wikipedia: Guantanamo Bay detention camp Al Jazeera Singapore punishes 20 banks in rate review Singapore 's central bank censured a record 20 banks after it found more than 100 traders in the city state tried to rig key borrowing and currency rates. The probe by the ... (photo: WN / RTayco) Banks Financial Photos Singapore Wikipedia: Singapore The Times of India Romania's president tolerant towards same-sex marriage BUCHAREST: Romania 's President TraianBasescu on Sunday hit out at an attempt to ban same-sex marriage in the Constitution , insisting that everyone should be free to marry ... (photo: AP / Geert Vanden Wijngaert) Bucharest Business Lawmaker Photos Wikipedia: Traian Băsescu Al Jazeera Venezuela signs gun control bill Venezuela 's President Nicolas Maduro signed a gun control bill into law in a bid to rein in the country's runaway violent crime. "I hereby sign into law this gun control ... (photo: AP / Fernando Llano) Arms Law Photos Venezuela Wikipedia: Gun control Al Jazeera North Korea offers 'high-level talks' with US North Korea has proposed high-level talks with the United States aimed at discussing nuclear weapons programmes and easing of tension on the peninsula, state media said. ... (photo: AP / Ng Han Guan) N. Korea Nuclear Photos US Wikipedia: 2013 Korean crisis