IRAQ: U.S. Sees Al-Qaeda Everywhere

In an apparent attempt to downplay the internal Iraqi dynamics sparking ongoing attacks, the Bush administration has been blaming al-Qaeda for much of the violence.

IRAQ: U.S. Sees Al-Qaeda Everywhere

In an apparent attempt to downplay the internal Iraqi dynamics sparking ongoing attacks, the Bush administration has been blaming al-Qaeda for much of the violence.

IRAQ: Zarqawi Letter Delivers Mixed Message for War Hawks

A letter purportedly written to senior al-Qaeda leaders by a key associate, Abu Mus'ab al-Zarqawi, appears to undermine a major thesis of hard-core neo-conservatives who led the U.S. drive to war in Iraq.

POLITICS: Japan, China, U.S. Ties at High Point

On Sunday, Feb. 8, dozens of troops from the Japanese Self-Defence Forces crossed the Kuwaiti frontier into Iraq.

TRADE: U.S.-Australia Deal Could Fuel Protectionism

A "free" trade deal signed last weekend between the United States and Australia does not appear to live up to its name, and could set a negative precedent for countries that want a truly free deal, say analysts here.

HAITI-U.S.: Bush Fears Vessels of Mass Desperation (VMD) Above All

The administration of President George W. Bush appears undecided about how to deal with this week's violence and growing chaos in Haiti, and increasingly worried it could spark a new exodus of thousands of boat people onto the high seas.

HAITI-US: Bush Fears Vessels of Mass Desperation (VMD) Above All

The administration of President George W. Bush appears undecided about how to deal with this week's violence and growing chaos in Haiti, and increasingly worried it could spark a new exodus of thousands of boat people onto the high seas.

POLITICS-US: War Hero Moves Steadily Toward Democratic Nomination

After key wins in primary elections in two southern states Tuesday, Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, the Democratic Party candidate long considered by George W. Bush's top political aides as their most formidable foe, looks increasingly certain to become the party's choice to oppose Bush in the November election.

POLITICS-U.S.: The Anti-Semitism Spectre

Some 30 years ago when the U.S. military was bogged down in Vietnam, a number of prominent Jewish intellectuals worried that the visibility of U.S. Jews as leaders in the anti-war movement would spark a resurgence of anti-Semitism once the conflict ended.

IRAQ: Kurd Bombing Adds New Uncertainty

The suicide bombing Sunday in the normally tranquil north of Iraq has brought new uncertainty five months before the United States is due to cede political power to Iraqis.

POLITICS-U.S.: When In Trouble, Blame the CIA

Badly wounded by the total collapse of its pre-war contentions that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein had large stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction, the administration of President George W. Bush has embarked on a strategy of diversion and delay.

IRAQ: Kurd Bombing Adds New Uncertainty

The suicide bombing Sunday in the normally tranquil north of Iraq has brought new uncertainty five months before the United States is due to cede political power to Iraqis.

HEALTH-ASIA: Dead Chickens Give Life to Transparency

From being one of Asia's most sought-after meats, chickens have now been assigned a new role - that of a political symbol that underscores the need for an open, transparent society.

TRADE: Reforming WTO Still a Distant Goal

Consensus on how to reform the embattled World Trade Organisation (WTO) will not be easy to achieve, if a survey of experts is any indicator.

POLITICS-U.S.: Will Dubya Dump Dick?

While Democratic rivals battle for the presidential nomination in a succession of gruelling primary elections, Vice President Dick Cheney appears to be fighting to secure his spot on the Republican ticket behind President George W. Bush.

IRAN: Trouble Within, But Ties with Neighbours Never Better

Although Iran is facing political turmoil inside the country, its relationship with Persian Gulf and Middle Eastern countries has never been better since clerics ended 2,500 years of monarchy in 1979.

POLITICS-U.S.: Chaos Under Heaven, and More to Come

Retired Gen Anthony Zinni began warning that ousting Saddam Hussein, let alone invading Iraq, risked destabilising the entire Middle East back in 1998, when he led U.S. Central Command and testified against the Iraq Liberation Act that made ''regime change'' official U.S. policy.

RIGHTS-CANADA: Journalist Caught in ‘Post-9/11 Witch Hunt’

When police raided an Ottawa journalist's office and home this week because of an article she wrote about a Canadian deported from the United States to face torture in Syria, it was a reminder how closely this country has followed the U.S. lead in the "war on terrorism".

POLITICS-U.S.: Busted Treasury Drains Bush Bravado

U.S. President George W. Bush, who has made it his mission to avoid his father's political mistakes, appears poised to repeat them in spite of himself.

POLITICS-U.S.: Busted Treasury Drains Bush Bravado

U.S. President George W. Bush, who has made it his mission to avoid his father's political mistakes, appears poised to repeat them in spite of himself.

ANGOLA: Wealth for Just a Few

Corruption, a lack of transparency, a weak democracy and a population that barely scrapes by while watching the country's leaders get richer and richer - these are some of the things said to describe the Angola ruled by President José Eduardo dos Santos.