POLITICS-RELIGION: Taliban Brand of Islam Faces Stern Test

As Afghanistan awaits a potential U.S. military strike, the ruling Taliban is about to discover if it has any following among Muslim political leaders for a brand of Islam criticised for being "oppressive" and "intolerant".

CHINA: Beijing Torn Between U.S. Support, Own Security Fears

As the United States rallies a global coalition to respond to the worst-ever attack on American soil, China is facing a tough choice.

POLITICS-RELIGION: Taliban Brand of Islam Faces Stern Test

As Afghanistan awaits a potential U.S. military strike, the ruling Taliban is about to discover if it has any following among Muslim political leaders for a brand of Islam criticised for being ''oppressive'' and ''intolerant''.

SOUTH ASIA: Stinger Missiles Await U.S. Planes over Afghanistan

One worry for U.S. forces considering any aerial assault on terrorist-suspect Osama bin Laden, after last week's terror attacks in the United States, is the arsenal of deadly Stinger missiles provided by Washington during the Afghan war in the eighties.

POLITICS-U.S.: Events Echo Pearl Harbour Miscalculations

This week's terrorist attacks are widely described as a second Pearl Harbour. The comparison is meant to evoke a loss of U.S. innocence, a surprise declaration of war by foreign attackers. But like the fateful bombing of the U.S. pacific fleet 60 years ago, the latest strikes were borne of huge miscalculations - on both sides.

POLITICS: U.S. Effort to Forge Coalition Faces Minefield of Issues

Would-be partners in a U.S.-led crusade against terrorism, especially Muslim and Middle Eastern states, face a political minefield.

POLITICS: Pakistan’s Image Problem Grows, Needs Fixing

A visit to South-east Asia confirms the growing image problem that Pakistan has, even in those countries that have been its close friends.

POLITICS: Much at Stake in Wake of U.S. Terror Attacks

The worst presumed terror attacks Tuesday against targets on U.S. soil portend far-reaching implications for everything from U.S. anti-terrorism efforts to global finance.

POLITICS: Much at Stake in Wake of U.S. Terror Attacks

The worst presumed terror attacks Tuesday against targets on U.S. soil portend far-reaching implications for everything from U.S. anti-terrorism efforts to global finance.

POLITICS: Much at Stake in Wake of U.S. Terror Attacks

The worst presumed terror attacks Tuesday against targets on U.S. soil portend far-reaching implications for everything from U.S. anti-terrorism efforts to global finance.

RIGHTS: The Biggest Smiles at the U.N. Meet were the Hawkers

In Durban, the biggest smiles in the vicinity of the International Convention Centre (ICC), venue of the United Nations World Conference Against Racism, as it ended, were the hawkers.

POLITICS-U.S.: Fox Immigration Challenge Poses Risks for Bush

To win Congressional passage for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1993, former President Bill Clinton was forced to rely on a majority of Republican lawmakers - alienating some of his most fervent Democratic supporters, particularly in the labour movement.

POLITICS-INDIA: Army’s Image Hurt By Arms Bribery Scam

An arms bribery scoop by a web magazine has dealt a debilitating blow to the Indian military's image, by portraying senior officers as openly accepting graft and offers of sex with women in return for official favours.

POLITICS-FRANCE: Corsican Killings Threaten Autonomy Accord

The recent assassinations of an eminent Corsican separatist leader, Francois Santoni, and one of his aides are threatening the autonomy agreement the French government negotiated during the last 18 months with the island's elected representatives.

POLITICS-CARIBBEAN: Libyan Overture Echoes with History

Eastern Caribbean states are reaching out to oil-rich Libya to compensate for dwindling U.S. and Western aid. For the tiny spice island of Grenada, the initiative has special significance.

POLITICS: India Pressed to Buy Trainer Jets to Cut Pilot Deaths

When 126 Indian parliamentarians petitioned Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee this month to decide fast on buying trainer jet aircraft, they only added to a chorus of warnings that delay would cost more pilots' lives and the loss of expensive fighter planes.

POLITICS-U.S.: Space, Asia Among Bush Military Pick’s Priorities

President George W. Bush's choice of the former head of the U.S. Space Command as his top military adviser will bolster forces in the administration that favour new weapons to dominate outer space.

POLITICS-TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO: Snap Election Plan Under a Cloud

If politics is the art of the possible, as the saying goes, then Prime Minister Basdeo Panday's canvas appears to be shrinking.

ECONOMY: China’s Rise Dents Singapore’s Development Model

The rise of China's economic power is sending shivers down the spine of Singapore's economic planners.

TRADE-U.S.: Mexican Trucks Symbolise Bush’s Struggles

Acrimony lingers like a plume of exhaust fumes following the Senate's approval this week of stringent safety requirements for Mexican trucks seeking access to U.S. roads.

ENVIRONMENT: Developing Countries Regain Clout at Climate Talks

Developing countries' delegates at UN climate talks here have regained diplomatic ground lost during negotiations last November in The Hague, Netherlands.