US-IRAQ: Religious Violence Spiking, State Dept Says

Despite the addition of 30,000 U.S. troops to enhance security in the country, the freedom of average Iraqis to practice their religions deteriorated sharply during the past year, according to a report released Friday by the U.S. State Department.

POLITICS-US/IRAQ: Sheikh&#39s Killing a Blow to Bush

In what was at least a symbolic blow to George W. Bush, a prominent Iraqi tribal sheikh and self-styled leader of the "Sunni Awakening" movement against al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) was assassinated just hours before the U.S. president was to make his latest appeal for public support for his Iraq strategy.

ENVIRONMENT: U.S., U.N. Stage Dueling Climate Meets

Are the United Nations and the United States trying to outdo each other by hosting two parallel summit meetings on the same subject - climate change - during the same week at the end of September?

POLITICS-US: Rumsfeld Redeploys to Right-Wing Think Tank

While General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker were giving the U.S. Congress an upbeat assessment of the situation on the ground in Iraq this week, one of the chief architects of the war was preparing to redeploy to a West Coast conservative think tank.

U.S.-PAKISTAN: Sharif&#39s Exile "Flouts" Int&#39l Law

The George W. Bush administration and its closest ally in the Islamic world, Saudi Arabia, are facing scathing criticism from one of the world's leading human rights watchdogs for their covert support to the Pakistani government's continued crackdown on democracy activists.

POLITICS-US/IRAQ: No Exit

After two days of Congressional testimony by Washington's top two officials in Iraq, prospects for a substantial withdrawal of U.S. military forces there before the end of President George W. Bush's tenure at the White House look as remote as ever.

U.S.-IRAQ: Fallon Derided Petraeus, Opposed the Surge

In sharp contrast to the lionisation of Gen. David Petraeus by members of the U.S. Congress during his testimony this week, Petraeus's superior, Admiral William Fallon, chief of the Central Command (CENTCOM), derided Petraeus as a sycophant during their first meeting in Baghdad last March, according to Pentagon sources familiar with reports of the meeting.

POLITICS: U.S. Denies Visas to Iranian Religious Leaders

A religious delegation from Iran has cancelled a scheduled visit to the United States this week after members of the group were denied visas by the State Department.

POLITICS-US: Ahmadinejad as Goldfinger

On the same day General David H. Petraeus delivered to Congress his much anticipated progress report on the U.S. military's "surge strategy" in Iraq, neoconservative ideologues associated with the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) took aim at another one of the reputed foes of "freedom" - the Islamic Republic of Iran.

HEALTH-US: Soldier’s Tragic Suicide Just One of Dozens

Dane and April Somdahl own the Alien Art tattoo parlor on Camp Lejeune Boulevard - just outside the sprawling Marine Corps base of the same name in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

POLITICS-US: Neocons Put on a Surge-Stravaganza

With U.S. General David Petraeus's eagerly anticipated final report on Iraq due on Sep. 15, supporters of the troop surge are busily trying to set the stage for the report that they believe will refute their opponents.

POLITICS: U.S. Viewed as Turkey’s “Greatest Threat”

Nearly two-thirds of the Turkish public named the United States as their country's greatest future threat, a recent Pew Global Attitudes Project survey has revealed - the highest percentage of any Middle Eastern or Islamic country polled.

Q&A: "We&#39re Dealing with a Christian Taliban"

Last month, the Pentagon pulled the plug on a plan to dispatch so-called "freedom packages" to U.S. troops in Iraq that included Bibles, proselytising materials in English and Arabic, and an apocalyptic computer game in which "soldiers for Christ" battle satanic "Global Community Peacekeepers".

POLITICS: Iran Nuke Moves Hint at Interest in Deal

Iran's unexpected agreement with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) head Mohamed Elbaradei to resolve old issues surrounding its nuclear programme in less than two months, and the fact that it has installed only two-thirds of the centrifuges previously announced, indicate that Tehran may be positioning itself for another bid for a diplomatic solution.

RIGHTS-US: Vows Not to Torture Worth Little, HRW Says

Repatriated Guantanamo Bay detainment camp prisoners have once again been mistreated at the hands of their home countries despite "diplomatic assurances" of humane treatment made to the U.S. government, according to a Human Rights Watch report released Wednesday.

POLITICS-US: Bush Appointee Campaigns for Evangelicals

The head of the U.S. federal government agency that doles out benefits to disabled veterans is under fire for saying Bible study is "more important than doing [my] job."

RIGHTS-US/IRAQ: Haditha Probe Limps to a Close

Last December, when the U.S. Marine Corps charged four infantrymen for the murder of 24 civilians in the Iraqi town of Haditha on Nov. 19, 2005, the counts represented the most serious case of alleged war crimes committed by Marines in Iraq or Afghanistan.

POLITICS-US: Grim GAO Iraq Report Belies Official Optimism

As the U.S. Congress prepares for a critical September assessment of progress in Iraq, a draft of an upcoming report by Congress's nonpartisan investigative arm states that Iraq has met only three of 18 congressionally mandated benchmarks for progress, in contrast to an earlier White House report which claimed "satisfactory" progress on eight of the benchmarks.

FINANCE-US: Charities, Firms Balk at Terror Vetting Scheme

New plans to ensure that federal aid dollars do not end up in terrorists' hands are causing worry among charities and companies entrusted with advancing U.S. interests in developing countries.

RIGHTS-US: Abu Ghraib Justice Ends With Enlisted Soldiers

Tuesday's acquittal of Lieutenant Colonel Steven Jordan on charges related to the Abu Ghraib prison abuses means that no officers have been found criminally responsible for the mistreatment of prisoners at the Iraqi prison near Baghdad.

POLITICS: Bush Indictment of Iran Tops Usual Rhetoric

The George W. Bush administration has seemingly taken advantage of the Congressional recess to escalate tensions with Iran.