POLITICS-U.S.: Administration Paralysed Over Iran

Does the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush still consider al-Qaeda and its associates the main target in its almost three-year-old ''war on terrorism'', or has its military victory in Iraq whetted its appetite for bigger game?

POLITICS-U.S.: Pentagon Office Home to Neo-Con Network

An ad hoc office under U.S. Undersecretary of Defence for Policy Douglas Feith appears to have acted as the key base for an informal network of mostly neo-conservative political appointees that circumvented normal inter-agency channels to lead the push for war against Iraq.

POLITICS-U.S.: War Critics Zero In on Pentagon Office

On most days, the Pentagon's 'Early Bird', a daily compilation of news articles on defence-related issues mostly from the U.S. and British press, does not shy from reprinting hard-hitting stories and columns critical of the Defence Department's top leadership.

IRAQ: People Divided over Saddam Daughters

The divisions in Iraq that emerged after the end of the war are becoming apparent also in the way people react to events surrounding the family of deposed dictator Saddam Hussein.

POLITICS: U.S. Bartering Arms for Soldiers for Iraq

Faced with a rising death toll among its soldiers in Iraq, the United States is trying to "buy" foreign troops for a proposed 30,000-strong multinational force in Baghdad.

POLITICS-U.S.: Congress, Independent Voters Grow Sceptical on Iraq

Independent voters and members of Congress continued to raise doubts about President George W. Bush's war on Iraq on Tuesday.

IRAQ: Human Rights Become an Alien Force

Three months after the end of major hostilities in Iraq, human rights remain a controversial issue in a country alien to the concept for at least the past three decades.

IRAQ: Questions Hover over Killings

The two-storey stone house was still smouldering 48 hours after a dozen U.S. missiles nearly destroyed its foundation, killing Ouday and Qusay, the two sons of fugitive Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

IRAQ: Humanitarian Aid Alone Will Not Deliver

The 2.2 billion dollar UN appeal for humanitarian assistance to Iraq has drawn a positive response, but it is uncertain how far it will take the Iraqis.

POLITICS: U.N. Faulted For Legitimising Iraqi Governing Council

The United Nations provided a semblance of legitimacy to the recently U.S.-appointed, 25-member Iraqi Governing Council when three of its senior officials participated in a meeting of the Security Council.

POLITICS: U.N. Faulted for Legitimising Iraqi Governing Council

The United Nations provided a semblance of legitimacy to the recently U.S.-appointed, 25-member Iraqi Governing Council when three of its senior officials participated in a meeting of the Security Council.

HEALTH-AFGHANISTAN: War Trauma Continues to Take Heavy Toll

Staring blankly out of a window in the Shafakhan Mulki Hospital here, Munira (not her real name) contemplates an uncertain future in a country torn by a quarter century of superpower meddling and civil strife.

POLITICS: Japan Bends Backward to Take Part in U.S. Plans in Iraq

Japan has long been known as a U.S. ally, but never more so than now, given the lengths it is going to show solid support for Washington's plans for post-invasion Iraq.

POLITICS: Calls Multiply for U.S. Troop Withdrawal from Iraq

The United States military debacle in Iraq is triggering calls for a withdrawal of U.S. troops, who are dying at an average of about one soldier per day in what has turned out to be a growing urban guerrilla war.

POLITICS: Pitfalls Await British Prime Minister on Asian Trip

A lot of pitfalls await British Prime Minster Tony Blair in his goodwill tour of East Asia, a trip aimed at repairing diplomatic relationships in the aftermath of the invasion of Iraq.

POLITICS: Will the U.N. Bail Out Bush?

Make no mistake: U.S. President George W. Bush is in very big trouble.

DEVELOPMENT: ‘Humanitarian Ethic’ Lacking in Disaster Aid

Politics and the media spotlight have contributed toward shifting humanitarian aid to "high profile" disaster areas at the expense of more "invisible" suffering, charges the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in its annual World Disasters Report, released here Thursday.

POLITICS: Military Aid Workers Threaten Relief Agencies

The United Nations is expressing fears that armed troops - notably in strife-torn countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq - are increasingly doubling as humanitarian aid workers, threatening private relief operations.

DEVELOPMENT: EU Building Bridges with U.S. in Iraq

European Union money for the reconstruction process in Iraq should be managed by a donors' trust fund that may not be controlled by Britain and the U.S., according to Chris Patten, EU commissioner for External Affairs.

IRAQ: Governing Will Not be Easy for Council

Less than a week into its formation, Iraq's new Governance Council is taking baby steps that could indicate both the speed with which it will tackle issues and the tasks it is likely to pick in the short term.

IRAQ: US Turns to Arabs to Keep the Peace

The United States is turning to Arab regimes for support against increasing armed resistance in Iraq, official sources here say.