MIDEAST: Egypt Eager to Help Israel Out of Gaza

Egypt has presented a security initiative to support an Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, but wants to avoid being drawn into a "security trap".

IRAN-IRAQ: Despite U.S. Backlash, Chalabi Still a ‘Kingmaker’

While foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi has rejected claims that Iran received highly classified U.S. intelligence from Ahmad Chalabi, other government officials and the hardline newspapers that support them have remained largely silent on the allegations Washington has levelled against its former top Iraqi ally.

POLITICS-U.S.: Neo-Con Collapse in Washington and Baghdad

Fourteen months after reaching the zenith of their influence on U.S. foreign policy with the invasion of Iraq, neo-conservatives appear to have fallen entirely out of favour, both within the administration of President George W Bush and in Baghdad itself.

IRAQ: They Should Never Have Been in Prison

Largely lost amidst the horrors of the graphic torture photographs that continue to emerge out of Abu Grahib is a leaked report from the International Committee of the Red Cross published a few weeks ago by the Wall Street Journal.

MIDEAST: Another Giant League Backwards

The last Arab League summit looks like it will go the way of Arab gatherings that leave behind little more than memories of quarrels.

POLITICS: Latest U.S. Terror Warning Raises Questions

Two of the seven suspected terrorists linked by the Bush administration to an impending "hard" attack on the United States are probably not even in North America, said officials Wednesday.

MIDEAST: Only a Lull Before Another Storm

The Israeli attack on Rafah in the Gaza Strip did not come in a political and military vacuum. The Israeli army's 'operation rainbow' is now only 'paused' and all indications are that the struggle that has continued between Israel and the Palestinians along the Egyptian border for more than three years now will resume shortly.

DEVELOPMENT: Egyptians Struggle to Feed Their Families

Putting food on the table is becoming increasingly difficult for Egyptian families as prices skyrocket.

IRAQ: Abu Ghraib Cases Not Isolated, Says Amnesty

The abuses committed by U.S. agents in Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad are not isolated cases, Amnesty International says in its annual report published Wednesday.

RIGHTS: Washington Urges Media Freedom – But Not for AlJazeera

When the U.S. state department shyly released a human rights report two weeks ago amidst an international outcry over U.S. soldiers' abuse of Iraqi prisoners, it slipped in some tough talk on media freedom - against the practice, not for it as would be expected.

IRAQ: Far Worse May Follow

Iraq could be heading for a far worse situation in weeks ahead, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) warns in its annual report published Tuesday.

IRAQ-U.S.: Green Card Recruits Get a Raw Deal, Critics Say

The U.S. government says Staff Sgt Camilo Mejia is nothing more than a deserter who disobeyed direct orders to return to his army unit in Iraq.

POLITICS-U.S./IRAQ: Bush Offers Nothing New Except Prison

Launching a new effort to stem the plummeting loss in public confidence in his Iraq policy, U.S. President George W Bush reiterated his commitment to bringing ''freedom'' and self-government to Baghdad and warned that U.S. failure will ''only mark the beginning of peril and violence''.

IRAQ-U.S.: Neo-Cons Call For Military Solution

Despite a tidal wave of bad news from the Iraq occupation they did so much to promote, neo-conservatives are calling for U.S. President George W Bush to pursue a military solution against resistance fighters there.

POLITICS: U.S. Dodges Iraqi Sovereignty With U.N. Resolution

The United States and Britain are asking the U.N. Security Council to transfer political and administrative power to Iraq while holding back sovereign power that legitimately belongs to the Iraqi people, say critics of the move proposed Monday.

RELIGION: Talking to Terrorists Can Work

There is much talk of terrorism, and little talking to them. But a bold move in Yemen to open a dialogue with branded terrorists is bringing unexpected results.

RELIGION: Islam Begins to Pull the Secular

The high mediaeval fortress has stood out for centuries in the ancient city of Aleppo in the north of Syria. But now this city presents a sight never seen until recently; the large number of women dressed in black from head to toe.

RIGHTS-IRAQ: U.N. Demands U.S., Britain Give Reports on Prison Torture

The United Nations Committee Against Torture has demanded that the United States and Britain present reports about the incidents in the prisons in Iraq controlled by the armed forces of the occupying countries, as more photographs and videos of mistreatment were made public Friday.

MIDEAST: Arab Leaders Have Another Go at Agreeing

The sharp escalation in violence in the Palestinian territories and in Iraq places heavy pressure on Arab leaders to take a united stand at this weekend's summit.

IRAQ: The Picture Gets Worse

Two pictures put up in an internet café in Baghdad make for a vivid statement how Iraqis have come to see U.S. occupiers.

RIGHTS: U.S. Wants Another U.N. Exemption from War Crimes Law

The United States is pushing for a new U.N. Security Council resolution aimed at exempting its troops from prosecution for war crimes when they serve in any U.N. peacekeeping operations.