POLITICS: Violence Threatens to Unravel U.N. Plans for Iraq

Growing military attacks on foreign civilians and the violent uprising against the U.S. military occupation are threatening to unravel a U.N. plan for nation-wide elections in Iraq and to jeopardise a proposed role for the world body in stabilising the country.

SPAIN: Two Faces of Terrorism – One Thrives, the Other Agonizes

When the new government takes office in Spain next week, it will be faced with a debilitated local terrorist group, ETA, and with the rising presence of an international Islamic terrorist network with radically different methods and objectives.

POLITICS-U.S.: From Nation-Building to Religion-Building

One thing that can be said about U.S. neo-conservatives is they do not lack for ambition.

IRAQ: Shiite Uprising Signals Double Trouble for U.S. – Experts

With U.S. Marines effectively locking down the defiant city of Fallujah in the rebellious ''Sunni Triangle'', other U.S. military forces in Iraq opened a new front Monday to quash an apparent uprising by a Shiite militia in Baghdad and the south, in what some experts warn could be a major turning point in the year-old occupation.

LABOUR-EU: Trade Unions Promoted in Iraq

A leading trade union network is launching a support programme for the development of trade unions in Iraq.

RIGHTS-JAPAN: Amid Terrorism Fears, Activists See More Repression

Japan's social harmony is not known for encouraging grassroots activism, but the rise in global terrorism is fast slamming the door shut on what little room they have, say human rights groups here.

IRAQ-U.S.: Fallujah Punctures Washington’s Optimism

April Fools' Day is traditionally one of good-natured mischief, but not this year. Indeed, U.S. President George W. Bush's trademark smirk, which normally fits the day's spirit almost to a T, was nowhere to be seen Thursday.

POLITICS-MIDEAST: Summit Fiasco Exposes Divisions

Tunisia's decision to cancel the Arab summit has widely been seen as exposing rifts within the 22-member Arab League.

POLITICS-U.S.: Clarke, Watergate Echoes Prompt Rare Bush Reversal

Tuesday's White House decision to permit National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice to testify publicly under oath before the so-called 9/11 Commission marks an unusual reversal by an administration that has fiercely resisted taking any moves that suggests it is capable of making mistakes.

POLITICS: U.N.’s Credibility At Breaking Point, Say Experts

The United Nations' continued engagement in Iraq - largely under U.S. pressure - is not only testing the credibility of the world body but also taking a toll on its Secretariat staff in New York.

IRAQ: War Launched to Protect Israel – Bush Adviser

Iraq under Saddam Hussein did not pose a threat to the United States but it did to Israel, which is one reason why Washington invaded the Arab country, according to a speech made by a member of a top-level White House intelligence group.

POLITICS: Islamic Worlds Take a Step Closer

Grudges last a long time in this part of the world, but two regional giants appear on the verge of putting it all behind them.

MIDEAST: Peace Will Get Harder to Find on the Roadmap

Israelis here are just waiting for a wave of retaliatory attacks over the killing of Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. The consensus seems to be that some major strikes will come sooner rather than later.

HUMAN RIGHTS: UN Commission Condemns Israel for Hamas Leader’s Death

The United Nations Commission on Human Rights condemned the assassination of Palestinian sheik Ahmad Yassin, spiritual leader of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), by Israeli troops in Gaza on Monday.

/UPDATE*/POLITICS: U.S. Blocks U.N. Rebuke of Israel for Assassination

The United States used its political muscle Tuesday to thwart an unequivocal condemnation of Israel for the targeted assassination of a wheel-chair bound Palestinian described as the spiritual leader of the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas.

POLITICS: U.S. Blocks U.N. Rebuke of Israel for Assassination

The United States used its political muscle Tuesday to thwart an unequivocal condemnation of Israel for the targeted assassination of a wheel-chair bound Palestinian described as the spiritual leader of the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas.

POLITICS-MIDEAST: After Killing, Anger, Frustration and Fear Peak

As Arabs and their leaders widely condemn Israel's assassination of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin Monday, anger continues to spill into the streets, many are bracing for a violent backlash and moderates are raising their hands in frustration.

IRAQ PROTESTS: Latin American Marchers Jeer U.S., Cheer Its Critics

Thousands of protesters took to the streets - and some to the water - Saturday throughout Latin America to express their rejection of the U.S. government and the invasion of Iraq, and their support for the region's leftist groups.

IRAQ PROTESTS: From Spain, Eyes Turn to Italy

Spain and Italy saw some of the biggest demonstrations Saturday to mark a year since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

POLITICS: U.S. Arm-Twists Iraqis to Seek U.N. Help Before Jun. 30

Despite a rash of suicide attacks and roadside bombings directed at U.S. troops and foreigners in Iraq, Secretary-General Kofi Annan is preparing to send a team of U.N. officials back to Baghdad to help Iraqis hold elections and form a new civilian government.

PETROLEUM: Prices Sky High on Iraq War Anniversary

A year after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, petroleum prices on the New York and London exchanges are at their highest point since the 1991 Gulf War.