POLITICS-U.N.: U.S. Pushes Plan to Go After Suspected WMDs

The United States is pressing the U.N. Security Council to endorse a draft resolution that would allow the use of force against "entities and individuals" suspected of trying to develop, possess or transfer weapons of mass destruction (WMD), diplomats and observers here say.

MEDIA: ‘Le Plus Ca Change’ – NY Times Hit for WMD Gullibility

If Walter Lippman, perhaps the most influential U.S. press critic and foreign-policy columnist of the 20th century, were alive today, chances are he would shake his head knowingly and mutter something like, "La plus ca change, la plus c'est la meme chose''. (''The more things change, the more they remain the same''.)

IRAQ: Groups Want Heavyweights to Join Halliburton Contract Probe

U.S. President George W. Bush and Congress should join Pentagon and State Department probes into allegations that construction giant Halliburton overcharged the U.S. government for its work in Iraq, to ensure accountability of other military contractors, watchdog groups here say.

MIDEAST: Arguments End But the Wall Goes On

Three days of hearings into the legality of the barrier being built by Israel in the West Bank ended before the International Court of Justice here Wednesday just as they began - with passionate legal arguments inside, and highly emotional protests outside.

/UPDATE*/RIGHTS: Groups Protest Exclusion From Guantanamo Trials

Leading human rights groups say the United States plans to block them from attending trials of prisoners being held at the Guantanamo Bay naval base in Cuba as part of the U.S. "war on terrorism".

POLITICS: Israel Not Shunning Court of Public Opinion – Experts

A potential World Court ruling against Israel for building a controversial ''security barrier'' in the occupied territories would remain a "moral" victory unless the Jewish state were penalised, say U.S. observers.

RIGHTS: Groups Protest Exclusion From Guantanamo Trials

Leading human rights groups say the United States plans to block them from attending trials of prisoners being held at the Guantanamo Bay naval base in Cuba as part of the U.S. "war on terrorism".

IRAQ: U.N. Team Spells Out Conditions for Vote

A United Nations fact-finding team has shot down a proposal to hold U.S.-style regional political caucuses to elect a homegrown transitional government in Iraq, leaving open the question of who will take over from the occupying power Jun. 30.

IRAQ: Chalabi, Garner Provide New Clues to War

For those still puzzling over the whys and wherefores of Washington's invasion of Iraq 11 months ago, major new, but curiously unnoticed, clues were offered this week by two central players in the events leading up to the war.

IRAQ: Britain Now Enters a Coalition in Contracts

About this time last year the Anglo-American coalition was well on its way to planning joint operations for the invasion of Iraq. And now joint operations are being proposed for the reconstruction of Iraq.

MIDEAST: Palestinian Media Caught in Internal Crossfire

The editing room of Al Quds educational TV is still riddled with bullet holes. The poor Palestinian broadcaster has little money to replace the equipment damaged in an attack by three armed men earlier this month.

MIDEAST: West Bank Wall Goes Before Court

In eagerly awaited hearings set to begin here Monday, the International Court of Justice will be asked to decide on the legality of the barrier being built by Israel through the occupied West Bank.

HEALTH-EGYPT: It Looks Like Goodbye to Polio

Egyptian health authorities expect to eradicate polio by the end of the year.

SOUTH AMERICA: Guarani Aquifer and Allegations of Terrorist Presence

Civil society groups in the tri-border region where Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay come together are planning their own ''social forum'' this year to protest what they see as the underlying objective behind U.S. allegations of a terrorist presence in the area.

IRAQ: U.S. Sees Al-Qaeda Everywhere

In an apparent attempt to downplay the internal Iraqi dynamics sparking ongoing attacks, the Bush administration has been blaming al-Qaeda for much of the violence.

POLITICS: Sri Lanka, Israel Must Share Power with Minorities – Professor

Bloody conflicts in Israel and Sri Lanka could be brought to an end if the countries adopted new, federal constitutions allowing extensive and genuine power sharing, according to a prominent Israeli academic here.

ECONOMY-GULF: Oil Fuels Record Growth – and Risks

Buoyed by the highest oil prices in years, the six countries comprising the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are reaching some of the world's highest growth records - but it is also an achievement they might not be able to sustain.

IRAQ: Zarqawi Letter Delivers Mixed Message for War Hawks

A letter purportedly written to senior al-Qaeda leaders by a key associate, Abu Mus'ab al-Zarqawi, appears to undermine a major thesis of hard-core neo-conservatives who led the U.S. drive to war in Iraq.

CORRUPTION-MIDEAST: Use of EU Funds Probed

New investigations have been ordered into complaints over use of EU money by the Palestinian Authority.

POLITICS: Japan, China, U.S. Ties at High Point

On Sunday, Feb. 8, dozens of troops from the Japanese Self-Defence Forces crossed the Kuwaiti frontier into Iraq.

MIDEAST: Gazians Fear It May Not Be Goodbye

Outside the Israeli settlement of Neve Dekalim a group of Palestinians waited patiently under a corrugated iron roof near an Israeli barrier to cross back to their village.