New president, same result on China currency flap
China's rebuff this week of President Barack Obama's call to stop controlling the price of its currency sparked renewed calls for legislation to allow U.S. retaliation against Chinese-made goods. | 11/17/09 19:08:00 By - Kevin G. Hall
A day in the life of an Army chopper, lifeline for U.S. troops
The morning air at Kandahar Airfield in southern Afghanistan was crisp and clear, with a chill to it, and Sgt. Jeffrey Sherwood was excited. Sherwood, the crew chief of the Army's workhorse CH-47F Chinook helicopter, wasn't excited about the day's mission. He was excited about his new thermos. | 11/17/09 18:54:00 By - Chuck Liddy
As Karzai starts new term, doubts grow that he'll finish
On the eve of Afghan President Hamid Karzai's swearing-in for a second term , speculation is growing that he could be forced to step aside before he finishes his next five years in office. "It would take a miracle," said Abdullah Abdullah, the one-time foreign minister who abandoned a planned runoff against Karzai earlier this month. "And, as Muslims, we don't believe miracles are possible now." | 11/17/09 16:43:00 By - Dion Nissenbaum
China, U.S. announce they'll work together on clean energy
President Barack Obama and President Hu Jintao agreed Tuesday that U.S. and Chinese scientists and engineers will work together to speed the widespread use of electric cars, buildings that need far less energy and coal-fired power plants that don't pump out gases that cause global warming. | 11/17/09 15:28:00 By - Renee Schoof
S.C. Guard troops bring agricultural skills to Afghanistan
About 60 S.C. National Guard soldiers have left for Afghanistan to help local farmers grow bigger crops and raise healthier livestock. Providing technical expertise to Afghan farmers is key to the military's effort to win the hearts and minds of the people. Officials say a successful agriculture mission can bring stability and prosperity to Afghanistan. | 11/17/09 07:33:05 By - Chuck Crumbo
Obama wins no concessions from China on points at issue
President Barack Obama on Wednesday wraps up a three-day visit to China that's left him keenly aware of the limits of his administration's leverage over this economic powerhouse on issues from currency exchange rates to human rights. Obama has little leverage over China, in part because the U.S. depends on the Chinese to finance the U.S. government's growing debt, and because of the perception in China, which for years was an economic nonentity, that the U.S. is troubled and China is ascendant. | 11/17/09 06:36:38 By - Margaret Talev
Poll shows unhappiness, pessimism in Cuba
Any good will that Raul Castro enjoyed as Cuba's new leader has dissipated, according to a new poll, which found that more than four out of five of those surveyed in Cuba were unhappy with the direction of the country. | 11/16/09 19:01:00 By - Lesley Clark
Taliban on motorcycles prove no match for U.S. helicopters
The Taliban had set a trap for the tiny company of Afghan soldiers here, its handful of U.S. mentors and the American helicopters that they expected would rush in help. U.S. and Afghan troops didn't take the bait, however, and instead waited in a village near the base for air cover. It arrived more quickly than the Taliban expected. Firing Hellfire missiles and 30 mm cannons, the pilots of two Apache helicopters made so many passes that they lost track and nearly ran out of ammunition. | 11/16/09 16:49:00 By - Jay Price
Assailants massacre Sunni men, youths in Iraq's Abu Ghraib
In a massacre that revived memories of Iraq's worst years of sectarian bloodshed, assailants dressed in Iraqi army uniforms savagely killed 13 men and boys late Sunday near the restive city of Abu Ghraib, according to Iraqi officials and villagers. | 11/16/09 00:53:00 By - Warren P. Strobel and Sahar Issa
Supreme Court won't hear protest of Miami schools' book ban
In February, a federal appeals court ruled that the Miami-Dade school board didn't violate the First Amendment when it pulled Vamos a Cuba from school libraries in 2006. On Monday, the Supreme Court said it won't review the decision. | 11/16/09 12:08:50 By - Kathleen McGrory
Obama will huddle privately with China's President Hu
President Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao will meet Tuesday in Beijing to talk privately about issues ranging from North Korea's nuclear threat to currency and trade disputes. U.S. policy advocates also expect the leaders to announce new joint projects on clean energy. | 11/16/09 06:58:25 By - Margaret Talev
Obama begins China visit with citizens' questions, a full agenda
President Barack Obama kicks off his visit to China with a town-hall meeting Monday in Shanghai, a rare chance for the Chinese people — university students in the audience and people of all ages who sent questions via the Internet — to communicate directly with a Western leader. | 11/15/09 13:07:00 By - Margaret Talev
Honduras shows Latin America's 'strongman' is Jim DeMint
After demanding for months that deposed Honduran President Manuel Zelaya be restored to power, senior State Department officials now say they'll accept the outcome of Nov. 29 elections in the Central American country even if Zelaya doesn't reclaim his post. Why the turnaround? Thank, or blame, South Carolina Republican Jim DeMint. | 11/14/09 17:36:00 By - James Rosen
In China, Obama will glimpse world's new center of gravity
When President Barack Obama lands here Sunday night in China's largest city, he'll find many of its 20 million people intrigued by him and welcoming, but hardly deferential, and some openly skeptical of his promises of change. | 11/14/09 14:32:00 By - Margaret Talev
Army study: Mental health staff lacking in Afghanistan
An Army task force has found that a growing number of soldiers serving in Afghanistan are suffering from some kind of mental stress and is urging the military to double the number of mental health professionals deployed there | 11/13/09 19:13:00 By - Nancy A. Youssef
Here's the current status of proposed military commission cases
Over the years, the Pentagon has sworn out military commission charges against 26 detainees at Guantanamo. Here's how those cases stand after Attorney General Eric Holder's announcement that five 9/11 conspirators will be prosecuted in civilian court in New York. | 11/13/09 18:50:41 By -
Political turmoil in Pakistan may slow anti-terror efforts
Pakistan is sinking into a political and constitutional crisis that threatens to sideline its vital role in the battle against Islamist insurgents and U.S.-led efforts to stabilize neighboring Afghanistan. | 11/13/09 18:04:00 By - Saeed Shah
Taliban gain foothold in once-stable Afghan north
The insurgents' tactics are familiar. Night letters warn village elders to cooperate or face death. Religious "taxes" must be paid, and fiery sermons in mosques attack the Karzai government and international forces. The locale is startling, however: Afghanistan's northern Balkh province, which in the years after the fall of the Taliban emerged as one of the most stable — and in its urban hub of Mazar-i-Sharif — most prosperous places in Afghanistan. | 11/13/09 16:13:00 By - Hal Bernton
Along Baghdad street, a debate over limits of free expression
Yaser Adnan, who owns a bookstore on Baghdad's Mutanabi Street, got new regulations from Iraq's Ministry of Culture last July. Trucks full of his books now sit at Iraq's borders for two to three weeks while he runs the list of titles by the authorities and gets the multiple approvals he needs to import them. | 11/13/09 15:10:00 By - McClatchy Newspapers
Accustomed to danger, Iraqi journalists now face legal attacks
Warid Badr Salim's front-page satire in last Saturday's edition of the newspaper al Mada compared Iraq's parliament to wolves stalking sheep — the Iraqi people — and cheekily suggested that its members need the diplomatic passports they've awarded themselves just to leave Baghdad's fortresslike Green Zone. | 11/13/09 15:11:00 By - Jenan Hussein and Warren P. Strobel
Insurgents destroy regional headquarters of Pakistan's spy agency
A powerful car bomb destroyed the regional headquarters of Pakistan's premier spy agency Friday, as insurgents struck at the controversial institution that once had supported them, killing at least 10. The provincial office of the Inter-Services Intelligence military espionage agency in Peshawar, capital of the North West Frontier Province, was struck in early morning, causing the building to collapse. | 11/13/09 10:12:00 By - Saeed Shah
Cuban dissident Roque reportedly very ill from hunger strike
Leading Cuban dissident Martha Beatriz Roque is extremely ill due to complications from her diabetes and a liquids-only fast launched to protest the government, another dissident reported Thursday. An economist, Roque is one of the most active and best-known dissidents in Cuba. She served three other years in prison, 1997-2000, for her role in the Dissidence Working Group and a keystone opposition document titled "The Country Belongs To All." | 11/13/09 07:10:36 By - Juan O. Tamayo
U.S. moves to seize California mosque with possible Iran link
The federal government has moved to seize a Carmichael, Calif., mosque and seven other properties from Texas to New York owned by a nonprofit Muslim organization that federal prosecutors allege is a front for the Iranian government. The forfeiture action marks the latest step in a long-standing investigation by the U.S. attorney's office in Manhattan into the New York-based Alavi Foundation, which owns all the properties targeted in Thursday's complaint. Federal prosecutors allege that the Alavi Foundation for years has illegally funneled money to Iran from its financial holdings in the United States. | 11/13/09 06:50:34 By - Sam Stanton and Jennifer Garza
Another Afghan war: Media leaks spark administration fight
The Obama administration's internal debate over Afghan policy has escalated into a battle of media leaks that's straining relations between officials who're seeking a major troop increase and those who want a more limited approach and a greater focus on domestic priorities. | 11/12/09 20:39:00 By - Jonathan S. Landay, Dion Nissenbaum and John Walcott
How miracle Army evacuation came within inches of disaster
As Chief Warrant Officer 3 James Woolley eased the giant Chinook down into the mud-walled compound, Special Forces troops on the ground dashed to form a perimeter to protect the helicopter, a prize target for Taliban insurgents. | 11/12/09 18:16:00 By - Jay Price
Medvedev calls for overhauling Russia's 'primitive economy'
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev called Thursday for a bold overhaul of his nation's economy, saying that Russia must remedy its "primitive economy" and "humiliating dependence on raw materials." | 11/12/09 15:01:00 By - Tom Lasseter
U.S. condemns attack on Cuban blogger
The U.S. State Department has told Cuba it deplores last week's "assault" on blogger Yoani Sanchez, one of the toughest of several expressions of support for the Havana writer. | 11/12/09 07:15:27 By - Juan O. Tamayo
Impatient with U.S. efforts, France makes Mideast push
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas is threatening to quit in January, and efforts toward Israeli-Palestinian peace are completely stalled. Now the Europeans are searching for ways to push both Americans and Israelis to solve what they see as a deteriorating situation in the West Bank and Gaza, with the French leading the way. | 11/11/09 19:51:00 By - Robert Marquand
Liberians lose interest as ex-leader's war crimes trial resumes
The local ataye center is a small, leisurely oasis on an otherwise bustling commercial street in Liberia's capital of Monrovia. Here, men sip bitter green tea, play checkers and Scrabble, and debate the day's politics. | 11/11/09 18:28:00 By - Jina Moore
Some Palestinians doubt Abbas will really step down
Five years after the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Palestinians are searching for direction in the midst of what may be the most difficult political era since Mr. Arafat oversaw the Palestinian Authority's inception 15 years ago. | 11/11/09 18:15:00 By - Ilene R. Prusher
Iran comes to defense of Yemeni Shiites, warns Saudis
Iran offered on Wednesday to take part in a "collective approach" to resolving an escalating Shiite rebellion in Yemen that has pulled Saudi Arabia into the fighting. But analysts cautioned that hostilities did not yet add up to a proxy regional conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia. | 11/11/09 18:05:00 By - Scott Peterson
In Kabul's 'Obama Market,' U.S. military rations on sale
First came the Brezhnev Market. Then the Bush Market. Now Afghans are beginning to call their notorious bazaar full of chow and supplies bought or stolen from the vast U.S. military bases by the name of the current American president, a modest counterweight to his Nobel Peace Prize. | 11/11/09 15:28:00 By - Jay Price
White House allies say Obama bungled Guantanamo closing
President Barack Obama's decision to close the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, military prison by Jan. 22 was followed by a series of mistakes and missteps by his administration that will delay the prison's closure for months, according to a report from a policy organization with close ties to the White House. | 11/11/09 14:44:40 By - Steven Thomma
N.J. man alleges FBI torture threat in Kenyan jail
An American Muslim who was captured while fleeing Somalia in 2007 accused two FBI agents and two other U.S. officials Tuesday of illegally interrogating him and threatening torture while he was allegedly held at U.S. behest in Kenyan and Ethiopian jails. | 11/10/09 18:56:00 By - Jonathan S. Landay
Now that parliament approved elections, Iraqis are ambivalent
Obama administration officials breathed a collective sigh of relief Sunday when Iraq's parliament, after weeks of delays, approved a law to hold national elections in January, very likely permitting a major post-election withdrawal of U.S. combat forces from Iraq. | 11/10/09 16:44:00 By - Warren P. Strobel and Laith Hammoudi
Pakistani Islamists attack civilians for 3rd day, killing 24
At least 24 people were killed Tuesday in the third bomb blast in as many days in Pakistan's militancy-plagued northwest, as extremists continue to wreak revenge for a U.S.-backed offensive against Taliban guerrillas. | 11/10/09 13:44:00 By - Saeed Shah
Some Cuban bloggers becoming more defiant of Castro government
Cuba's blogosphere has taken on a decidedly harsher face in recent months. Some Cubans whose blogs once focused largely on the frustrations of daily life are moving toward sharp-edged commentaries against the Castro government and activities that some fear will eventually lead to a crackdown by the communist government. | 11/10/09 07:08:56 By - Juan O. Tamayo
Honduras deal collapses, and Zelaya's backers blame U.S.
A U.S.-brokered accord that was supposed to return ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya to power has collapsed and his supporters pinned much of the blame Monday on the Obama administration. | 11/09/09 18:47:00 By - Tyler Bridges
Iran charges strayed U.S. hikers with spying
Iran has charged three Americans with espionage, after they strayed during a hiking trip in northern Iraq this past July, in a move likely to complicate U.S. overtures toward Iran. | 11/09/09 18:30:00 By - Scott Peterson
U.N. retreat after rigged elections leaves Afghans jittery
Mohammad Rafi Hamdard, a food importer in Kabul, puts the following prices on the United Nations decision to withdraw staff from Afghanistan: $15 more for a ton of flour, $5 more for 50 kilograms of sugar and $3 more for a carton of cooking oil. | 11/09/09 18:09:00 By - Ben Arnoldy
Fear and secrecy cloak Eritrea, Africa's hermit nation
In this lonely corner of the world, the first sign of distress is the luggage. When one of the few international flights that are still operating here touched down one recent afternoon, the returning passengers emerged from baggage claim as if from a big shopping trip. Old metal trolleys squealed under the weight of mundane items: tires, a laptop computer, tubs of detergent and duffel bags crammed so tightly with food that tin cans bulged through the fabric. | 11/09/09 16:48:00 By - Shashank Bengali
Bellerive nominated for Haiti prime minister
The Haitian Senate unanimously approved Jean-Max Bellerive, a longtime technocrat, as prime minister Friday, hoping that a man with long ties to Haiti's political power brokers and the international community can lead this nation through its fifth change of cabinets in five years. | 11/09/09 07:14:30 By - Jacqueline Charles
More evidence that Fort Hood gunman held radical beliefs
Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the suspect in the Fort Hood shootings, once regularly attended a Falls Church, Va., mosque that the FBI has linked to two of the 9/11 hijackers, but the congregation's current spiritual leader Sunday insisted the government's claims of connections are wrong. | 11/08/09 23:26:41 By - Barry Schlachter
Iraqis pass election law crucial to U.S. withdrawal plans
After nearly a dozen delays and a final, rowdy session, Iraq's parliament on Sunday passed a law setting national elections for January, averting for now a political crisis that threatened to unravel the country's slow progress toward stability. Two major issues were decided: Officials will use voter rolls from 2009 to decide who can vote in the conflicted Kirkuk area and candidates will be listed by name on the ballot so voters can vote for individuals, not parties. | 11/08/09 15:43:00 By - Warren P. Strobel and Sahar Issa
To Afghanistan's many problems, now add the flu
As if the Taliban, car bombs, roadside bombs, leftover Soviet land mines, political unrest and errant NATO air attacks weren't enough, Afghans are facing a new killer: the H1N1 flu pandemic. The government has declared a state of emergency, and closed schools, universities and even wedding halls and public bathrooms for three weeks to slow the spread of the virus, which has killed 10 people in the capital in less than two weeks. | 11/08/09 14:45:00 By - Jay Price
Iraqis set elections for Jan. 23 after weeks of rancor
After nearly a dozen delays and a final, rowdy session, Iraq's parliament on Sunday passed an election law setting up national elections for January and averting for now a political crisis that threatened to unravel the country's slow progress toward stability. Approval of the law eases a growing source of concern for the Obama administration — whether conditions in Iraq will allow a faster withdrawal as the U.S. increases its troop presence in Afghanistan. | 11/08/09 14:01:17 By - Warren P. Strobel and Sahar Issa
Obama leaning toward 34,000 more troops for Afghanistan
Administration officials have told McClatchy that the decision is likely to include the dispatch of 23,000 combat and support troops, 7,000 troops for a new headquarters in Kandahar, and 4,000 additional trainers for the Afghan army. Obama may not announce the decision for several weeks, as he talks with allies and it could change. The plan falls short of Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal's ultimate "low-risk" option of 80,000 more troops. | 11/07/09 14:22:00 By - Jonathan S. Landay, John Walcott and Nancy A. Youssef
Shooting reveals tensions over Muslims in the military
The killings of 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas, by an Army psychiatrist who also was a Muslim set off a rancorous debate Friday that once again spotlighted the fear among Muslims in America that they'll be collectively found guilty for the actions of one man. | 11/06/09 20:59:00 By - Nancy A. Youssef and Leila Fadel
Obama's Asia tour kicks off at critical time on home front
President Barack Obama will leave the country for a four-nation tour of Asia starting Thursday despite a host of domestic concerns, including the massacre at Fort Hood, a sharply rising jobless rate, the health care debate shifting to the Senate and his Afghanistan troop decision still pending. | 11/06/09 15:34:00 By - Margaret Talev
Fort Hood gunman was bound for Afghanistan, not Iraq
Maj. Nidal Hasan, the Army psychiatrist suspected of killing 12 soldiers at Fort Hood Thursday, was in the "deployment window" and was headed for Afghanistan, not Iraq, as some sources had reported. Witnesses said he shouted the traditional Muslim blessing "Allahu Akbar" as he opened fire. | 11/06/09 12:23:42 By - Nancy A. Youssef
Coal ash from U.S. blamed for Dominican town's birth defects
A small town in the northern Dominican Republic is seeing an epidemic of birth defects which local residents blame on coal ash from a Virginia power company that was dumped at a nearby port six years ago. The situation highlights the debate over coal ash, an unregulated byproduct of coal energy, which when processed and recycled is used in everything from cement to the foundation for golf courses. | 11/06/09 09:03:38 By - Frances Robles
Afghan insurgents learn to destroy key U.S. armored vehicle
Taliban-led insurgents in Afghanistan have devised ways to cripple and even destroy the expensive armored vehicles that offer U.S. forces the best protection against roadside bombs by using increasingly large explosive charges and rocket-propelled grenades, according to U.S. soldiers and defense officials. | 11/05/09 19:29:00 By - Jonathan S. Landay
Fort Hood shooter was Army psychiatrist who treated stress
At least 12 people were killed and 31 wounded in a mass shooting at Fort Hood Army Base near Killeen, Texas, when at least one gunman opened fire on soldiers preparing to be deployed. The shooting broke out at the base's readiness center at about 1:30 p.m. The gunman, identified as Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan, was captured alive. Investigators were trying to determine if he had accomplices. | 11/05/09 18:41:13 By - Dave Montgomery and Nancy A. Youssef
Iraqis at the brink: Election law delayed again
Iraqi lawmakers blew another deadline Thursday as they continued haggling over an election law that's crucial to the country's political stability and to the Obama administration's plans for a speedy withdrawal of U.S. troops. | 11/05/09 15:14:00 By - Warren P. Strobel
U.N. to scale back in Kabul as it ponders better security
A week after a jarring pre-dawn attack killed five members of its Kabul staff, the United Nations announced plans Thursday to scale back its operations in the city temporarily while it re-evaluates dangers in the country. | 11/05/09 13:20:00 By - Dion Nissenbaum
U.S. mission in Afghanistan depends on supply chain
In one month, more than 3,000 containers carrying U.S. Department of Defense supplies are loaded onto contracted local trucks to make the 1,000-mile trek from Port Karachi into Afghanistan. Since he left Pakistan last year, the pace of containers into Afghanistan has increased to 4,500 a month. Enter the Surface Deployment and Distribution Command. | 11/04/09 20:31:59 By - Jennifer A. Bowen
Pakistan's Fashion Week bares country's frothy side
With paramilitary Rangers deployed to prevent terrorist attacks on the host hotel, Pakistani designers and models challenged firebrand mullahs and Taliban insurgents Wednesday by staging the country's first "Fashion Week" in Karachi. | 11/04/09 19:04:00 By - Saeed Shah
Deal to restore ex-president languishes in Honduran Congress
A U.S.-mediated pact reached last week that aims to return deposed Honduran President Manuel Zelaya to office and end the country's destabilizing political crisis is in danger of unraveling as Honduras' Congress takes its time to consider the deal. | 11/04/09 17:39:00 By - Tyler Bridges
Justice Department won't appeal order to free Guantanamo detainee
A Kuwaiti Airways engineer who the U.S. military has accused of being a key aide to Osama bin Laden has been moved to the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, detention center's minimum-security wing that's reserved for prisoners slated to be released. | 11/03/09 23:40:44 By - Mark Seibel
U.S. officials fear Karzai can't keep anti-corruption pledge
President Hamid Karzai vowed Tuesday that he'd clean up his government in his second five-year term, but U.S. officials are worried that the Afghan leader will have to award key posts to ethnic warlords and regional power barons who're linked to drug trafficking in exchange for their help in his re-election. | 11/03/09 21:13:11 By - Hal Bernton and Jonathan S. Landay
Tear down mental walls on climate, German chancellor says
German Chancellor Angela Merkel made an impassioned plea Tuesday to a joint session of Congress to work together on efforts to curb global warming and to help forge a binding climate-change deal at an international meeting next month. | 11/03/09 18:02:00 By - William Douglas
Karzai promises to quash corruption, but doesn't say how
President Hamid Karzai said Tuesday that he'd work to curb corruption in his next five years in office, but he gave no specifics about how that would be accomplished or which Cabinet members might be fired to clean up his administration. | 11/03/09 15:56:00 By - Hal Bernton
Tensions are high in Nicaragua amid power struggle
Pro-government demonstrators rocked the U.S. Embassy as opposition leaders complained President Daniel Ortega is undermining Nicaragua's democracy in his effort to remain in power. | 11/03/09 07:03:34 By - Tim Rogers
Exclusive: U.S. drafts Afghan 'Compact' it hopes will bolster new Karzai government
The Obama administration has tried to keep its role in drafting a package of reforms and anti-corruption measures quiet in hopes that the ideas can be presented as an Afghan initiative and boost popular support for President Hamid Karzai. Many officials, however, are skeptical that Karzai will carry out the reforms. | 11/02/09 19:47:00 By - Jonathan S. Landay
Last American seized at U.S. embassy in Iran recalls the day
It was 30 years ago Wednesday that demonstrators in Iran stormed the U.S. Embassy and seized 66 Americans. They would be held hostage for 444 days -- an event that scars America to this day. Rick Kupke, of Arlington, Texas, was encrypting classified messages inside the embassy when the demonstrators stormed it. He was the last American captured. Here's his recollection of what happened. | 11/02/09 10:54:49 By - Anna M. Tinsley
Afghan election commission declares Karzai the winner
President Hamid Karzai was vested with another five years in office Monday as an Afghan election commission canceled next Saturday's runoff, and declared the incumbent the winner by virtue of the votes he gained in a first-round election in August. | 11/02/09 09:25:08 By - Hal Bernton and Hashim Shukoor
Weapons sales are on the rise in Latin America
Whether it's called an "arms race" or a "coincidental modernization" of existing stocks, a wave of weapons purchases by Latin American nations is causing neighbors to watch each other with growing mistrust and fear. Brazil says it must protect its new-found oil and gas riches. Venezuela says the U.S. military might attack it. Colombia is worried by Venezuela, Ecuador is watching Colombia and Paraguay is keeping an eye on Bolivia. | 11/02/09 07:05:59 By - Juan O. Tamayo
Terrorists hit Pakistan's military enclave again, killing 35
At least 35 people were killed in a bombing near the military headquarters in Rawalpindi on Monday. The blast struck near a bank where army and Defense Mministry personnel were picking up their monthly pay. The blast came three weeks after terrorists entered the military headquarters compound and held hostages for 24 hours. | 11/02/09 06:56:06 By - Saeed Shah
Afghan candidate drops out of election run-off
Presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah said Sunday he will not participate in next Saturday's runoff election -- a decision that effectively hands President Hamid Karzai an automatic second term, but strips him of the legitimacy the United States and other western nations hoped to achieve | 11/01/09 18:18:31 By - Hal Bernton and Hashim Shukoor
Challenger's pullout leaves Afghan government of dubious legitimacy
The withdrawal of challenger Abdullah Abdullah from Afghanistan's presidential runoff leaves a major question about the legitimacy of President Hamid Karzai, who is certain to continue in power for five more years. U.S. officials say they will demand that Karzai address the alleged rampant corruption that plagues his government. | 11/01/09 17:35:00 By - Hal Bernton and Hashim Shukoor
Fearing fraud, challenger may quit Afghan presidential runoff
Abdullah Abdullah, the former foreign minister, couldn't persuade Afghan President Hamid Karzai to fire several top aides over the massive vote rigging that marred the first round presidential elections Aug. 20 and now is on the verge of withdrawing from the runoff set for next Saturday. | 10/31/09 17:59:00 By - Hal Bernton and Hashim Shukoor
Pakistanis to Clinton: War on terror is not our war
After three days of encounters with America-bashing Pakistanis -- who rejected her contention that the U.S. and Pakistan face a common enemy -- Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Friday that "we're not getting through." Said one Pakistani meeting with Clinton: "You had one 9-11. We are having daily 9-11s in Pakistan." | 10/30/09 18:26:00 By - Saeed Shah
Haiti Senate ousts Prime Minister Pierre-Louis
Haiti's Senate voted just after midnight Friday to dismiss Prime Minister Michele Pierre-Louis, following almost 10 hours of debate. A number of senators who opposed the move to fire Pierre-Louis had left the Senate floor shortly before the vote, believing that they had successfully filibustered the attempt when the clock struck midnight here. | 10/30/09 13:13:32 By - Jacqueline Charles
Support for Chavez is eroding in Venezuela due to shortages
For more than a decade, Hugo Chavez has dominated Venezuelan politics, establishing a grip on power unequaled in the region, outside of Cuba. But lower oil prices, as well as the effects of economic mismanagement and neglected infrastructure, have begun to erode his popular support. In the past month, thousands of Venezuelans have taken to the streets to protest the lack of basic social services, from electricity to water. | 10/30/09 07:08:23 By - Phil Gunson
As Catholic church welcomes Anglicans, celibacy of priests gets a look
The possibility that someday Catholics may see married priests in the pulpit was raised last week when Vatican officials announced an arrangement that welcomes Anglicans into the Catholic Church, including their married priests. Vatican officials have said repeatedly over the years that celibacy will remain mandatory, but many observers say having married Anglican priests in the church is a "major move" toward the idea of married Catholic priests. | 10/30/09 06:50:29 By - Jennifer Garza
Russia asks for Texan's help in reviving music competition
Richard Rodzinski, the former head of the Van Cliburn Piano Competition, has been tapped by Russian officials to revive the Tchaikovsky Competition, the cultural event where Cliburn made his name half a century ago, but that's fallen into neglect in recent years. | 10/29/09 21:13:13 By - Tim Madigan
Library of Congress stands by report on Honduras coup
Congress's law library is rebuffing calls from the chairmen of the House and Senate foreign relations committees to retract a report on the military-backed coup in Honduras that the lawmakers charge is flawed. | 10/29/09 20:17:00 By - Lesley Clark
Military releases names of soldiers killed in Afghan attack
The U.S. military on Thursday released the names of the seven soldiers from the 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, based in Fort Lewis, Wash., who were killed Tuesday in a sophisticated Taliban attack in southern Afghanistan. | 10/29/09 19:53:00 By - Nancy A. Youssef
Defying U.N., Afghans to keep fraud-marred polling centers
In a rebuff to the United Nations, an Afghan commission named by President Hamid Karzai disclosed Thursday that centers rife with fraudulent votes during the summer's presidential election will remain open for the Nov. 7 runoff against challenger Abdullah Abdullah. | 10/29/09 18:46:00 By - Hal Bernton
Will U.S. go empty-handed to world climate talks?
Without a new law requiring cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, the U.S. could end up going empty-handed to the international climate talks in December. | 10/29/09 18:36:00 By - Renee Schoof
Clinton challenges Pakistan to find bin Laden
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday pressed her one-woman blitz on Pakistani public opinion, bluntly challenging the country to defend its territory from an onslaught by religious extremists and asking why Pakistan's powerful military was unable to find Saudi-born terrorist Osama bin Laden. | 10/29/09 16:14:00 By - Saeed Shah
U.N. condemns Cuba embargo by U.S.
The United States found itself up against virtually the entire world Wednesday as country after country at the United Nations denounced the nearly 50-year-old trade embargo against Cuba, which the island government says is as strong as ever under President Barack Obama. | 10/29/09 07:09:01 By - Frances Robles
Pierre-Louis is likely on way out as Haiti prime minister
As Haiti's lawmakers appeared poised to reject a last-minute plea from Prime Minister Michele Pierre-Louis to delay Thursday's vote to oust her, the international community appeared resigned to accept her likely dismissal. | 10/29/09 07:05:01 By - Jacqueline Charles
Lawmakers ask Library of Congress to retract Honduras report
The chairmen of the House and Senate foreign relations committees are asking the Law Library of Congress to retract a report on the military-backed coup in Honduras that they charge is flawed and "has contributed to the political crisis that still wracks'' the country. | 10/28/09 20:10:00 By - Lesley Clark
Taliban attack raises fears ahead of second Afghan vote
Taliban insurgents Wednesday attacked a guesthouse used by the United Nations, killing five U.N. employees — including an American — and raising new concerns about terrorism and sabotage ahead of the Nov. 7 runoff election. | 10/28/09 19:14:00 By - Hal Bernton and Hashim Shukoor
Iraqis' election-law battle rages over status of Kirkuk
Up against the clock, Iraqi politicians spent Wednesday hammering out the final sticking points of an election law they hope to present to parliament for a vote within days to avoid a risky and embarrassing delay of the January polls. | 10/28/09 16:27:00 By - Sahar Issa and Hannah Allam
Hmong, Lao veterans seek burials in national cemeteries
Hmong and Laotian war veterans could secure treasured burial spots in U.S. national cemeteries under legislation now being drafted by San Joaquin Valley lawmakers. | 10/28/09 15:09:00 By - Michael Doyle
Castro's sister says CIA work did not threaten brothers' lives
Juanita Castro was recruited by the CIA in 1961 through her friend Virginia Leitao de Cunha, wife of the Brazilian ambassador in Havana, but refused to conspire in any attempts on the lives of her brothers Fidel and Raul Castro. | 10/28/09 07:16:29 By - Wilfredo Cancio Isla
Florida's Broward County aims to be departure point for Cuba travel
Residents and travelers with relatives in Cuba might be able to hop a plane or boat out of Broward bound for Cuba. Broward County commissioners on Tuesday approved seeking permission from the federal government to allow flights to and from Cuba at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. | 10/28/09 07:12:14 By - Amy Sherman
Clinton tries to resuscitate U.S. policy amid bombings
Amid devastating bombings directed at civilian targets in Pakistan and Afghanistan, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton began a drive Wednesday to advance Washington's policies in the troubled region by seeking to "turn the page" and convince skeptical Pakistanis that the U.S. aim is security and stability. | 10/28/09 06:56:13 By - Saeed Shah
Insurgents strike U.N. guesthouse in Kabul
Insurgents killed six United Nations workers and injured nine others in a Wednesday attack at a guesthouse that struck at the international community in the Afghan capital. | 10/28/09 06:35:40 By - Hal Bernton and Hashim Shukoor
Al Qaida in Iraq claims attacks against Iraqi government
Militants linked to al Qaida in Iraq claimed responsibility for a pair of powerful truck bombs that killed 155 people and wounded 600 Sunday in the latest insurgent assault on the fragile Iraqi government of U.S.-backed Prime Minister Nouri al Malaki. | 10/27/09 17:06:00 By - Sahar Issa and Hannah Allam
8 U.S. troops die in Afghanistan, making October worst month
Eight American service members were killed Tuesday in insurgent attacks in southern Afghanistan, a focal point of the U.S. military campaign to combat the resurgent Taliban. | 10/27/09 16:32:00 By - Hal Bernton and Nancy A. Youssef
Haitian lawmakers seek ouster of prime minister
With Haiti poised to enjoy the economic benefits of long-elusive stability, foreign diplomats are scrambling behind the scenes to keep it all from unraveling as several lawmakers demand the ouster of the country's Prime Minister Michele Pierre-Louis — and possibly several of her ministers — on charges that she has moved too slowly to solve Haiti's problems. | 10/27/09 07:13:35 By - Jacqueline Charles
Large trucks used in Iraq bombings that killed 155
Iraqi authorities said Monday that suicide bombers had used two large trucks -- a water tanker and a refrigerated food truck -- in attacks Sunday that killed at least 155 people and wounded nearly 600, the deadliest bombings since 2007. | 10/26/09 15:47:00 By - Sahar Issa and Hannah Allam
14 Americans die in helicopter crashes in Afghanistan
Fourteen Americans died Monday in helicopter crashes in southern and western Afghanistan, one of the deadliest days for the United States in the Afghanistan war. | 10/26/09 13:02:00 By - Hal Bernton
Haitians press Obama on immigration goals
Haitian-American and immigrant activists who greeted President Barack Obama's election with high hopes are growing frustrated with the administration's failure to deliver one of their top goals. Obama said in July he was "very sympathetic" to the community's request to allow Haitian immigrants now illegally in the country to stay temporarily, but no decision has been announced. Some activists say their patience is wearing thin. | 10/26/09 07:10:16 By - Lesley Clark and Jacqueline Charles
Castro's sister says she worked with CIA
Juanita Castro, sister of Cuban rulers Fidel and Raul Castro, cooperated with the CIA in the 1960s — a time when the U.S. agency was plotting to assassinate Fidel and overthrow his revolution &mdash according to an exclusive Univision-Noticias 23 report on her newly published book. | 10/26/09 07:05:05 By - Juan O. Tamayo
U.N. diplomats press Afghan commission for election changes
United Nations diplomats and the chairman of an Afghan election commission are sparring over efforts to curb fraud in the country's Nov. 7 presidential runoff election. | 10/25/09 17:59:00 By - Hal Bernton
Massive bombings cast doubt on Iraqi security, elections
Suicide car bombers killed at least 132 people and wounded another 600 outside Iraqi government buildings Sunday morning. The bombings were the deadliest in more than two years and drew particular outrage because they struck at cabinet ministries and city government offices that are supposed to be especially secure. | 10/25/09 15:27:45 By - Mohammed al Dulaimy and Hannah Allam
Cost of Afghanistan project soars, benefits exaggerated
Flipping a switch on one of Afghanistan's long-awaited electrical power plants in August, U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry urged Afghans to think of U.S. taxpayers' support when they turn their lights on at night. To some U.S. experts, however, the project is the latest example of exaggerated political expectations and wasted American taxpayers' dollars in the effort to rebuild Afghanistan. | 10/25/09 06:00:00 By - Marisa Taylor
After weeklong battle, Pakistani army seizes Taliban stronghold
Pakistani forces Saturday captured the hometown of the chief of the country's Taliban movement, officials announced, the first big gain in the weeklong U.S.-backed ground offensive in South Waziristan. | 10/24/09 15:00:00 By - Saeed Shah
Iran waffles on accepting international nuclear agreement
Iran hedged Friday on accepting a deal that would transfer most of its low-enriched uranium out of the country to be converted for peaceful uses, saying it wants more time to study the deal and suggesting that it prefers a different approach. | 10/23/09 18:54:00 By - Warren P. Strobel
NATO demurs on more troops until U.S. Afghan strategy ready
Top NATO officials suggested Friday that they support Afghanistan commander Gen. Stanley McChrystal's call for a bigger counterinsurgency strategy in that war, but said they may send more troops only after they know how the administration intends to proceed there. | 10/23/09 18:11:00 By - Nancy A. Youssef
Bomb hits outside suspected Pakistani nuclear-weapons site
A suspected nuclear weapons site in Pakistan was hit by a suicide bomb attack Friday, raising fears about the security of the nuclear arsenal, while two other terrorist blasts made it another bloody day in the country's struggle against extremism. | 10/23/09 09:19:51 By - Saeed Shah
Refugees don't think Pakistan's anti-Taliban efforts are serious
The Pakistani army's latest offensive against the Taliban in South Waziristan, probably the country's most significant anti-terror operation since 2001, so far has failed to convince residents of the frontier area that the state is finally determined to wipe out the Islamic extremists. | 10/22/09 18:16:00 By - Saeed Shah
IG: Pricey new U.S. Embassy in Iraq has 'multiple' flaws
The $736 million new U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, which American diplomats have occupied for 18 months, contains "multiple significant construction deficiencies" and the U.S. government should try to recover more than $130 million from the contractor who built it, according to a report to be released Thursday. | 10/22/09 10:26:00 By - Warren P. Strobel
Human rights workers in Colombia say they face constant attacks
A congressional hearing in Washington focused on the persecution of human rights defenders in Colombia. The activists say they are under constant attack for their work, facing murder, death threats, illegal surveillance, arbitrary detentions and prosecutions. | 10/22/09 07:06:24 By - Sibylla Brodzinksy
Unsettled Afghanistan prepares for new elections, new challenges
In the August presidential election, Parvez Mohammad, a 21-year-old cashier at a fast-food restaurant, supported former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah. His father and three uncles voted to give incumbent Hamid Karzai another five years in office. | 10/21/09 18:21:00 By - Hal Bernton and Hashim Shukoor
Impasse over Iraqi election law may slow U.S. withdrawal
After three days of long sessions and continuous delays, the Iraqi parliament failed Wednesday to reach agreement on a new election law, asked a little-used national political council to resolve the impasse and adjourned until Sunday. | 10/21/09 16:47:00 By - Laith Hammoudi and Jenan Hussein
Killer crop: Afghan opium fuels addictions, finances terrorists
Afghan opium kills more people every year than any other drug on the planet, claiming up to 100,000 lives annually, according to a United Nations report released Wednesday. In addition to drug-related deaths, Afghan opium and heroin pay for weapons that anti-U.S. insurgents use to kill American troops. | 10/21/09 15:45:00 By - Tom Lasseter
After Obama's defense rebuff, Poland to get missile interceptors
Weeks after the U.S. pulled the plug on a Poland-based missile defense system, Vice President Joe Biden traveled to Warsaw Wednesday to assuage angry officials and emerged with an agreement that Poland will get an upgraded element of a missile defense. | 10/21/09 11:48:13 By - Steven Thomma
Guantanamo commander: I can empty prison in 10 days
The military can comply with a White House order to empty the detention center and clear all 221 war-on-terror captives off the remote base "with 10 days notice,'' the prison camps commander said Tuesday. "If they say on Jan. 12, 'Move them out,' we can meet the deadline,'' Navy Rear Adm. Tom Copeman said. | 10/20/09 17:46:45 By - Carol Rosenberg
Taliban retake town as Pakistan offensive runs into trouble
Taliban guerrillas recaptured the birthplace of the Pakistani Taliban leader from the Pakistani army and inflicted the heaviest casualties yet in Pakistan's high-stakes offensive in South Waziristan. A government attempt to foment a tribal uprising against the Pakistani Taliban also failed Tuesday. | 10/20/09 16:39:00 By - Saeed Shah
Iraqi parliament delays vote again on direct elections
Iraq's parliament failed again Tuesday to vote on legislation that would allow Iraqis to cast ballots directly for candidates in parliamentary elections scheduled for January, rather than choosing political party lists that don't name the candidates. | 10/20/09 15:33:00 By - Sahar Issa
Afghanistan braces for Round 2 of marathon election
Afghan President Hamid Karzai, under heavy pressure from the Obama administration, its allies and the United Nations, Tuesday accepted a final election tally that stripped him of hundreds of thousands of questionable votes in Afghanistan's Aug. 20 election and agreed to a Nov. 7 runoff with the second-place finisher, former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah. | 10/20/09 00:00:00 By - Hal Bernton
Supreme Court to rule on release of Guantanamo detainees into U.S.
The Supreme Court's decision Tuesday to weigh whether a federal judge has the power to release Guantanamo Bay prisoners into the United States continues a legal tug of war begun when the Bush administration opened the overseas detention camp. | 10/20/09 11:37:00 By - Michael Doyle
Former fighters paint images of Colombia's war
At first glance, the childlike strokes and bright colors of the paintings of the Bogota Museum of Modern Art's latest exhibit suggest bucolic scenes of Colombia's countryside: Small, colorful figures fill town squares and farms lie in the shadow of towering mountains or by fast-running rivers. But the exhibit in Bogota features harrowing images from Colombia's decades of conflict, all painted by people who saw it firsthand -- former combatants. | 10/20/09 07:05:26 By - Sibylla Brodzinksy
Guantanamo hearings to begin for Sudanese captives
With U.S.-Sudan policy in flux, the Pentagon on Monday airlifted a planeload of lawyers and other staff to Guantanamo for hearings in the war court cases of two long-held Sudanese captives accused of working for al Qaeda. | 10/19/09 21:00:05 By - Carol Rosenberg
Pakistan presses offensive, but not against Afghan Taliban
Thousands of civilians fleeing a military offensive in Pakistan's rugged South Waziristan are reporting heavy aerial bombardments as the army closes in on Taliban strongholds. The battle is likely to shape the country's struggle against Islamic extremism. | 10/19/09 16:28:00 By - Saeed Shah
In Najaf, Iraq's Shiite clerics push for direct elections
If there's one place in Iraq outside the parliament itself that will set the tone for the country's politics, it's Najaf, a dusty city of about 900,000 that was neglected under Saddam Hussein's Sunni Muslim dictatorship. Najaf is to Shiites what Vatican City is to Roman Catholics, but some of Shiite Islam's highest spiritual figures operate here out of public view, issuing occasional utterances on issues they consider central to Iraqi society. | 10/19/09 15:21:00 By - Roy Gutman
Obama adds a carrot for Sudan in addition to the stick
President Barack Obama announced a shift in strategy toward Sudan on Monday, saying he'll offer incentives to the government if it will end a humanitarian crisis in its Darfur region. His willingness to work with the government of President Omar al Bashir signaled a break from the previous hard-line approach. | 10/19/09 10:30:00 By - Steven Thomma and Shashank Bengali
Karzai to accept fraud audit; deal with rival uncertain
Afghan President President Hamid Karzai was expected to announce Tuesday his acceptance of a U.N.-backed fraud audit reducing his vote in the August election to less than 50 percent, but it wasn't clear if he'd consent to a deal with his chief rival to forge a national unity government and forgo a second-round runoff, U.S. officials said Monday. | 10/19/09 10:02:20 By - Hal Bernton, Jonathan S. Landay and Warren P. Strobel
Cuban spies were sent to U.S to mislead, misinform, experts say
In the six months after the 9/11 attacks, up to 20 Cubans walked into U.S. embassies around the world and offered information on terrorism threats. Eventually, all were deemed to be Cuban intelligence agents and collaborators, purveying fabricated information. Two Cuba experts said spies sent by Cuba to the United States were part of a permanent intelligence program to mislead, misinform and identify U.S. spies. | 10/19/09 07:08:31 By - Juan O. Tamayo
Alaska troops helping to keep Afghanistan civilian casualties down, improve infrastructure
Alaska-based paratroopers are making considerable progress in counter-insurgency efforts aimed at protecting civilians in Afghanistan and developing the local economy in the three provinces in which they operate, their commander says. | 10/19/09 06:36:15 By - Richard Mauer
White House, key Democrat turn up heat on Karzai
President Obama's top White House aide and Sen. John Kerry warned Afghan President Hamid Karzai that Obama won't send more troops to Afghanistan unless the country has a credible and legitimate government. | 10/18/09 16:58:00 By - John Walcott and Hal Bernton
An air bridge to Afghanistan is growing more important
Eleven times a day, on average, Air Force C-5 and C-17 military transports take off from Charleston Air Force Base for Afghanistan. "We're South Carolina's lifeline to Afghanistan," said Staff Sgt. Jeff Harmon. | 10/18/09 16:57:14 By - Chuck Crumbo
Iraqis say they want U.S. investment, strategic support
Three months after U.S. troops withdrew from Iraq's cities and started packing their bags, violence is down dramatically, and the U.S. seems to be assuming a role as supporter, protector and mentor. | 10/18/09 17:54:00 By - Roy Gutman
Ousted Honduran president's supporters losing steam
More than three months after President Manuel Zelaya was ousted in a military-backed coup, his supporters have yet to mobilize in the kind of numbers required to force change. | 10/18/09 19:13:28 By - Frances Robles
Karzai balking at deal to end Afghan election dispute
The U.S. and other powers want Afghan President Hamid Karzai to agree to form a national unity government to head off possible civil unrest, but Karzai appeared to be digging in his heels. | 10/17/09 17:46:00 By - Hal Bernton and Jonathan S. Landay
Pakistan launches crucial assault on militant stronghold
A Pakistani offensive against a Taliban stronghold that began Saturday faces an entrenched and experienced enemy on terrain that favors guerrilla warfare, and Pakistan's future may depend on who wins. | 10/17/09 15:55:00 By - Saeed Shah
Afghan economy stumbles amid election uncertainty
For Afghanistan's business community, the troubled election has been one more economic hit in a difficult year that's included rising threats from kidnappers and the Taliban-led insurgency. As security costs soar and consumer sales soften, some Afghan business people have abandoned homes in Kabul for safer places such as Dubai. Others have pulled back on investments. | 10/16/09 18:24:00 By - Hal Bernton and Hashim Shukoor
An Iraqi primary election draws crowds but lacks safeguards
Hundreds of thousands of supporters of Muqtada al Sadr voted in primary elections Friday in an attempt by the radical Shiite Muslim cleric to restore his party's popularity, which was shaken in the last elections early this year. | 10/16/09 16:40:00 By - Jenan Hussein and Mohammad al Dulaimy
Guatemala experiencing rising malnutrition due to drought
The rainy season has watered crops in Guatemala, but relief workers and food experts say the rainfall has done little to help the country recover from a major drought that's aggravated malnutrition rates and already claimed dozens of lives this year. Concerns over worsening malnutrition rates in the Central American nation come as nutrition experts and others meet to commemorate World Food Day on Friday, a day aimed at raising awareness of hunger around the globe. | 10/16/09 07:00:48 By - Trenton Daniel
'Low-risk' Afghan plan calls for troops U.S. may not have
The U.S. military can send only about 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan in the next three months without putting excessive strains on the Army and Marine Corps, but the top Afghanistan commander has said he needs more than twice that number to have the best chance of success, military and administration officials told McClatchy. | 10/15/09 19:33:00 By - Nancy A. Youssef and Jonathan S. Landay
Families of Beirut Marines fear they've been forgotten
For a quarter-century, Lt. Col. Howard Gerlach thought the explosion had blown him out the window of his second floor office. Then last year, at a reunion to mark the anniversary of the Oct. 23, 1983, bombing of the Marine headquarters at the Beirut airport, he met his rescuer. | 10/15/09 19:04:00 By - Warren P. Strobel
Pakistan says guerrilla war under way, dozens more die
The bloody battle of wills between the Pakistani government and Islamic extremists continued with five terrorist attacks on Thursday that claimed at least 38 lives and was timed, officials said, ahead of a planned military offensive against Taliban guerrillas in their stronghold along the Afghan border. | 10/15/09 17:51:00 By - Saeed Shah
Cuba grants U.S. access to dual citizens jailed there
Cuba recently gave a top State Department official a long-blocked permission to visit dual U.S.-Cuban citizens jailed on the island -- but it did not accept a U.S. offer to relax travel restrictions on each other's diplomats, El Nuevo Herald has confirmed. | 10/15/09 07:08:06 By - Juan O. Tamayo
So what do troops at Guantanamo think of commander's Nobel?
Here in the land of limbo, the news of President Barack Obama's Nobel Peace Prize landed with more of a whimper than wild enthusiasm among those waging their part in the war on terror. | 10/15/09 00:36:31 By - Carol Rosenberg
While U.S. debates Afghanistan policy, Taliban beefs up
A recent U.S. intelligence assessment has raised the estimated number of full-time Taliban-led insurgents fighting in Afghanistan to at least 25,000, underscoring how the crisis has worsened even as the U.S. and its allies have beefed up their military forces, a U.S. official said Thursday. | 10/14/09 20:02:00 By - Jonathan S. Landay and Hal Bernton
Iranian Nobel winner urges Obama to stress human rights
In 2003, Shirin Ebadi, an Iranian lawyer and former jurist, won the Nobel Peace Prize for her work on human rights. Despite the dangers to herself and her family, Ebadi still lives and works inside the Islamic Republic of Iran and calls herself a "bone in the throat" of the regime. | 10/14/09 18:01:00 By - Leila Fadel
Letter from Moscow: Russia torn between past and future
Standing before a massive mosaic of red Soviet flags and flanked by engraved quotations from Marx and Lenin, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gazed out at more than a thousand Russian university students and implored them to look to the future. | 10/14/09 16:09:00 By - Tom Lasseter
Iraqi spokesman calls series of attacks 'only a robbery'
Eight people were killed and 14 were injured Wednesday in attacks on Baghdad's Shiite Muslim neighborhood of Shula, police said. | 10/14/09 15:24:00 By - Laith Hammoudi
Cuba gives 'socialism lite' a try as recession deepens
As the Cuban government struggles through a deep recession, its leaders have begun picking away at socialism in order to save it. But experts say the latest buzz by the Cuban government is simply another desperate fix to stem the slide of a failed economy that buckled long ago. | 10/14/09 07:19:05 By - Frances Robles
Russia rejects, for now, talk about sanctions against Iran
If Hillary Clinton was hoping to win Russian support for efforts to use a threat of sanctions to pressure Iran come clean about its nuclear ambitions, her first trip to Moscow as secretary of state got off to a rocky start Tuesday. | 10/13/09 17:47:00 By - Tom Lasseter
Bills to lift Cuba travel ban gaining momentum in Congress
A powerful campaign to allow all Americans to travel to Cuba is rumbling through Congress, with both backers and opponents predicting eventual victory and a Cuban-American Senator holding a key vote. Approval of the measures would have a profound impact on U.S.-Cuba relations, unleashing an estimated one million American tourists to visit the island and undermining White House control of policy toward Havana. | 10/13/09 07:07:16 By - Juan O. Tamayo
Sex trade is thriving in Costa Rica
The slumping global economy is having a stimulus effect on Costa Rica's famous sex-tourism industry, as a growing number of unemployed women -- from Colombia to the Dominican Republic -- flock to San Jose to seek a living in the world's oldest profession. | 10/13/09 06:59:42 By - Tim Rogers
Evidence of fraud could force Afghan runoff vote
The Afghan government's appointee resigned Monday from the commission that's investigating allegations of fraud in the country's scandal-plagued Aug. 20 presidential election as the Obama administration struggles to craft a strategy to curb the Taliban-led insurgency. | 10/12/09 18:36:00 By - Hal Bernton
Iraqis arrest former top aide in Saddam's regime
Iraqi security forces seized a top aide to the most wanted man in Iraq, capturing him Sunday in a helicopter raid in Diyala province, an Iraqi security official who participated in the raid said Monday. | 10/12/09 18:12:00 By - Sahar Issa
Suicide bomber kills 41 as U.S-Pakistan relations fray
Islamic militants mounted their fourth attack against a Pakistani target in a week, this time detonating a suicide car bomb in a crowded bazaar that killed 41 people in the Shangla District on the edge of the Swat valley, where the Pakistani military had said it crushed the insurgency. | 10/12/09 17:49:00 By - Saeed Shah
Evidence of fraud could force Afghan runoff election
An Afghan member of the panel investigating the widespread allegations of fraud in Afghanistan's August 20 presidential election resigned Monday and charged that United Nations officials have interfered in the probe, a possible indication that Afghan Pres. Hamid Karzai may be forced into a runoff against his former foreign minister. | 10/12/09 00:41:00 By - Hal Bernton
Terrorist attack in Pakistan shows how vulnerable it is
The terrorist assault on Pakistan's military headquarters, which ended early Sunday, exposed the threat that extremists pose to the nuclear-armed country. "The only thing that stands between al Qaida and nuclear weapons is the Pakistan army," said Shaun Gregory, a professor at Britain's Bradford University and an expert on Pakistan's nuclear weapons. | 10/11/09 16:42:00 By - Saeed Shah
Iraq's Anbar bombings only latest sign of trouble
Bombers attacked a crowded parking lot outside the provincial government's headquarters Sunday, then detonated a car bomb aimed at rescue workers. A third bomb exploded outside the hospital where survivors were being treated. At least 23 people, mostly civilians, were killed, and more than 80 were wounded in the attacks, raising fears that Islamist extremists are trying to retake Sunni Muslim territories they lost | 10/11/09 16:38:51 By - Mohammad al Dulaimy and Jamal Naji
Are Obama advisers downplaying Afghan dangers?
As the Obama administration reconsiders its Afghanistan policy, White House officials are minimizing warnings from the intelligence community, the military and the State Department about the risks of adopting a limited strategy focused on al Qaida, U.S. intelligence, diplomatic and military officials told McClatchy. | 10/11/09 06:00:00 By - Jonathan S. Landay, John Walcott and Nancy A. Youssef
Banned at Guantanamo library: Noam Chomsky
U.S. military censors recently rejected a Pentagon lawyer's donation tp the library at Guantanamo of an Arabic-language copy of well known political activist and linguistic professor Noam Chomsky's 2007 anthology of post 9/11 commentary. Much of the commentary had appeared in U.S. newspapers. | 10/11/09 12:48:38 By - Carol Rosenberg
Afghan election audit ends, but no results yet
The audit of Afghanistan's presidential vote ended Friday, seven weeks after the disputed election gave incumbent President Hamid Karzai 54.6 percent of the vote. A certified result is days away, however, and patience is wearing thin. | 10/11/09 16:29:00 By - Sarah Davison
Commandos retake Pakistani military HQ from terrorists
Pakistani commandos staged a dramatic rescue early Sunday of 25 colleagues held hostage after terrorists stormed the headquarters of Pakistan's military establishment some 18 hours earlier. The maneuver, carried out around 6 a.m. local time, ended a crisis that began when the extremists attacked the military central command in the northern city of Rawalpindi. | 10/10/09 16:06:00 By - Saeed Shah
Wounded soldier becomes 5th to die after Afghan ambush
An ambush that raised questions about the whether U.S. troops in Afghanistan have enough artillery, air support and intelligence has claimed a fifth U.S. service member. Sgt. 1st Class Kenneth Westbrook died Wednesday at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Westbrook's rifle had been passed to McClatchy reporter Jonathan S. Landay as insurgents closed in on the American forces Sept. 8. | 10/09/09 18:30:00 By - Nancy A. Youssef
World leaders, Nobel laureates offer Obama praise, skepticism
Here are some reactions to President Barack Obama's winning of the Nobel Peace Prize. | 10/09/09 16:28:00 By - Margaret Talev
Pakistan-based group suspected in Indian Embassy bombing
Afghan officials suspect that the same Pakistan-based group that's blamed for a suicide attack on the Indian Embassy 16 months ago staged a car-bombing there Thursday that killed at least 17 people and wounded 76. | 10/08/09 19:46:54 By - Sarah Davison and Jonathan S. Landay
Facing massive layoffs, Russia's 'Detroit' feels the chill
Vasily Kurikov worked for 28 years at AvtoVAZ, Russia's biggest carmaker, but the factory has him on half-shifts and, like everyone else in town, he's heard that there are 27,600 job cuts coming. Looking at the people in front of him, many of them AvtoVAZ workers left to wander this city on the banks of the Volga River, Kurikov said that things could turn bad. | 10/08/09 16:51:00 By - Tom Lasseter
Suicide car bomber kills 17 outside Kabul’s Indian Embassy
A suicide bomb exploded outside the Indian embassy on Thursday, killing 17 people and wounding 76 in the second suicide attack on the embassy in 16 months. | 10/08/09 09:03:10 By - Sarah Davison
New group of soldiers going to Guantanamo -- for a year
The Puerto Rican National Guard is heading home soon and soldiers from their Virgin Islands and Rhode Island counterparts are mobilizing for yearlong tours at the detention center President Barack Obama said he would shut in January. | 10/07/09 20:23:46 By - Carol Rosenberg
Obama asked for early look at Afghanistan troop request
President Barack Obama asked for and received a personal copy of his Afghanistan commander's request for more troops before top military officials had formally reviewed it so it wouldn't be leaked to reporters. | 10/07/09 19:33:00 By - Nancy A. Youssef
Canadian held at Guantanamo gets two new civilian lawyers
Omar Khadr, a Canadian who's accused of throwing a grenade that killed an American soldier in Afghanistan, will be represented by a pair of former U.S. federal prosecutors -- if he's ever brought to trial. Khadr was only 15 when the alleged attack took place and his new lawyers say they'll argue he was too young to face a war crimes tribunal. | 10/07/09 18:05:23 By - Carol Rosenberg
U.S. public backs Obama in dealing with Iran on nukes
When it comes to dealing with Iran as a nuclear threat, two polls out Tuesday find that Americans agree with President Barack Obama's approach of combining diplomacy and the threat of sanctions. | 10/07/09 17:52:24 By - Margaret Talev
Pakistan's army objects publicly to conditions on U.S. aid
Pakistan's army said Wednesday that it has "serious concern" over conditions attached to a $1.5 billion a year U.S. aid package that Congress approved last month, marking a serious rupture in relations with Washington just before a planned military operation against the Taliban and al Qaida. | 10/07/09 17:27:00 By - Saeed Shah
Afghanistan patrol shows limits of U.S. equipment, supplies
As the sky hinted at dawn, U.S. soldiers went hunting for Taliban in the Arghandab Valley. They had satellite-linked monocles to display the locations of platoons. They could summon an aerial drone to buzz overhead with a surveillance camera. They could call on Kiowa helicopters for search-and-destroy missions. On this mission, however, one of their most valuable assets was an informant: a farmer with a taste for opium. | 10/06/09 17:00:00 By - Hal Bernton
Suicide bomber kills 5 workers at U.N. building in Pakistan
The United Nations shut all its offices Monday in Pakistan after a suicide bomber managed to breach security at one of its buildings, killing five workers and wounding several others, officials and witnesses said. The bomber was thought to be disguised as a paramilitary soldier. | 10/05/09 10:49:00 By - Saeed Shah
McClatchy Guantanamo probe wins online honors
A McClatchy series about the Guantanamo Bay detention center, "Guantanamo: Beyond the Law," was declared the top investigative project among large Web sites by the Online News Association during its annual convention over the weekend in San Francisco. | 10/05/09 17:41:00 By - McClatchy Newspapers
California grand jury hands down more indictments on Laos overthrow plot
Because two men have just been charged, there will be little or no public movement for at least six months in the case accusing those two and 10 others of plotting the violent overthrow of the communist government in Laos. | 10/05/09 16:44:11 By - Denny Walsh
Iranian dissidents in Iraq transferred to remote prison
Iraqi security officials beat and forcibly transferred 36 members of an Iranian dissident group to a remote southern prison despite an Iraqi judge's orders to free them, the judge and the group's leaders said Monday. | 10/05/09 16:08:00 By - Sahar Issa
Suicide bomber kills 5 workers at U.N. building in Pakistan
A suicide bomber disguised as a paramilitary soldier breached tight security at a United Nations building in Islamabad on Monday, killing five workers and wounding several others, officials and witnesses said. All U.N. offices in Islamabad were immediately closed "till further notice." | 10/05/09 08:15:50 By - Saeed Shah
Travel between Cuba and U.S. is thriving
Legal travel to and from Cuba is booming, even though the Obama administration has not officially changed any rules regarding non-family travel to the island. From October 2008 to August 2009, 16,217 Cubans have visited the United States, up from 10,661 during the same period in 2007-08, the numbers show. | 10/05/09 07:07:52 By - Frances Robles
Samoans in Alaska work to help tsunami victims
It's been a week of agonizing phone calls and prayer for many in Alaska's Samoan community, with the estimated death toll from Tuesday's earthquake and tsunami approaching 200 people. Many are looking for ways to help the tiny island nation. Some have planned hasty trips to homeland while others are raising funds. | 10/05/09 06:47:02 By - Kyle Hopkins
For U.S. combat soldiers, new role in Iraq is frustrating
Before Army 1st Lt. Bianca Philson's first deployment to Iraq earlier this year, she trained as a battle captain, learning how to keep commanders informed of progress during fierce fights against insurgents. Philson's extensive drills included simulated urban gun battles, intelligence gathering and jamming signals to prevent the detonation of roadside bombs. Now that she's been in Iraq for five months, how much of that training is put into practice? "None," said Philson, 24. "I don't do any of that stuff." | 10/05/09 01:00:00 By - Hannah Allam
Iraqis, Americans seeking a new relationship
Advise and assist brigades are at the vanguard of a paradigm shift in the U.S. military's approach to Iraq, from a combat-focused mission to a tenuous partnership with Iraqi forces — many of whom with ties to factions that have attacked Americans. They are billed as the American future in Iraq. But that means forging a new relationship with Iraqis, and getting past suspicions on both sides. | 10/05/09 01:00:00 By - Hannah Allam
U.N. credibility in Afghanistan damaged, Karzai rival says
The top challenger in Afghanistan's disputed presidential election said Saturday that the United Nations' credibility had been damaged by a public dispute between the U.N.'s head of mission and his sacked deputy. | 10/03/09 15:40:00 By - Sarah Davison
Bomb scare forces evacuation of Iraqi parliament
A bomb scare forced the evacuation Saturday of the Iraqi parliament building after explosives-sniffing dogs alerted authorities to a possible threat an hour before lawmakers were to meet. | 10/03/09 11:37:00 By - Mohammad al Dulaimy
A call to serve: Family moves to Africa
State College, Pa., native Steve Straw says he and his family moved to the west-central African nation of Gabon last year to try to put into practice their prayer to be a blessing in everything they do. | 10/03/09 10:39:45 By - Jessica VanderKolk
For Brazil, Olympics mean the future finally has arrived
For the longest time, a joke about Brazil made the rounds in the halls of international financial organizations: Latin America's largest and most populous nation had a great future -- and always would. | 10/02/09 18:52:00 By - Kevin G. Hall
Deal may be near on Zelaya's return to Honduras presidency
An international plan to return deposed President Manuel Zelaya to power suddenly gained new life Friday after de facto President Roberto Micheletti reversed course and moved close to accepting the deal, the chief intermediary between the two sides said. | 10/02/09 18:41:00 By - Tyler Bridges
Pakistan army accused of executing Taliban suspects
Scores of badly tortured bodies have been found dumped in Pakistan's Swat valley, raising concerns that the Pakistani army is conducting a campaign of extra-judicial killings and brutality of suspected Taliban militants that could sully the army's successful campaign against them. | 10/02/09 18:36:00 By - Saeed Shah
For U.S. troops in Afghanistan, home is where they make it
When Bravo Company's 1st Platoon arrived at an abandoned Afghan homestead in early September, the American soldiers faced plenty of aggravation: scorpions, mosquitoes, fleas and unusually aggressive mice that scurried across prone bodies and complicated efforts to sleep. From early on, however, the soldiers thought the place had potential. | 10/02/09 17:25:00 By - Hal Bernton
Despite Iran progress, Obama faces a world of hard trouble
When Iran agreed Thursday to let inspectors into its previously secret nuclear plant, it appeared to be at least a small victory for the United States and the coalition trying to stop the rogue nation from getting nuclear weapons. But it was just one step on a long road with the Iranians. And it was just one spot on the globe. | 10/02/09 15:46:00 By - Steven Thomma
Israeli soldier captured 3 years ago shown alive in video
Israel on Friday released 19 Palestinian women prisoners after it received a two-minute videotape of kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit holding an Arabic language newspaper dated Sept. 14, 2009 — proof that Shalit is still alive three years after his capture. | 10/02/09 00:14:00 By - Cliff Churgin
GAO report indicates Cuba sanctions are difficult to ease
A U.S. president has limited ways to ease the embargo on Cuba — unless he or she certifies that Havana is moving toward democracy or Congress overturns U.S. laws on the sanctions, according to a report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office. | 10/02/09 07:14:42 By - Juan O. Tamayo
Task force created to combat al Qaida in Afghan prisons
The Obama administration took steps Thursday to confront a troubling al Qaida presence in Afghanistan's prison system, announcing the creation of a military task force to oversee detention operations there and naming a prominent military lawyer to be its deputy commander. The Afghan prisons, including a U.S-operated detention center at Bagram Air Base, help create future insurgents, McChrystal said. | 10/01/09 20:35:00 By - Mark Seibel
Maliki unveils new national, nonsectarian Iraqi party
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki on Thursday unveiled his alliance for parliamentary elections in January, billing the ticket as a national, nonsectarian force to challenge a rival Shiite Muslim slate that has broader support among the country's religious authorities. | 10/01/09 17:08:00 By - Mohammad al Dulaimy
Iran agrees to ship enriched uranium to Russia for refinement
The agreement in principle would ensure that Iran's uranium could not be used for nuclear weapons. Iran also pledged that it would allow inspection, within weeks, of a previously covert uranium enrichment facility near the holy city of Qom, and the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohamed ElBaradei, announced he will head to Tehran to work out the details. | 10/01/09 11:05:00 By - Warren P. Strobel and Margaret Talev
Mexican drug cartels might target U.S. businesses
American interests could become targets of Mexico's drug cartels as Washington deepens its involvement in the war against drugs south of the border, according to Kroll Associates — a leading global intelligence and security corporation. | 10/01/09 07:10:39 By - Alejandra Labanca
Envoy says his firing will hurt U.N. mission in Afghanistan
A former U.S. ambassador said that his firing Wednesday as the deputy United Nations envoy to Afghanistan in a dispute over the country's fraud-tainted presidential election was a "mistake" that could erode Afghans' confidence in the U.N. and the election. | 09/30/09 21:13:00 By - Jonathan S. Landay
How Chavez may have spoiled ousted Honduran leader's return
An accidental betrayal by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez may have forced the ousted leader of this Central American nation to seek refuge in the Brazilian embassy here on Sept. 21 as world leaders gathered in New York for a United Nations General Assembly meeting. | 09/30/09 20:32:00 By - Kevin G. Hall and Tyler Bridges
In Pakistan's Swat valley, volunteers form anti-Taliban militias
With government support, thousands of armed volunteers have banded together to form traditional militias against the Taliban in Pakistan's Swat valley, which the army recently wrested back from the hands of extremists. | 09/30/09 18:45:00 By - Saeed Shah
U.S. troops call Afghan region 'Vietnam without napalm'
The men of Bravo Company have a bitter description for the irrigated swath of land along the Arghandab River where 10 members of their battalion have been killed and 30 have been wounded since the beginning of August. | 09/30/09 18:17:00 By - Hal Bernton
Chances are slim for breakthrough at Iran nuclear talks
Iran and six other nations will hold their first talks in 14 months Thursday in Geneva, but despite the participation of a senior U.S. diplomat, chances for a quick breakthrough appear bleak, especially after last week's revelation of a previously covert Iranian nuclear facility. It will be the first face-to-face talks with the Iranians for the Obama administration. | 09/30/09 17:50:00 By - Warren P. Strobel and Margaret Talev
EU finds Georgia started war, but Russia allowed atrocities
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili was unjustified when he ordered a military incursion into breakaway South Ossetia last year, a European Union-commissioned report released Wednesday concludes. But Russia's untrue claims that Georgia had killed 2,000 civilians in its initial assault gave South Ossetian militias operating behind Russian lines an excuse to torture and execute Georgian prisoners amid a campaign of looting, burning and kidnapping, the report found. | 09/30/09 14:47:19 By - Tom Lasseter
Judge's order to release Kuwaiti detainee puts Obama in a bind
A year ago, an Air Force prosecutor swore out charges of conspiracy and providing material support to a terrorist organization against Fouad al Rabia, a 50-year-old Kuwaiti aviation engineer who was seized by U.S. forces in Afghanistan nearly eight years ago. Now a U.S. district court judge in Washington has ordered him released from the Guantanamo military prison, saying the government has presented no evidence of his guilt. | 09/30/09 10:34:00 By - Carol Rosenberg
'Keister bomb' probably won't become a new terror tactic
Al-Qaida's new method of delivering a deadly payload — in effect a plastic explosive suppository — would make security experts nervous, you might think. It is not easily spotted by conventional detectors. But it does have some who know their explosives busting a gut. | 09/30/09 07:21:17 By - Rick Montgomery
Costa Rica's Arias condemns Honduras' crackdown
Condemning the Honduran coup as a throwback to Latin America's ugly history, Costa Rican President Oscar Arias said Tuesday that the country can't have free and fair elections until its de facto government lifts a repressive decree that silenced opposition media and forbade public gatherings. | 09/30/09 07:11:20 By - Frances Robles
Recent Homepage Headlines
loading...
BLOG
Inside Iraq
Written by Iraqi journalists working for McClatchy in Baghdad and outlying provinces.
