A key endorsement from Avigdor Lieberman this morning is likely to secure Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party the first opportunity to form the next Israeli government. The 15 seats of Yisrael Beiteinu will bring the total of supporters of Netanyahu's position up to 65...
Afghans Say 13 Civilians Killed in US-Led Strike
Afghan authorities confirmed today that at least 13 civilians, including six women and two children, were killed in a US missile strike near Herat. The US said the strike targeted a "key insurgent commander." Military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Rick Helmer said in a...
Maliki Challenged in Speaker Vote Runoff
It has been over two months since Iraqi parliamentary speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani angrily resigned his post, and it looks like after considerable infighting and several failed attempts the parliament is finally poised to select his replacement... a replacement that...
Fireworks Expected as Israeli President Begins Coalition Talks
Israeli President Shimon Peres today began a series of talks with the leaders of the nations various political parties, and will in the next few days determine which party gets the first opportunity to attempt to form a coalition government. Though the post-election...
Gen. McKiernan: NATO, Taliban ‘Stalemated’ in Afghanistan
Hot on the heals of the announcement that President Barack Obama had approved adding 17,000 more US troops to the war in Afghanistan, top US commander in Afghanistan General David McKiernan conceded that the level of violence in the nation was increasing and expressed...
Pakistan ‘Privately’ Backing US Drone Attacks
There has been plenty of talk over the past several months that the Pakistani government had come to some sort of secret understanding with the United States about its continued use of Predator drones to launch attacks on Pakistani soil. But with the Pakistani...
Likud Threatens to Cut Lieberman Out of Next Govt
Israeli President Shimon Peres will begin talks with political parties tomorrow as the first stage of making his decision which party to charge with attempting to form a coalition government. The most interesting meeting however will be on Thursday morning, when Peres...
Courting Lieberman May Cost Livni Support
While the Kadima Party ended up finishing first in last week's election, their path to forming a coalition appears to be a rocky one, and even as the rival Likud Party's own bloc falters Kadima seems to have struggled to hold on to what little support they had. Though...
UN Report on Afghan Civilian Toll Contradicts NATO Claims
Today, the United Nations released a report detailing the civilian death toll in Afghanistan in 2008. According to the report, 2,118 civilians were killed in 2008 - 828 by the American-led coalition forces. Most of those were, unsurprisingly, killed in the various air...
NATO ‘Concerned’ Over Pakistan Truce
The truce agreement that aims to bring peace to the restive Swat Valley in return for the implementation of Islamic law has been popular among those who it directly effects. The militant factions in the area have been pushing for this for a long time, and the civilian...