Swat Valley Population Turns to Taliban-Run Courts

Pakistani Prime Minister Yousef Raza Gilani declares the Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP)'s sharia-based court system in the Swat Valley "not acceptable," but indications are that there is little the Pakistani government is able to do about the TTP's growing influence...

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Kadima Tries Hawkish Route as Elections Loom

Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni lauded the war in the Gaza Strip today during a meeting with US ambassador James Cunningham, saying it "created a strategic change in the status of Hamas" and "can serve as a stimulus for the new [Obama] Administration and the...

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Russia Plans Abkhaz Naval Base

Abkhaz President Sergei Bagapsh says that his government has agreed in principle to allow Russia to create a naval base at their Black Sea port at Ochamchira. The construction of the base is expected to begin sometime later this year. The move will likely shore up the...

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Military Rabbi Urged Troops to Show No Mercy in Gaza

Israeli human rights group Yesh Din is calling for the ouster of the military's top rabbi, Brigadier General Avichai Rontzki over his messages to soldiers during the 22-day military offensive in the Gaza Strip. The primary concern was a booklet which, among other...

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Blockade Stalls Gaza Reconstruction

The fragile truce in the Gaza Strip continues to endure. The Israeli invasion force has left... the bodies have largely been recovered from the rubble that used to be the cities and refugee camps of Gaza. This is the time when a war torn nation would begin its...

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Israel, Hamas Argue Over Opening Border Crossings

Notwithstanding a handful of incidents, the truce in the Gaza Strip appears to be holding, and while the Israeli government and Hamas still aren't talking to one another, the Cairo talks continue, aiming to work out a longer-term ceasefire between the two sides. Among...

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Biden Warns of Higher US Death Toll in Afghanistan

As the Obama Administration looks to escalate the war in Afghanistan by doubling the number of American forces on the ground, Vice President Joe Biden concedes that Americans should expect a higher death toll this year than in years past. "I hate to say it, but yes, I...

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Biden Indicates US Attacks in Pakistan Will Continue

Answering questions about US policy with respect to its ongoing attacks in Pakistan, Vice President Joe Biden pointed reporters to President Obama's comments during the campaign that "if there is an actionable target, of a high-level Al-Qaeda personnel, that he would...

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