Iran and Russia signed a deal Feb. 27 to get the Bushehr nuclear reactor, Iran’s first, up and running. Under the deal, Russia agrees to supply fuel, and Iran agrees to have the spent returned to Russia so that it… Read moreIran and Russia sign nuke deal
Thousands of protesters defied a ban on public gatherings in downtown Beirut as Lebanon’s pariliament began a firey debate on who was responsibile for the Feb. 14 car-bomb assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri. Demanding the government resign, protesters… Read moreThousands protest in Beirut
Israel’s Prime Minister Ariel Sharon implicated Syria in the Feb. 25 suicide bombing of a Tel Aviv nightclub that left four dead, after the group Islamic Jihad, which maintains a Damascus office, claimed responsibility. "The terrorist attack was perpetrated by… Read moreIsrael blames Syria in suicide blast
Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, the top US military commander, said Feb. 25 that the country must be prepared for a decade of war in Iraq, judging by the examples of history. "This is not the kind of business that… Read moreIraq: generals see long war
The US military claims it has taken into custody Sabawi Ibrahim Hassan, half-brother of Saddam Hussein and a supposed key figure in the insurgency. Iraqi officials told the AP that Hassan had been captured by Syrian authorities in the northeast… Read moreIraq: Saddam half-brother captured
At least 22, including both rebels and government troops, are dead in fresh fighting with presumed Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan. The bloodiest clash was in Helmand province, where troops were ambushed on night patrol. "Our mujahideen killed the soldiers in… Read moreRenewed violence in Afghanistan
Dionisio Ribeiro Filho, 59, was shot in the head at the entrance to the Tingua forest reserve, just outside Rio de Janeiro, after he defended it from poachers and illegal palm tree cutters. His death followed the Feb. 12 killing… Read moreAnother forest defender killed in Brazil
The latest witness in the high-profile case of a Yemeni sheikh being heard in a Brooklyn federal courtroom was a New York Univeristy linguist. The scholar, Bernard Haykel, was called in to translate the word "jihad," which is repeatedly referenced… Read moreNYC terror trial turns on linguistics
On Feb. 24, Baghdad’s al-Iraqiya TV—the US-funded government station—broadcast a "confession" by a supposed Syrian intelligence officer that his country’s secret service had been assisting the Iraqi rebels. ”My name is Anas Ahmed al-Essa. I live in Halab. I am… Read moreSyria behind Iraq rebels?
Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin announced yesterday that his country will not participate in the missile defense system that the US hopes to build for North America. "This is our airspace, we’re a sovereign nation and you don’t intrude on… Read moreCanada withdraws from “Star Wars,” forfeits “sovereignty”
Conscientious Objector Sgt. Camilo Mejia has been released from military prison after serving a nine-month sentence for refusing to return to fight in Iraq. The 28-year sergeant applied for objector status after witnessing the killing of civilians and the abuse… Read moreIraq war conscientious objector released
The crisis in Nepal has disappeared from the headlines since King Gyanendra suspended civil government in an "auto-coup" Feb. 1, but he continues to tighten dictatorial rule in the Himalayan kingdom. For the first weeks after the coup, newspapers ran… Read moreNepal: screw tightens
