CONFLICT IN IRAQ

Assassinations supplant mass bombings in Iraq as political season heats up

As the Iraqi election cycle nears, highly targeted and sophisticated political assassinations are supplanting car bombs that kill dozens at a time.

IRAQ

Iraq elections likely coming in early 2009

Iraqi leaders met a U.S. progress benchmark by approving a law that makes Jan. 31 the deadline for holding provincial elections -- but delays are expected.

WASHINGTON

Defense budget may take hit

The financial crisis could force legislators and the next U.S. president to make tough decisions on military priorities.

Federal judge orders release, transfer to U.S. of 17 detainees

A federal judge has ordered the release and transfer to the U.S. of 17 China-born Guantánamo detainees.

CAMPAIGN 2008

Kenya arrests, deports author of book slamming Obama

Jerome Corsi, the controversial author of a much-criticized book slamming Sen. Barack Obama, was detained in Kenya on Tuesday for an immigration violation as he arrived for a press conference to promote his book.

PAKISTAN

Suicide blast kills 18 at Pakistan official's home

A fatal attack at a Pakistani opposition lawmaker's home could signal a broadening of extremists' violence.

Ex-detainee dines with Saudi king

Abdul Salam Zaeef, a top Taliban envoy, had a meeting in Saudi Arabia with Saudi King Abdullah.

IRAQ

Death banners in Iraq are a measure of security

Banners placed in public places are used to announce the deaths of ordinary Iraqis.

GEORGIA

Opposition accuses Georgia president of human rights abuses

A large group of influential Georgian opposition leaders has mounted a blistering political campaign against U.S.-backed President Mikheil Saakashvili, accusing his government of running an autocratic regime that tramples human rights and stifles democracy.

AFGHANISTAN

U.S. commander: Afghan situation could get worse

There are growing concerns among U.S. defense officials over how the U.S. military can sustain troop levels in Iraq and also address the worsening violence in Afghanistan.

IRAQ

Iraq's Sunni militias in a precarious position

The Sons of Iraq worry that transitioning them into the Iraqi government's security forces is a ploy to detain and disband them.

FEDERAL COURT

Prosecutors: Son of ex-Liberian leader beat, beheaded foes

During opening statements, federal prosecutors accused Charles ''Chuckie'' Taylor Jr. of torturing the opponents of his father's regime in Liberia.

ISRAEL

Olmert: If Israel wants peace, it must withdraw from occupied lands

Retiring Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Israel must give up land in the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Golan Heights if it has any hopes for peace.

ARMED FORCES

Pentagon's Africa Command met with skepticism

Critics suspect the unit's organization might signal a shift in mission to anti-terrorism operations.

CONFLICT IN IRAQ

Bloodshed continues as explosions rock Baghdad

A series of blasts in Baghdad killed at least 33 shopping for the upcoming holiday Eid al-Fitr.

Not just a prison, the Navy sees many uses for Guantánamo

No matter what happens to America's offshore military prison, this much is clear: This Navy base will remain open for years to come, and so probably will the McDonald's, the Taco Bell and the golf course.

Once sleepy Navy base could return to oblivion

This was a sleepy Navy outpost before the U.S. began using it to hold prisoners in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks -- and it may soon become one again.

Bhutto is buried as unrest kills at least 23

Hundreds of thousands of mourners, weeping and chanting for justice, thronged the mausoleum of Pakistan's most famous political dynasty in a raw outpouring of grief for Benazir Bhutto.

Iraq tally: Bombs up, fewer dead

Two weeks into the newest Baghdad security plan, the daily count of murder victims dumped on the city's streets has declined significantly, a likely sign that Shiite Muslim militia groups aligned with the Iraqi government have reined in their members or sent them out of the capital.