Rove to quit White House
Karl Rove, a chief Republican strategist known within the confines of the White House as "The Architect", is set to quit his role within the Bush administration. Rove cited family reasons for his decision to leave the post, but analysts suspect that the integral part he played in planning and supporting the Iraq war has alienated him from a disillusioned Republican party.
To receive our daily security briefings, click hereWriting in The Nation, Katha Pollitt is bemused that while so many hawks have now accepted their fault in backing the invasion of Iraq, no credit is being given to those who opposed the war in the first place.
Iran and its neighbours
Iran's gas pipeline into Armenia has provided residents of the southern part of the country a glimpse of the dynamism of the 21st century globalised world, as opposed to the reminders of the Soviet ear in Russia's abiding presence in the south Caucasus.
Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad travels to Afghanistan tomorrow to meet his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai in bilateral talks that will focus on security matters.
Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf addressed a peace jirga in Afghanistan as part of attempts to turn "tribal" groups along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border against the Taliban.
America protected?
The Plural Politics blog skewers the controversial Protect America Act, which grants unprecedented rights of surveillance and spying to domestic security forces. Read the full act on the Council on Foreign Relations website.
Atrocities in January war
A new Human Rights Watch report accuses both Ethiopian forces and those of the deposed Islamic Courts Union in Somalia of committing grievous war crimes during and since the January war. Abuses include the use of human shields, summary executions, and indiscriminate aerial bombardment.
Turkey's wall of fear
Writing in Miliyet, Hasan Cemal wonders when Turkey will overcome its "wall of fear" and mistrust of the AK Party, and accept its efforts to steer a progressive course for the predominantly Muslim nation.
Secessionist violence wracks India
A bomb blast in the Kashmiri market town of Bandipora killed two people and injured fourteen.
In the restive northeastern state of Assam, six Hindi-speaking migrants to the state were killed by separatist rebels.
Yemen captures tourist attack suspects
Security forces in Yemen's southeast claimed to have detained militants responsible for an attack that killed eight Spanish tourists last month.
Fatah deny chatting with Hamas
Even though Hamas officials claim to have entered into unofficial talks with representatives of Fatah, Fatah officials flatly denied any such communication with Hamas, as the Palestinian physical and political landscape remains split between the two sides.
US military chases ghosts
American forces have launched a new offensive against insurgents in the country. The operation, dubbed "Phantom Strike", is aimed at "al-Qaida" and "Iran-backed extremists".
