'Iran Preparing Graves for Its Enemies'
A senior Iranian commander on Sunday said his country would prepare 320,000 graves to accommodate its slain enemies in the event of an attack on the country. The remark was a veiled warning amid increasing tensions over Tehran's controversial nuclear activities. Read
Japan Mulls US Decision to Strike North Korea From Terror List
Plans to remove North Korea from a U.S. list of terror-sponsors as the latest step in a denuclearization process are reverberating in Japan, where many feel the move is premature. Read
Views Differ Over US Shift on North Korea
The Bush administration's decision to ease trade sanctions on North Korea and start a 45-day process of removing Pyongyang from a list of terror-sponsors has drawn fire from conservatives and praise from quarters usually critical of the president's foreign policies. Read
Zimbabwe Election Will be Illegitimate, African Neighbors Say
Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai gave President Robert Mugabe a final offer to negotiate on Thursday, one day before a widely condemned runoff election. The offer comes amid mounting international pressure and with former allies deserting the autocratic Mugabe. Read
Bishops Plan to Shun Key Conference
A growing number of Anglican bishops -- one-third by some accounts -- are planning to stay away from the denomination's once-in-a-decade Lambeth Conference, reflecting the depth of division over biblical teaching on homosexuality. Read
EU Reversal on Cuba Sanctions Spotlights US Position
The European Union's decision to lift diplomatic sanctions against the Castro regime may increase pressure on the United States, and draw fresh attention to the U.S. presidential candidates' positions on Cuba. Read
UN Faces Clash Over Iran's Security Council Bid
Two weeks before Americans go to the polls in the fall, an election at the United Nations will pose a challenge to the outgoing Bush administration and possibly to its successor as well. Read
Islamic Bloc Passes Up Criticism of Sudan, Again
The world's Islamic nations have ended a conference without condemning the Sudanese government's actions in Darfur despite growing calls from Arab human rights groups for the Islamic bloc to "end its silence" over a conflict affecting millions of Muslims. Read
Islamic Nations Eye UN Security Council Seats
Islamic nations should be represented in an expanded U.N. Security Council "in proportion to their membership of the United Nations," according to foreign ministers of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). Read
Islamic Nations Want Divisive Issues on the Agenda at UN Racism Conference
Despite the controversy surrounding a United Nations conference on racism being planned for next year, Islamic governments are reaffirming their intention to press for the inclusion of such divisive issues as "foreign occupation" and criticism of Islam. Read
Anglican Unity Strained As Conservatives Prepare for Key Conference
Conservative Anglican leaders from around the world are preparing for a gathering to discuss the way ahead amid a deepening rift over homosexuality, just days after news broke about the "wedding" of two male Anglican priests in Britain. Read
Pakistan Rejects Karzai Threats to Hit Back Across Border
Amid deteriorating relations between putative war-on-terror allies Afghanistan and Pakistan, Islamabad on Monday summoned its neighbor's ambassador to protest a weekend threat by Afghan President Hamid Karzai to strike back at terrorists who mount cross-border attacks from Pakistani soil. Read
McCain Raises Hopes of Security Council Aspirants
Uphill bids by Brazil and India to win permanent seats on an enlarged United Nations Security Council may get a boost if Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) becomes the next American president. Read
Pashtun Paramilitaries' Role in Border Security Spotlighted
Amid continuing political fallout from a deadly clash along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border this week, questions about the role and reliability of Pakistan's paramilitary Frontier Corps is drawing fresh attention. Read
Exiled Leader Urges Calm During Tibet Leg of Olympic Torch Relay
The Dalai Lama urged Tibetans Thursday not to disrupt the Olympic torch relay when it traverses their Chinese-ruled homeland in the coming days. Read
Wanted Iranians End Visit to Saudi Arabia
Two top Iranian politicians wanted by Argentina in connection with that country's deadliest terror attack have ended a visit to Saudi Arabia, and their hosts made no attempt to detain them. Read
North Korea Pushes for Removal from Terror List
The United States and South Korea have welcomed a North Korean statement pledging to oppose terrorism and nuclear proliferation. Read
More Scientists Consider Embryo-Free Stem Cells
Some of Australia's leading bio-scientists are taking a closer look at a new, ethically acceptable stem cell research route that avoids the use of human embryos in the search for possible cures for degenerative diseases. Read
Bush Trip Highlights Transatlantic Ties as Crucial EU Vote Looms
As President Bush pays his last state visit to Europe, Irish voters are preparing for a crucial referendum on a new European Union treaty that some critics warn could harm the transatlantic relationship. Read
Iranian Terror Suspects Travel Freely to Saudi Arabia
Seven months after Interpol placed a former head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards on its most-wanted list, the fugitive suspected of state-sponsored terrorism last week traveled freely to Saudi Arabia, where he attended a religious conference hosted by King Abdullah. Read
UN Human Rights Council Under Fire From Newspaper Body
A campaign by Islamic states to use the U.N. Human Rights Council as a tool to limit free expression when Islam is criticized is drawing fresh condemnation. Read
Ahmadinejad Invites Japan to Prepare for a World Without the US
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been making headlines during his first visit to Western Europe as Iran's president by attacking the United States and Israel, but he also is trying to use the opportunity to show that he's not as isolated as his opponents would wish. Read
Australia May Lift Restrictions on Abortion-Related Aid
The Australian government is considering lifting abortion-related restrictions on overseas development aid, drawing warnings of a possible backlash by churches. Read
US Navy Ships Prepare to Withdraw After Burma Aid Offers Spurned
The U.S. Navy will withdraw four ships that have been standing by off the coast of Burma, after waiting for three weeks for permission from the ruling junta to deliver aid to the parts of the country that were hardest hit by the cyclone. Read
Pakistan Gov't Wants to Move All Embassies into Enclave
Pakistan's government is considering moving all embassies in Islamabad into a heavily secured diplomatic enclave, following Monday's deadly bombing at the Danish Embassy. Read
Chinese Mourn Lost Children
China on Sunday marked Children's Day, a painful reminder of the thousands of children killed in the recent earthquake, including an estimated 7,000 who were the only children in their families because of Beijing's population control policies. Read
Australia Ends Combat Role in Iraq
Australia has ended its combat role in Iraq, in line with an election pledge made by the now governing center-left Labor Party to end the country's commitment there. Read