IRAQ

Iraq passes key election law

The Iraqi parliament finally approved a much-debated election law, paving the way for national elections in January.

AFGHANISTAN

8 linked to attack on U.N. in Afghanistan arrested

Eight people, including an imam, are in custody after last week's attack on a guest house used by U.N. workers in Kabul.

IRAQ

Iraqis struggle over plans for election

Kirkuk appeared to be the main sticking point as Iraqi lawmakers tried to finalize plans for the national election they hope to hold in January.

IRAQ

Al Qaeda offshoot claims bombings that killed 155 in Baghdad

Al Qaeda in Iraq claimed that it was behind the two truck bombings that killed 155 people Sunday.

PAKISTAN

Pakistani troops capture Taliban stronghold

Pakistani military secured control over Kotkai, a Taliban stronghold, as part of a U.S.-backed offensive.

PAKISTAN

Suicide bomber attacks suspected nuclear weapons site in Pakistan

A suicide bomber struck a suspected site of nuclear weapons amid a wave of terrorist violence that has coincided with the launch of a U.S.-backed ground operation.

IRAQ

Iraqi parliament deadlocked over election law

Iraqi lawmakers are at an impasse over how January's scheduled parliamentary elections should be conducted in the oil-rich northern Kirkuk province.

BAHAMAS

Travolta case goes to jury

(AP) -- A jury began deliberations Wednesday in the trial of two people accused of trying to blackmail John Travolta following the death of the actor's son in the Bahamas.

PAKISTAN

Pakistani Taliban recapture leader's birthplace

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DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan -- Taliban guerrillas recaptured the birthplace of the Pakistani Taliban leader from the Pakistani army Tuesday, inflicting the heaviest military losses so far in Pakistan's high-stakes offensive in South Waziristan, a refuge for Pakistani extremists, Afghan insurgents and al Qaeda.

GUANTANAMO BAY

Supreme Court agrees to consider Guantánamo Uighurs case

The decision on whether or not Chinese Uighurs imprisoned at the Guantánamo prison camps can be released into the U.S. is now up to the Supreme Court.

AFGHANISTAN

Karzai expected to accept new vote tally; runoff appears likely

Afghan President Hamid Karzai is expected to accept results of an election fraud audit that would trigger a runoff. But prospects of Karzai agreeing to a unity government were unclear.

AFGHANISTAN

Karzai feeling election pressure

The United States and other powers struggled Saturday to persuade Afghan President Hamid Karzai to accept a deal to resolve the dispute over the country's tainted presidential election and avert a political crisis that could spark civil unrest and jeopardize the U.S.-led fight against the Taliban-led insurgency.

IRAQ

Baghdad attacks kill eight

Attacks on a Shiite neighborhood left eight people dead and more than a dozen injured.

NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION

Russia: No to Iran sanctions

If Hillary Clinton was hoping to win Russian support for efforts to use a threat of sanctions to pressure Iran to come clean about its nuclear ambitions, her first trip to Moscow as secretary of state got off to a rocky start Tuesday.

IRAN'S NUCLEAR PROGRAM

Clinton to press Russia on sanctions for Iran

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton aims to seek tangible signs of support from Russian leaders if Iran fails to fulfill its nuclear obligations.

PAKISTAN

4th attack in week kills 41

The latest Taliban attack, apparently carried out by a pre-teen, was a suicide car bombing that claimed 41 lives at the edge of Pakistan's Swat valley.

AFGHANISTAN ELECTIONS

Vote inspector quits, cites `interference'

A member of the panel investigating the widespread allegations of fraud in Afghanistan's Aug. 20 presidential election resigned Monday and charged that United Nations officials have interfered in the probe, a possible indication that Afghan President Hamid Karzai may be forced into a runoff against his former foreign minister.

IRAQ

In Iraq, coordinated bombings kill 23

Coordinated attacks in Ramadi, Iraq, are the latest sign of a campaign to thwart Anbar security forces and the political process.

Anti-war activist's works banned at prison camps

Professor Noam Chomsky may be among America's most enduring anti-war activists. But the leftist intellectual's anthology of post 9/11 commentary is taboo at Guantánamo's prison camp library.