EU Gives Turkey Go-Ahead to Begin Membership Talks

By Roger Wilkison The European Commission has given Turkey the go-ahead to begin talks to join the European Union, but set a series of tough conditions and warned that there is no guarantee the negoti

UN and Congo Militias Clash, Highlighting

By David Lewis U.N. peacekeepers and militiamen clashed Sunday in war-torn northeastern Congo's Ituri district. Two militiamen were killed and two peacekeepers were wounded during the two-hour battle.

African Union Meets to Discuss Rwanda-Congo Tensions

By Cathy Majtenyi Foreign ministers gathered for the African Union's Peace and Security Council meeting in Addis Ababa are examining the deteriorating relations between Rwanda and the Democratic Repub

Somalia Expected to Contribute to African Peacekeepers

By Cathy Majtenyi A spokesman for the former, but little-recognized, Somali government is confident Somalia's new government will uphold a pledge of troops and equipment to the African Union's standby

US Welcomes Prospect of Arab Peacekeepers in Iraq

By David Gollust The Bush administration has been working hard to try to enlist Muslim, and especially Arab, countries to join in Iraq peacekeeping operations. Although neither Jordan nor Yemen has ma

Turkish Leader Faces Crucial EU Talks

Roger Wilkison Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan faces strong pressure from the European Commission during talks Thursday in Brussels to overhaul his country's penal code without including a

Russian-Born Millionaire Wins Lithuania Ballot

By Stefan Bos Lithuanian election officials say a party led by a Russian-born millionaire has won the initial round of the country's first parliamentary ballot since it joined the European Union and N

Authorities Still Searching for Terrorist Suspect Zarqawi

By Ursula Lindsey Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has been identified as an al-Qaida-linked operative and a lead suspect in many of the worse acts of terror in Iraq this year. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi grew up in the

Zimbabwe Drafting New Election Laws

By Peta Thornycroft Early next week, election officials from the Southern African Development Community meet in Zimbabwe's Victoria Falls to put final touches on new principles for elections in the re

Powell Heads US Cabinet Delegation for Talks in Mexico

By David Gollust Secretary of State Colin Powell flies to Mexico City later Monday as head of a Bush administration Cabinet delegation for meetings of the U.S.-Mexico Binational Commission. It will be

Blair Suggests British Public Should Prepare

By Michael Drudge British Prime Minister Tony Blair's declaration that

US Welcomes End of Najaf Standoff, Criticizes Syria's Role i

By David Gollust U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage is welcoming Friday's end of the three-week occupation of the Imam Ali Shrine in Najaf by Shi'ite militiamen as a great victory for Ira

Libyan Role in Saudi Plot Impedes Progress Toward Full Relat

By David Gollust Secretary of State Colin Powell said Friday that Libya's alleged role in a plot against Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Abdullah remains an obstacle to further normalization of U.S.-Libya

US Inspector Concludes Iraq Had No Banned Weapons Before US-

By Deborah Tate Chief U.S. weapons inspector Charles Duelfer says Iraq had no stockpiles of biological, chemical or nuclear weapons before last year's U.S.-led invasion. The Bush administration cited

Barroso Starting Search for New EU Commission

By Sabina Castelfranco Incoming European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has begun consultations with the European Union (EU) governments in an effort to resolve the crisis over his proposed

Two Candidates Drop Out of Afghan Presidential Race

By Michael Kitchen In a surprise move on the eve of Afghanistan's first-ever presidential election, two candidates say they are withdrawing from the race and throwing their support behind current tran

US Lawmakers Request More Security in Afghanistan

By Dan Robinson U.S Lawmakers have expressed renewed concern about the security situation in Afghanistan, saying more must be done to safeguard the Afghan people so they can go to the polls on October

Egyptians Criticize Government's Decision to Unify Call to P

By Ursula Lindsey The Egyptian government has announced plans to unify the call to prayer that is broadcast from thousands of different loudspeakers in the country's capital. The idea has been critici

Public Service Workers Strike in South Africa

By Delia Robertson A one-day nationwide strike of civil service workers in South Africa has brought education to a standstill and affected many other state agencies. Tens of thousands of civil service

Bethlehem Residents Gloomy About Israel's Security Wall

By Laurie Kassman The security wall Israel is building aims to protect its citizens from Palestinian suicide bombers and other terrorists coming from the West Bank and Gaza. The wall soon will restric