The Lebanese presidential election was postponed for the seventh time last Friday as the majority and minority faction leaders in the country’s parliament were again unable to reach a consensus. The election has become an intense football match in which each side is playing defensively in order to avoid losing.

The State Department says U.S. and Iranian officials will meet next week in Baghdad to discuss Iraq security issues. U.S. officials say attacks in Iraq thought to be Iranian-supported have declined in recent weeks.

Ramallah – Ma’an – Khalid Mash’al, head of the Hamas politburo, has said that Hamas is ready to form a central government in the West Bank and Gaza Strip as a gesture to resume negotiations between Hamas and Fatah.

KIEV (Reuters) – Yulia Tymoshenko, a leading force in Ukraine’s 2004 “Orange Revolution”, narrowly failed to win parliament’s backing to restore her as prime minister on Tuesday and accused her rivals of cheating.

KABUL (Reuters) – Afghan and NATO forces seized the Taliban stronghold of Musa Qala on Tuesday, a symbolic victory for the Afghan government and its Western backers, but one which may do little to stop the insurgents from carrying out attacks.

ARLINGTON, Va. (12/11/2007) – Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. Such is the philosophy behind the Army National Guard’s use of an all-Soldier team of agricultural experts to improve agri-business in Afghanistan.

BELGRADE (Reuters) – Serb Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica warned the European Union on Tuesday that sending a supervisory mission to the breakaway province of Kosovo could damage relations with Serbia.

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia will not start a new arms race when it freezes compliance with a Cold War arms treaty on Wednesday but it does want to send a clear message it is not happy about NATO’s eastward expansion.

RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) – Palestinians will attend peace talks this week despite a plan by Israel to build new homes on occupied land, but will focus on demanding a settlement freeze, senior Palestinian officials said on Tuesday.

RIYADH (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia on Tuesday condemned Israel for restarting settlement activity after a promise to stop building on occupied land helped persuade Riyadh to attend U.S.-brokered peace talks in Annapolis last month.