In a stunning turnaround, Afghanistan is now a more dangerous place for U.S. troops than Iraq. The death rate for U.S. troops in Afghanistan is now nearly twice the rate for those in Iraq, according to an analysis by ABC News.

THE man who devised the Bush administration’s Iraq troop surge has urged the US to consider sending elite troops to Pakistan to seize its nuclear weapons if the country descends into chaos.

According to source from Chechnya with the reference to the commander of Urus-Martan sector of Armed Forces of the Caucasus Emirate Amir Abdul-Malik, a fierce firefight took place between Chechen Mujahideen and Russian kafirs (infidels) and Chechen murtads (apostates) on November 26 in the district of the village of Horsenoi.

The European Court of Human Rights on Thursday found Russia responsible for the death of three Chechens during an armed raid in the restive province’s capital, and ordered Moscow to pay their relative €60,000 (US,428) in damages.

Amnesty International said on Wednesday Russian authorities were arresting and harassing critics such as opposition leader Garry Kasparov to silence them in the run-up to the December 2 parliamentary elections.

Former world chess champion Anatoly Karpov was turned away when he tried to visit and offer moral support to his old rival, Garry Kasparov, currently in detention for his role in an anti-Kremlin protest Saturday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has told foreign diplomats that his country is on a clear democratic path with human rights and freedom as priorities. Putin addressed about 200 ambassadors in the first such meeting of his presidency.

Скандал вокруг открытого письма двух заинтересованных актеров-державников Никиты Михалкова и Зураба Церетели к президенту Путину с призывом остаться на третий срок набирает обороты, сообщает ЭХО Москвы. Ряд деятелей культуры выступили со своим письмом. В нем они напротив призывают главу российского государства не нарушать конституцию РФ.

Предстоящие парламентские выборы в России интересуют граждан меньше, чем планы Путина.

Вашингтон заблокирует любую попытку Москвы ограничить возможности ОБСЕ по мониторингу выборных процессов, заявил заместитель госсекретаря США Николас Бернс.