Middle Orient

NAJAF — Najaf, home to the golden domed shrine of the Imam Ali, is Iraq’s holiest Shiite city and has long lived off a constant flow of pilgrims. Now, with Iraq engulfed in a vicious sectarian war

BEIRUT — Lebanese opposition protesters led by Shiite group Hizbollah are digging in for the winter and vowing not to quit their central Beirut encampment until the Western-backed government falls.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) — US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Friday she would ask the US Congress for tens of millions of dollars to strengthen the security forces of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

GAZA CITY (AFP) — The embattled Gaza Strip breathed a sigh of relief Thursday as a truce between rival Palestinian factions took hold and President Mahmoud Abbas urged all sides to consolidate the ceasefire. No clashes between Abbas’ Fateh Party and the ruling Hamas movement have been reported since early …

A SUICIDE BOMBER killed 15 police officers and recruits in central Baghdad on Thursday as US Defence Secretary Robert Gates met Iraqi leaders in an bid to draw up a new plan to end the war. The latest brutal attack on Iraq’s beleaguered security forces came as Gates met Prime …

WASHINGTON — Twelve months ago, President George W. Bush warned Americans there would be new sacrifices in Iraq, but called for optimism. On the eve of 2007, Bush seems to have sacrificed that hope. Gone is the talk of Iraq becoming a beacon of democracy in the Middle East. Bush …

DAMASCUS  (AP) — Syrian President Bashar Assad on Thursday gave his full support to Arab League mediation to end the long-running political crisis in neighbouring Lebanon, the head of the Arab League said. “We are moving toward reaching a Lebanese reconciliation,” said Arab League Secretary General Amr Musa after meeting …

BEIRUT (AP) — Police on Thursday arrested four people and seized large quantities of weapons, explosives and fuses in raids on members of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party. The party leader, Ali Kanso, condemned the police action, telling a press conference hours afterward that it was unjustified and that the …

STOCKHOLM — The increasingly volatile situation in Iraq is prompting a growing number of Iraqis to seek a safe haven in Europe, where Sweden is one of the most common destinations for refugees. Of some 40 nationalities seeking asylum in Europe, Iraqis top the list with more than 8,100 applications …

GAZA CITY (AFP) — President Mahmoud Abbas Wednesday called on rival Palestinian factions to show further restraint to firm up a shaky Gaza truce aimed at halting a surge of fighting and avoiding a slide into civil war. “I call on Palestinians from all political factions to show responsibility and …