WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Robert Gates told a House panel yesterday that the United States should know in a few months if the Iraqi government is making progress toward peace and whether the United States “is going to have to look at other alternatives and consequences.”

MECCA — In a palace overlooking Islam’s holiest site, rival Palestinian leaders vowed yesterday to work out a power-sharing agreement to avert a civil war, asking their followers to abide by a truce during the marathon talks crucial to the peace process with Israel.

BAGHDAD — A U S Marine transport helicopter crashed in flames yesterday in a field northwest of Baghdad, killing all seven people aboard, the U S military said. It was the fifth U S aircraft lost in less than three weeks and the latest sign of growing problems with aviation …

WASHINGTON — A major consequence of the installation of a Shiite majority government in Iraq, a first in the Arab world, is the rise of Shiite power in other countries of the Middle East. Although the Shiites represents only

An exasperated Sen. John Warner (R-Va.) put his colleagues on notice Wednesday that he would look to attach his resolution opposing President Bush’s plan to boost troop levels in Iraq to any measure moving across the Senate floor.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has rejected an appeal by his defense minister to halt excavation work near Jerusalem’s most important holy site, the Haaretz daily newspaper reported on Thursday.

EIGHTY Tanzania People’s Defence Forces (TPDF) soldiers, including ten women, left for Lebanon yesterday where they will join the United Nations Interim Force in the Lebanon (UNIFIL).

Lebanese and Israeli troops are reported to have exchanged fire on the border between the two countries.

The Iranian Film Festival promises a bounty for true cinema lovers

With Croatia set to hold general elections this year, polls show that the two main political parties — the Croatian Democratic Community (HDZ) and the Social Liberal Party (SDP) — are in a virtual dead heat. This time around, both parties are counting on professional consultants to help them maximise …