EL FASHER, Sudan — Myriam Ibrahim, a tall quiet 28-year-old clad in a bright blue robe, thought she had seen it all. Three years of violence since the Darfur conflict erupted during which her town was invaded twice.

CAIRO — The true identity of Abu Ayyub Masri, the man said to have succeeded the slain Abu Musab Zarqawi as leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq, remains an enigma in his reported homeland of Egypt.

EL FASHER (AP) — The only rebel leader to have endorsed the Darfur Peace Agreement threatened to pull out of the deal geared at ending three years of war if the international community does not move to support him fast.

JOWHAR (Reuters) — About 300 Ethiopian troops crossed into Somalia on Saturday, a top Islamist said, after Islamic fighters who wrested control of Mogadishu moved inland towards the seat of Somalia’s interim government.

RAMALLAH — Having brought in $20 million in cash Wednesday, Palestinian Foreign Minister Mahmoud Zahhar yesterday announced he had received pledges for a further $50 million from Iran on his weekslong recent tour of the Muslim world and China.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The story of the Iraq war can be told in stark numbers and mournful milestones as the death toll for US troops reached 2,500 and the price tag rose to $320 billion.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which maintained it had no plans for expansion, is now changing course. Mongolia, Iran, India and Pakistan, which previously

Russian President Vladimir Putin has praised the growing international stature of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization — but it may also soon become more controversial, as its members consider whether to welcome Iran into the fold.

Tang Jiaxuan, a member of China’s State Council, said Russia and China have similar positions on regional and global issues. Tang said Moscow is Beijing’s key ally in its effort to maintain a strategic partnership.

Chinese president Hu Jintao expressed his delight in the way things between China and Russia have been evolving in diplomatic terms, just before an important regional security forum summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, due for June 15th in Shanghai.