BEIRUT (AFP) — Money, vote-buying and vote-rigging, in parallel with links of clan and community structure, have always been the essential engines for success in Lebanese legislative elections. On the eve of Lebanon’s independence in 1943, “the partisans of presidential candidate Beshara al-Khoury, who was supported by Britain, were the …

ADDIS ABABA (AFP) — International donors on Thursday pledged millions in further aid to an African Union (AU) peace mission in Sudan’s troubled western Darfur region as the pan-African body announced peace talks between Khartoum and rebels will resume next month. Amid calls for renewed urgency in dealing with the …

CANBERRA (Reuters) — Australian Muslim leader Sheikh Taj Al Din Al Hilali has offered himself to Iraqi militants in exchange for the freedom of Australian hostage Douglas Wood. A video tape of Hilali’s offer to swap himself for Wood — a 63-year-old engineer held hostage for more than three weeks …

CAIRO (AFP) — Eighty-three per cent of voters backed a law change allowing for Egypt’s first competitive presidential election, the government said Thursday, as the United States blasted police violence at pro-reform rallies. Interior Minister Habib Adli hailed the 53 per cent of the country’s 32.5 million voters who cast …

WASHINGTON (AFP) — Text of statements made by US President George W. Bush and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas after their White House summit here Thursday: President George W. Bush Thank you. Mr President, it is my honour to welcome the democratically elected leader of the Palestinian people to the White …

WASHINGTON (Agencies) — President George W. Bush held his first White House meeting with a Palestinian leader in four years Thursday and reaffirmed the US commitment to a viable Palestinian state and an end to Israeli settlement expansion. Bush made his remarks after conferring with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who …

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM (AP) — Amnesty International on Wednesday accused Israeli soldiers operating in the West Bank and Gaza of committing war crimes, including unlawful killings, torture, destruction of property, obstruction of medical assistance and targeting of medical personnel. The London-based human rights group’s report for 2004 also condemned the deliberate …

CAIRO (AP) — A look at the key players in Egypt’s politics trying to influence Wednesday’s referendum on the constitutional amendment that sets broad rules for Egypt’s first presidential election. The ruling National Democratic Party and eleven minor parties also have announced participation in Wednesday’s election. . Hosni Mubarak: President …

BEIRUT (AFP) — Free of the shackles of its powerful neighbour Syria, Lebanon votes on Sunday in what is being hailed as the first truly free elections in three decades — with the anti-Damascus opposition set to win. Many of Syria’s once-powerful allies have already thrown in the towel and …

TEHRAN (AFP) — Campaigning for next month’s presidential election officially got under way in Iran on Wednesday after hardliners agreed to let two reformists into a race dominated by hardliners and conservatives. The field of eight men will be battling to succeed reformist President Mohammad Khatami, near the end of …