IED threat shadows Marines' every move

IED threat shadows Marines' every move

By Tony Perry

A long, dusty road under a bright blue Afghan sky. To the left, a stagnant irrigation canal; to the right, drying cornfields. Marines from...

Israel, Hamas said to be near deal on prisoner swap

By Richard Boudreaux

Expectations of a swap of hundreds of jailed Palestinian militants for an Israeli soldier held by Hamas soared Monday after some of the most...

January election in Iraq? Doubtful

By Liz Sly and Caesar Ahmed

Hopes for a January election in Iraq faded Monday after Shiite Muslim and Kurdish legislators teamed up to vote for a new version of an...

Babylon & Beyond
Observations from Iraq, Iran, Israel and the Arab world from Times' correspondents

More...
World in Photos

World in Photos
L.A. rabbis in Israel seek to model tolerance

L.A. rabbis in Israel seek to model tolerance
Shoemakers know Egypt's down at heel

Shoemakers know Egypt's down at heel
Advertisement

U.S. youths recruited to fight in Somali militia, authorities say

By Josh Meyer

Federal authorities unsealed criminal charges Monday against eight suspects alleged to be part of a U.S. recruiting network that sent...

Obama's Afghanistan announcement may be soon

By Julian E. Barnes and Christi Parsons

The Obama administration's leading war planners and diplomats are preparing to testify before Congress about the conflict in Afghanistan,...

PASSINGS: Yang Xianyi, Ali Kordan, Alan Kim Kurumada

Yang Xianyi

Egypt's Nile Delta: Fertile land, but not for jobs

Egypt's Nile Delta: Fertile land, but not for jobs

By Jeffrey Fleishman and Amro Hassan

The rice has been harvested, the chaff burned. It's time for planting winter wheat, seed sunk deep into new furrow, as white birds with...

Lula takes risk in welcoming Ahmadinejad to Brazil

Lula takes risk in welcoming Ahmadinejad to Brazil

By Chris Kraul and Borzou Daragahi

Reporting from Bogota, Colombia Borzou Daragahi, and Beirut -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrives today in Brazil on a Latin...

Iran begins air-defense drills to protect nuclear sites

By Borzou Daragahi

Iran on Sunday launched what it described as its biggest air-defense drill ever with the aim of preparing to protect its nuclear sites...

Sabbath protest in Jerusalem

Sabbath protest in Jerusalem

About 3,000 ultra-Orthodox Jews demonstrated Saturday outside an Intel plant in Jerusalem to protest its operating on the Jewish Sabbath, an...

Israeli airstrikes hit Gaza Strip

Israeli planes carried out airstrikes against targets in the Gaza Strip today, injuring seven people, Palestinian medical workers said.

Egypt recalls envoy from Algeria over soccer violence

Egypt recalls envoy from Algeria over soccer violence

By Amro Hassan

Egypt has recalled its ambassador to Algeria after Egyptian soccer fans were attacked by their Algerian counterparts following the two...

Iraq vice president vetoes new election law

Iraq vice president vetoes new election law

By Liz Sly and Raheem Salman

One of Iraq's vice presidents vetoed the country's new election law Wednesday, throwing into fresh doubt the feasibility of holding...

Iran

Venezuela's Chavez has praise for 'bad guys'

Nuclear fuel won't go abroad, Iranian says

In China, Obama's hosts show no signs of budging

  

Iraq

In Afghanistan, a drive to lure Taliban with jobs, security

Military deaths

Kuwaiti firm accused of 'massive overcharging' of U.S. on military food

  

Afghanistan

Pricing an Afghanistan troop buildup is no simple calculation

Rocket is fired at Afghan hotel housing foreign humanitarian workers

19 killed in courthouse bombing in NW Pakistan

Babylon & Beyond

Observations from Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and the Arab world.

La Plaza

Latin American news from Times correspondents.