Politics - AFP

KABUL (AFP) - NATO commanders on Wednesday warned US Defence Secretary Robert Gates of the challenges involved in recruiting Afghan soldiers and police, which the US military hopes will number 287,000 by July 2011. Full Story »

WASHINGTON (AFP) - President Barack Obama injected almost 600 million dollars on Wednesday into US health centers, saying the move would create jobs as well as provide care for an extra 500,000 low-income patients. Full Story »

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Pakistan's military operations have "significantly degraded" Taliban militants but Islamabad has yet to go after the Taliban's Afghan leadership, a top US general said on Wednesday. Full Story »

OSLO (AFP) - Helicopters buzzed through central Oslo's grey skies Wednesday as the city beefed up security on the eve of US President Barack Obama's visit to accept his controversial Nobel Peace Prize. Full Story »

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on Wednesday extended the authority of a 700-billion-dollar financial bailout to October 2010 even as he noted the program would cost less than expected. Full Story »

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US senators called Wednesday for a swift probe into the release on the Internet of a highly sensitive airport security screening guide, which one lawmaker likened to a "textbook" for terrorists. Full Story »

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Republican lawmakers Wednesday presented President Barack Obama with their plan to tackle unemployment, proposing a freeze on tax hikes until the jobless rate falls below five percent. Full Story »

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States issued a new strategy Wednesday for dealing with a rising threat from biological weapons but stopped short of measures to give teeth to an existing international convention. Full Story »

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States is "optimistic" about reaching an accord with Russia on a successor to the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, the White House spokesman said Wednesday. Full Story »

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday urged Ukraine to pursue reforms to attract foreign investment for an energy sector both sides want to become more independent from Russia. Full Story »