Reuters
BAGHDAD - Iraq announced plans Thursday to move members of an Iranian opposition group to a former desert detention camp in a sharp escalation of pressure on a faction that poses complications for both Baghdad and Washington. Full Story »
AP
CAIRO - Egypt has been digging trenches and installing metal sheets underground along its border with Gaza in an apparent attempt to curb smuggling into the Palestinian territory through tunnels, Gaza border guards and area residents said Thursday. Full Story »
AP
BAGHDAD - Al-Qaida's umbrella group in Iraq claimed responsibility Thursday for coordinated Baghdad bombings this week that killed 127 people and wounded more than 500, warning of more strikes to come against the Iraqi government. Full Story »
AP
BAGHDAD - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates was in Iraq Thursday to meet with Iraqi officials amid a wave of bombings that have claimed 127 lives and rattled the country's government. U.S. military leaders who greeted Gates defended the Iraqi security forces' response to the attacks. Full Story »
AP
JERUSALEM - Israel's prime minister on Thursday offered additional funds and new social benefits to tens of thousands of Jewish settlers in a move seen as an attempt to soothe tensions over new restrictions on construction in the West Bank. Full Story »
AFP/File
TEHRAN, Iran - Iran's top intelligence official denounced senior clerics who he said support the country's opposition, an acknowledgment of the split in the leadership amid the postelection turmoil and a sign of growing pressure by hard-liners within the government to extend the crackdown. Full Story »
AP
RABIYA, Iraq - Iraq's border with Syria runs for hundreds of miles through barren land patrolled by a relative scattering of security forces. But despite claims about exiled Saddam Hussein loyalists sneaking across to disrupt Iraq's upcoming elections, the only evidence around one key outpost is faded slogans of Saddam's banned Baath Party painted on the wall of a decaying grain elevator. Full Story »
BAGHDAD - The U.S. military says an American soldier in Iraq has died of injuries unrelated to combat. Full Story »
BAGHDAD - Defense Secretary Robert Gates arrives in Baghdad for meetings with troops, Iraqi leaders. Full Story »
AP
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - A healthy man in blockaded Gaza faked cancer, hoping the deadly disease would be his ticket out of the territory that has become an open-air prison for its 1.4 million residents. Full Story »
AFP/File
BAGHDAD (AFP) - Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki accused rivals on Thursday of stoking political rows that have put Iraq's security at risk, as US Defence Secretary Robert Gates arrived in Baghdad on a surprise visit. Full Story »
AFP/Pool
BAGHDAD (AFP) - US Defence Secretary Robert Gates assured Iraq of continued support during a surprise visit to Baghdad on Thursday, as the Pentagon insisted its troop pullout was on track despite a surge in violence. Full Story »
UNITED NATIONS - The United States, Britain and France say Iran must face further sanctions if it does not immediately comply with UN resolutions regarding its nuclear program. Full Story »
Reuters
UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - Western envoys upped the pressure on Iran Thursday, threatening to push for new UN sanctions early next year if the Islamic republic continues to defy demands to halt sensitive nuclear fuel work. Full Story »
Reuters
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States, Britain and France warned Iran on Thursday that it may face new sanctions over its nuclear program, but Russia and China hinted that they were not convinced more punitive steps were needed. Full Story »
AFP
CAIRO (AFP) - Residents of the Egyptian side of the border town of Rafah, a smuggling haven within tunneling distance of the Gaza strip, say engineers have begun a using heavy earth-moving equipment for a set of mysterious excavation works. Full Story »
AFP/File
TEHRAN (AFP) - Iranian media published a list on Thursday of 11 Iranians, including a truck driver, a former diplomat and a nuclear scientist, who it claims are being held in the United States or other countries. Full Story »
AFP/File
CAIRO (AFP) - Egypt said on Thursday that it will not abolish the death penalty because it is a deterrent, even though human rights groups say that fair trials are not guaranteed. Full Story »
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