Pakistani security officials seek larger role in negotiations with Taliban

ISLAMABAD - Pakistani security officials are expressing frustration that they have not been included in Afghan President Hamid Karzai's recent overtures to the Taliban, warning that a sustainable peace agreement will not be possible without their support.

Iran stops fully refueling British planes in retaliation against oil agreement

TEHRAN - In retaliation for an agreement between the United States and European oil companies that has made it impossible for Iran's national airline to refuel its planes in most of Europe, the Islamic Republic has stopped fully providing the only British airline flying to Tehran with fuel.

Cash payments from Iran have been 'transparent' and will continue, Karzai says

KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN - President Hamid Karzai said Monday that his government receives as much as $1 million at least once or twice a year from Iran for palace expenses, and that Washington also doles out "bags of money" to his office.

Youngest Guantanamo detainee pleads guilty

Omar Khadr, the youngest detainee at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, pleaded guilty to five terrorism charges, including murder, on Monday as part of a plea agreement in which he will serve a reduced sentence, much of it in Canada, his home country.

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Bethesda-based development firm gets Kyrgyzstan contract

The U.S. Agency for International Development has awarded a $3.25 million contract to Bethesda-based Development Alternatives Inc. to assist the newly elected Kyrgyzstan parliament, an illustration of the government's growing - and often troubled - reliance on outside contractors to promote...

In the Philippines, politics as bloodsport

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines - Lt. Col. Benedict Arevalo headed to a ramshackle town hall one afternoon last week to join about 100 local candidates who had gathered to sign an agreement promising not to kill one another in the final days of campaigning before local elections Monday.

Japan's young men seek a new path

Something is happening to Japan's young men. Compared with the generation that came before, they are less optimistic, less ambitious and less willing to take risks. They are less likely to own a car, want a car, or drive fast if they get a car. They are less likely to pursue sex on the first date - or the third. They are, in general, less likely to spend money. They are more likely to spend money on cosmetics.

Iraq's Supreme Court orders parliament members to meet

BAGHDAD - Iraq's Supreme Court on Sunday ordered parliament members to meet, calling the government formation impasse that has dragged on for more than seven months unconstitutional.

U.N. official calls for study of ethics, legality of unmanned weapons

UNITED NATIONS - A United Nations investigator called on the world body Friday to set up a panel to study the ethics and legality of unmanned military weapons - an apparent reference to U.S. drones that have targeted suspected Islamist militants.

Iraq's Maliki: Opponents will use U.S. leaks against him

BAGHDAD - Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Saturday that his opponents are using leaked classified U.S. military reports to discredit his administration as he struggles to secure a second term in office.