Middle East

Scenes reminiscent of those that took place last week, when Israeli soldiers and police first began to forcibly evacuate Jewish settlements of Gaza.

A Katyusha rocket exploded in Eilat, Israel this morning (8:30 AM UTC+3). At the same time, another rocket exploded in Aqaba, Jordan, near the USS Ashland which has been docking at the Aqaba port for the last ten days.

Bush administration says it expects withdrawal to be followed by actions by both Israel and the Palestinians to fulfill peace-making commitments.

'Without reform, resentment will continue to build in Saudi Arabia like a pressure cooker,' says US analyst.

Secretary Rumsfeld says insurgent leaders are trying to wear down American public support for the war, like North Vietnam and the Viet Cong did 30 years ago

Hundreds of people are believed to have been killed by security forces in the May 13 events, which the group Human Rights Watch has labeled a massacre.

A massive blast has ripped through a mosque in Afghanistan, leaving at least 20 dead and dozens wounded. A suicide bomber blew himself up during the funeral of a murdered anti-Taleban cleric.

At White House news conference, US president also defends treatment of detainees in war on terror.

Turkish leaders played down France's rejection of a proposed European Union constitution Monday saying it would not affect Turkey's efforts to join the European bloc.

Military statement says coalition forces are at crash scene near Baqubah and investigating incident.

President Bush says for first time, US will provide direct aid to Palestinian people, through their own government.

In calling for changes from the U.S. government, especially regarding Guantanamo Bay, Amnesty International's voice is joined with calls from both the International Red Cross (IRC) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

British Foreign Minister Jack Straw made that announcement, following a three-hour meeting between Iranian nuclear officials and European Union ministers in Geneva.

President Bush says 20,000 US troops in Afghanistan will remain under American command, but they will take Afghan concerns into account.

Afghanistan opium cultivation was a record 323,700 acres last year and yielded almost 90 percent of the world's supply. Opium may account for one-third of Afghanistan's GDP.