NAZRAN, Russia  – A new president in Russia’s mainly Muslim Ingushetia region has taken the heat out of a simmering rebellion by restoring some trust in the regional authorities. Although violence still scars Ingushetia, residents say it has decreased since Yunus-Bek Yevkurov replaced former secret police officer Murat Zyazikov in …

WASHINGTON  – Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari called on the United States on Wednesday to boost both military and non-military aid to his country to help it fight extremists. In an opinion piece in the Washington Post, Zardari said U.S. President Barack Obama should push Congress to pass legislation introduced …

DAVOS, Switzerland  – Pakistan will release details of an investigation into the Mumbai attacks “very soon,” Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said on Wednesday. “We are investigating … anything substantive we will share with the world,” he told Reuters in an interview in the Swiss ski resort of Davos, where …

JERUSALEM  – The Israeli military said on Wednesday it had reprimanded an officer behind the distribution of a booklet during the Gaza war that advised soldiers against showing any mercy to enemies. An Israeli rights group, Yesh Din, called Monday for the dismissal of the chief military rabbi, Brigadier-General Avichai …

ISLAMABAD  – Pakistan said Wednesday it wanted closer cooperation with the United States in the fight against al Qaeda and the Taliban but had no understanding with Washington that allowed missile strikes on its territory. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday that Washington would continue with strikes by unmanned …

RAFAH, Gaza Strip  – Smugglers were back at work in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip Wednesday repairing tunnels running under the border with Egypt only hours after Israeli aircraft bombed the underground network. “They dropped two or three bombs. But look, everybody is still working,” said a 30-year-old digger who gave …

CAIRO  – The U.S. Middle East envoy, dispatched by President Barack Obama with orders to “start by listening,” said on Wednesday it was critical to consolidate a Gaza ceasefire after Israel’s offensive. Former Senator George Mitchell met Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak during the first leg of his week-long tour as …

BASRA, Iraq  – Iraq’s elections this week will be a crucial test of whether the oil-rich but dilapidated city of Basra is ready for the international investment it desperately needs, British officials said. Once overrun by gangs and militias vying for control of Iraq’s second biggest city, Basra is now …

LONDON – The Taliban told U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday that his plan to close Guantanamo Bay prison camp was a “positive step” but peace was only possible if he withdraws U.S. forces from Afghanistan and Iraq. The Taliban, toppled in the 2001 U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan, also told …

NAJAF, Iraq  – After years of often bloody struggle, one party has risen to dominate much of Iraq’s Shi’ite Muslim south, but the party of the prime minister poses a stiff challenge in upcoming elections due to his rising popularity. Slick, well-organized and well-funded, the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (ISCI) …