Free Republic

Thousands of Palestinian refugees are still trapped inside the camp Several transport planes carrying military aid for the Lebanese army from the US and its Arab allies have arrived at Beirut airport.The move follows an appeal for such aid by the Lebanese government. Its forces are battling Islamist militants who have taken over the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has reiterated Washington's support for the Lebanese government. She said gunmen in Nahr al-Bared were trying to destabilise a democratic government. A Red Cross food convoy from the Jordanian capital, Amman,...

Boats joined the rally alongside Izmir's seafront The mass protests At least one million Turks have rallied in the city of Izmir to protest against any government plans to undermine Turkish secularism.The major demonstration was the fourth since the ruling AK Party nominated Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul as its candidate for the country's presidency. Many Turks suspect Mr Gul of having an Islamic agenda, something he denied before withdrawing his candidacy. Parliamentary elections scheduled for November are now to be held in July. The AK Party - which has roots its in political Islam - argues that a general...

Car bombs have killed thousands in Baghdad Iraq is in the midst of a civil war, but could the violence draw in the rest of the Middle East? Here, in a personal opinion, historian Niall Ferguson weighs the evidence.As a consequence of a botched Anglo-American occupation, Iraq is now in the midst of a civil war - already one of the biggest in the world since 1945 - with the kind of escalating cycle of tit-for-tat killing and ethnic cleansing that can last for years, even decades. Debate currently centres on how quickly the United States and the UK...

Almost exactly five years ago I was lucky enough to be granted a journalist visa to Iran. I am not being facetious. Iranian women must be careful when it comes to clothing Journalist visas are like gold dust and Iran is a memorable country to visit. There's the majesty of Isfahan with its blue mosques, giant squares and scented bazaars; the ancient courtyard mansions of Kashan; the sophistication of Tehran, where beautiful women are forced to wear headscarves and anoraks in public and look like supermodels masquerading as spies. Like all other journalists I made my weekly pilgrimage to...

Jordan's King Abdullah is addressing a joint session of Congress.

Mr Bush plans to send 21,500 additional US troops to Iraq No-one is declaring victory, but the first few days of the new security operation in Baghdad have seen a significant fall in violence.The commander of the US side of the operation, Maj Gen Joseph Fil, said: "There's an air of suspense throughout the city... Many of these extremists are laying low and watching us to see what we do and how we do it." The Americans are working to a much more aggressive military doctrine than before. The frequent presence of a B1 "Lancer" bomber - making a...

CAMP PENDLETON ---- A Marine lance corporal took the hand of an Iraqi man he had just helped kidnap last year and used it to strike the face of the bullet-riddled victim, a co-defendant in the homicide case testified Thursday. "He took his hand and kind of played with it and made Mr. Awad hit himself," former Petty Officer Melson Bacos said about his squad mate, Lance Cpl. Robert Pennington, during testimony in a Camp Pendleton courtroom. "He said, 'Quit hitting yourself.' "Bacos' testimony came as the government presented evidence that will lead to its sentencing recommendation when the court-martial...

Consulting Google Earth can help people work out routes to avoid Google is playing an unlikely role in the Iraq war. Its online satellite map of the world, Google Earth, is being used to help people survive sectarian violence in Baghdad. As the communal bloodshed has worsened, some Iraqis have set up advice websites to help others avoid the death squads. One tip - on the Iraq League site, one of the best known - is for people to draw up maps of their local area using Google Earth's detailed imagery of Baghdad so they can work out escape...

A POINT OF VIEW By Brian Walden What next for UK soldiers? With opposition to its role in Iraq, what is the real position of Britain on the world stage today?Mr Jeff Stein is a rather important American journalist. He's the national security editor of the Congressional Quarterly magazine. He may not be a legendary figure like Woodward and Bernstein of Watergate fame, but anybody who's knowledgeable about security and questions senators, representatives and the FBI as part of his job, must know a thing or two. Mr Stein has indeed learnt a lot from his questioning, but none...

This is Ms Royal's first visit to the Mid-East as presidential candidate Political opponents of French socialist presidential candidate, Segolene Royal, have accused her of making serious errors during a Middle East trip.Opponents from the ruling centre-right party have criticised her stance towards Hezbollah. This was her first official overseas trip since winning her party's nomination for the election last month. On Monday she was in Israel, meeting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and earlier Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. Although she has been given a warm reception fit for a head-of-state in waiting, at home, her visit has become mired...