IRAQ

Somali government troops are ready to launch a major offensive against insurgents and expect to drive them out of the capital by the end of this month, the country's prime minister told Reuters on Sunday.

Iraq will help victims of a 2007 shooting file a U.S. lawsuit against employees of security firm Blackwater who were accused of opening fire on civilians, the government said on Sunday.

The Obama administration on Saturday zeroed in on al Qaeda as the driving force behind an attempt to bomb a U.S.-bound airliner on Christmas and promised again to hold accountable those involved in the failed atta

The number of Iraqi civilians killed in violence fell by half in 2009 to about 4,500 but improvements in security have slowed and large-scale attacks took a major toll last year, a study has found.

U.S. President Barack Obama said on Friday it appeared the man suspected of trying to bomb a Detroit-bound plane on Christmas was a member of al Qaeda and had been trained and equipped by the Islamic militant network.

Little has been done to improve Iraq's impoverished city of Basra, but for one slum dweller, the fact that no more corpses are dumped outside his door means Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki gets his vote.

The government played down a report on Thursday that Iran masterminded the kidnapping in Iraq of a British man held hostage for more than 2-1/2 years, saying there was no firm evidence of direct Iranian involvement.

World stocks headed toward their best annual performance on record on Thursday, albeit a year after suffering their worst.

Briton Peter Moore, taken hostage in Baghdad in 2007, has been released alive, the Iraqi and British governments said on Wednesday.

Twin suicide bombs killed at least 24 and wounded more than 100 in Iraq's Sunni Arab heartland on Wednesday and a roadside bomb killed seven pilgrims returning from a major Shi'ite Muslim religious festival.

Perhaps it's not surprising, but for members of the U.S. armed forces, combat duty in Iraq and Afghanistan increases the risk of depression, according to a new study.

Iraq's cabinet has requested certain changes in proposed deals with foreign firms to develop nine oilfields, the government spokesman said on Tuesday.

President Barack Obama on Monday signed into law an increase in the U.S. national debt limit to $12.4 trillion, the White House said in a statement.

Yemen's Foreign Minister Abubakr al-Qirbi said on Tuesday there could be up to 300 al Qaeda militants in his country, some of whom may be planning attacks on Western targets.

Oil briefly rose above $79 a barrel to a fresh five-week high on Tuesday, supported by expectations of colder U.S. weather and concerns over political developments in Iran.

A group led by Russian energy firm Lukoil signed an initial deal on Tuesday to develop Iraq's West Qurna Phase Two oilfield, as its partner in the venture Statoil said it had increased its stake.

At least 23 people died in attacks across Iraq on Thursday, including a provincial leader and pilgrims observing a major Shi'ite religious ritual, police and officials said.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown and other members of his government will not appear before an inquiry into the Iraq war until after a general election next year, the inquiry team said on Wednesday.

The U.S. military commander in northern Iraq defended on Tuesday a new policy imposing strict penalties, including possible jail time, for troops who become pregnant or get other soldiers pregnant.

Heating oil differentials in the New York Harbor moved up slightly despite a National Weather Service report showing that heating demand will be below normal during the coming week.

OPEC producers are set to leave output limits unchanged at a meeting in Angola on Tuesday, officials from the cartel said, but look likely to call for improved compliance with existing curbs.