Special Reports - UPI.com

Muslim Brotherhood leaders detained

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:50:00 -0500

CAIRO, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- Egyptian security forces Monday arrested a deputy leader of the Muslim Brotherhood and two other senior leaders as the country prepares for new elections.

Pro-Russian leader due to head Ukraine

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:40:00 -0500

KIEV, Ukraine, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- Ukraine's pro-Russian candidate Viktor Yanukovych is slated to win the country's presidential election.

Iran tests stealth drone

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:30:00 -0500

TEHRAN, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- Iranian air force commanders announced the successful test of a prototype stealth drone built by the domestic military.

Hezbollah support waning, poll finds

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:20:00 -0500

WASHINGTON, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- Support for Hezbollah among the Shiite population in Lebanon is overwhelming, though broad support in the Middle East is dwindling, a poll suggests.

Joint security force stirs Iraqi tensions

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:50:00 -0500

KIRKUK, Iraq, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- A joint security force in the north of Iraq is a divisive issue among Kurdish supporters and opponents in the Arab and Turkmen community, leaders say.

Awlaki calls for revenge

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:10:00 -0500

SANAA, Yemen, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- Americans are to blame for any terrorist attack on U.S. soil because of their support for leaders who are waging war on Islam, a radical Yemeni cleric said.

Poll will test Iran's public pulse

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:50:00 -0500

TEHRAN, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- A national poll in Iran is a legal way to determine how the public views the important issues of the day, said opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi.

Gates backs Turkey's PKK fight

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:40:00 -0500

ANKARA, Turkey, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- Washington supports Ankara in its effort to tackle Kurdish guerrillas, but military action is not the only solution available, the U.S. defense secretary said.

Iran's enrichment sparks sanction talks

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:30:00 -0500

WASHINGTON, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- A decision by Iran to move toward a uranium enrichment level of 20 percent shows Tehran has no interest in a diplomatic solution, U.S. lawmakers said.

Karzai details Taliban reconciliation plan

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:20:00 -0500

MUNICH, Germany, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- Reintegration plans for members of the Taliban include thousands of insurgents who have no ideological links to al-Qaida, the Afghan president said.

More Blackwater than cops, Pakistan says

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:10:00 -0500

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- There are more private security contractors from Xe, formerly Blackwater, operating in Islamabad than capital police, a religious leader said.

China firmly against Dalia Lama meeting

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:00:00 -0500

BEIJING, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- U.S.-Chinese relations slipped further downwards after Beijing reiterated its "constant and clear" opposition to the scheduled meeting between President Barack Obama and the Dalai Lama.

Argentina warns oil firms of Falklands legal action

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 17:47:07 -0500

BUENOS AIRES, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- Argentina has warned oil companies operating in the Falklands Islands they will face legal action unless they stop prospecting in sovereign Argentine territory.

Yemen tightens airport security

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 17:40:42 -0500

SANAA, Yemen, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- Yemen announced it was taking extra precautions and tightening security measures at its national airports in line with international trends.

U.S., U.K. embark on Afghan campaign

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 17:39:26 -0500

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- U.S. and British forces are preparing for the largest combined military effort in Afghanistan since U.S. forces toppled the Taliban regime in 2001.

Web access in Iran spotty ahead of protest

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 17:26:24 -0500

TEHRAN, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- Internet users in Iran report their service is disrupted, with some cities saying Web access is cut off completely as Iran braces for mass protests Feb. 11.

Cleric blames Hezbollah for insecurity

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 17:25:15 -0500

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- The possibility of war for Lebanon exists so long as Shiite resistance movement Hezbollah plays a role in state affairs, a leading Christian cleric said Friday.

Pakistan furious over Lady al-Qaida ruling

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 16:53:42 -0500

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- Pakistanis took to the streets of Islamabad in protest of a U.S. court conviction of a scientist found guilty of attempting to kill U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

Contract issues snag Iran's S-300

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:16:45 -0500

MOSCOW, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- The Iranian envoy to Moscow said deliveries of the S-300 missile defense system for Iran are not moving forward because of "technical issues" with the contract.

Karzai confident after Riyadh meeting

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:15:38 -0500

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- Riyadh as a leader in the Arab world has an important role to play in bringing security to Afghanistan, said Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

Taliban helped in Dir attack?

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:10:53 -0500

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- U.S. military and intelligence officials suspect an attack in Pakistan's North-West Frontier province that killed American troops was an inside job.

McChrystal upbeat on Afghan progress

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:07:05 -0500

ISTANBUL, Turkey, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- The situation in Afghanistan is approaching a point that assessments on security are improving, U.S. Gen. Stanley McChrystal said in a frank review.

Last-minute deal saves Northern Irish peace

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 12:39:22 -0500

BELFAST, Northern Ireland, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- A last-minute deal between two rowing parties Friday secured peace in Northern Ireland in a diplomatic breakthrough hailed by politicians around the world.

Former aides want Venezuela's Hugo Chavez to resign

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 12:33:43 -0500

CARACAS, Venezuela, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- In a daring move, former aides of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez have signed a petition asking the populist leader to resign because of gross incompetence.

Australia admits banning shipments to Iran

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 11:52:50 -0500

CANBERRA, Australia, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- Australia has blocked three shipments of undisclosed goods to Iran over fears they may be destined for Tehran's nuclear program.