WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration has directed the military to prepare contingency plans to use nuclear weapons against at least seven countries and to build smaller nuclear weapons for use in certain battlefield situations, according to a classified Pentagon report obtained by the Los Angeles Times. ... more

The secret report, which was provided to Congress Jan. 8, says the Pentagon needs to be prepared to use nuclear weapons against China, Russia, Iraq, North Korea, Syria, Iran and Libya. ... more

GANDAHAR, Afghanistan, March 8 — Twelve Iranians apparently seeking to secure the allegiance of commanders in western Afghanistan have been seized by Afghans and handed over to American military officials here, an Afghan familiar with the details of their capture said. ... more

U.S. intelligence agencies recently gathered military intelligence indicating Russia's defense industry is helping Iran build an advanced electronic warfare system design to thwart U.S. sensors. ... more

WASHINGTON: Victims of the 1983 bombing of the US Embassy in Beirut have filed a \$5 billion lawsuit against Iran, accusing Tehran of sponsoring the attack. ... more

At the outset of the absorbing and pertinent "Maryam," the Armins of suburban New Jersey seem a typical affluent American family, to themselves and to their neighbors. ... more

Iran said Monday that it was largely in the dark about a peace proposal put forward by Saudi Arabia even as the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference, of which Iran is a member, threw its weight behind Crown Prince Abdullah's plan. ... more

Tehran, Mar 9, IRNA -- `Iran Daily' on Saturday called on political parties to stress solidarity and the larger interests of the nation in their goals and objectives as a means of confronting the latest US threats and intimidation agianst Iran. ... more

Hizbullah's secretary-general admitted Friday that the two Lebanese suspects arrested and later released by Jordanian authorities were trying to smuggle Katyusha rockets to Palestinian militants in the Occupied Territories. ... more

ROME - (AP) - As his scheduled return to Kabul approaches, Afghanistan's last king has been quoted as describing the U.S.-led war on terror as ''stupid and useless'' and calling for its immediate end. ... more

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. marshals on Friday evicted a Christian fundamentalist pastor from the residence of the former Iranian ambassador in Washington for failing to pay the rent of \$15,000 a month for four years, a spokesman said. ... more

It looked like a yard sale at Iran's former embassy Friday after U.S. marshals evicted a woman who had been living there and piled her mattresses, dresser drawers and office furniture onto the sidewalk. ... more

T. PETERSBURG, Fla. - A tearful President Bush, speaking to a crowd that included the families of two soldiers killed in Afghanistan this week, vowed yesterday that the United States would remain ''relentless and determined'' in fighting terrorists. ... more

BRITAIN and America have compiled an intelligence-based dossier alleging that Saddam Hussein has developed increasingly close links with the al-Qa'eda terrorist group, it was disclosed yesterday. ... more

Iran's largest student organization is in turmoil as conservative students have recently challenged the long-standing dominance of the movement by reformist activists. As RFE/RL correspondent Charles Recknagel reports, the crisis may be in equal parts about politics and personal ambitions. ... more

New Delhi, March 9, IRNA -- Ehsan Qaem-Maqami of Iran defeated his Indian rival Friday in the fourth round of World Chess Grand Masters Championships underway in Raipur, India. ... more

Sara and Dara, a twin dolls dressed in traditional Islamic Iranian clothing, have been born here after six years of delay, marking the actual beginning of the Barbie War between the U.S. and Iran. ... more

Step aside Barbie and Ken. They already have competition from the Muslim world in the form of the new, modestly-dressed Iranian doll called Sara. Sara never goes out without a headscarf or her brother Dara. ... more

ROOKLINE - The highest-ranking Christian leader in the Muslim world says ''some circles'' of Islam are at war with the West, but Islam itself is not inherently violent. In a wide-ranging interview during a three-day visit to Hellenic College and the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology that ended yesterday, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew said he sees signs of increased openness toward religious tolerance in the Muslim world. ... more

On November 19, the New York Times ran an article entitled "Behind the Burka", focusing on a 56-year-old woman from Afghanistan who had no schooling, eight children and a dead husband. The piece talked about her "liberation" from the Taliban, and concluded: "Now, at least, she is free to beg." This is the "liberation" that has reached the women of Afghanistan since the collapse of the Taliban government. ... more

(March 8) - It is extremely unfortunate that US Secretary of State Colin Powell would choose this time, of all times, to ratchet up his criticism of Israel. At a congressional hearing on Wednesday, Powell said, "If you declare war on the Palestinians and think you can solve the problem by seeing how many Palestinians can be killed, I don't know if that leads us anywhere." ... more

The decision to dispatch the US special envoy General Anthony Zinni to the Middle East was the price Washington was forced to pay for the tacit compliance of its Arab allies with an eventual offensive on Iraq, diplomats and analysts said yesterday. Thursday. ... more

GARDEZ/BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan (Reuters) - The U.S. military said blizzards in east Afghanistan held back on Saturday a battle to rout al Qaeda fighters "hunkered down" in caves, frustrating Washington hopes of a swift end to fighting. ... more