JuneauEmpire.com: Associated Press
North Korea acknowledges having nukes
North Korea publicly acknowledged Thursday for the first time that it has nuclear weapons and said it won't return to six-nation talks aimed at getting it to abandon its nuclear ambitions.

Sharon to release Palestinian prisoners
Israel's prime minister signaled in a newspaper interview Thursday that he's ready to release large numbers of Palestinian prisoners involved in deadly attacks — a key Palestinian demand — if militants hold their fire during Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip this summer.

Rice gives assessment of her European tour
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice reached out to Europe in a week of diplomacy both subtle and blunt, and Europe reached back.

Recount delays Iraq final election results
Iraqi officials said Wednesday they must recount votes from about 300 ballot boxes because of various discrepancies, delaying final results from the landmark national elections. Hundreds — perhaps thousands — of other ballots were declared invalid because of alleged tampering.


Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Gunmen Kill Iraqi Journalist, Government Official
Gunmen killed an Iraqi journalistworking for a U.S.-funded television network in Basra and assassinated a senior government official in Baghdad onWednesday in the latest attacks following the Jan. 30 election. Yahoo! News: War with Iraq

Bush Seeks $400 Mln to Reward Iraq, Afghan Allies
President Bush will ask the U.S.Congress for $400 million for nations that have sent troops toIraq and Afghanistan, rewarding them for taking "political andeconomic risks," the White House said on Wednesday. Yahoo! News: War with Iraq

General: Plane Downed by Hostile Action
The deadly crash of a British military cargo plane in Iraq on Jan. 30 most likely was caused by hostile fire rather than by mechanical failure, a senior U.S. general said Wednesday. Yahoo! News: War with Iraq


The US News: Iraq News
Trials for Saddam aides approaching
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Televised trials for some of Saddam Hussein's key henchmen are set to begin in several weeks before an Iraqi tribunal, which could hand down sentences of death by hanging or firing squ... [in MSNBC] The US News: Iraq News

El Salvador to Send More Troops to Iraq
web sites ) asked for his continued support of the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq. U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador Douglas Barclay, who attended Wednesday's send-off ceremony, said the U.S. and Iraqi gov... [in Yahoo] The US News: Iraq News

US presses NATO to expand Iraq, Afghan forces
NICE, France - NATO Defence chiefs gathered in Nice on Thursday for talks set to focus on boosting training for Iraqi security forces and expanding a peacekeeping force in Afghanistan, key fronts in t... [in Business Times] The US News: Iraq News

Fiancee of soldier killed in Iraq gives birth
Ms McLaren gave birth to a daughter, Niamh, on Saturday, after a labour lasting 30 hours. Mother and baby are now back home in Glenrothes, Fife. Niamh weighed in at 6lb 14oz. [in The Herald] The US News: Iraq News

Marines revoking 11 Purple Hearts
ATCHISON, Kan. (AP) - Marine Cpl. Travis Eichelberger received a Purple Heart after he was crushed under a 67-ton Abrams tank in Iraq. Fresno Bee: Iraq

Iraq elections more violent than reported
There were between 200 and 300 attacks across Iraq on Election Day, a top U.S. Central Command general said Wednesday. [in The US News] The US News: Iraq News

Since election, Shiites build bridges to Iraq's minorities
Since Iraq's Jan. 30 elections, hardly a day has gone by without high-level contacts between Iraq's majority Shiites and the Sunni Arab minority that made up Iraq's governing elite under Saddam Hussei... [in Christian Science Monitor] The US News: Iraq News

US Sees Drop in Guard, Reserves in Iraq in 2006
By Vicki Allen WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of U.S. National Guard and Army reserves in Iraq should drop significantly in the next big rotation of forces starting in about 14 months but there ... [in Reuters] The US News: Iraq News

Iraqi oil production depends on politics, oil minister says
Eric WatkinsSenior Correspondent LOS ANGELES, Feb. 9 -- The production capacity of Iraqi oil in 2005 will primarily depend on political developments in the country after the Jan. 30 elections and the ... [in Offshore] The US News: Iraq News

Infant Nutrition Among Caritas' Priorities in Iraq
Caritas Internationalis' priorities in Iraq are focused on health and nutrition, in the wake of the country's elections. Zenit] The US News: Iraq News

Second charge dropped in British Iraq abuse trial
OSNABRUECK: The judge in the court martial of three British soldiers accused of mistreating Iraqi detainees ordered the jury on Wednesday to find one of the defendants not guilty on one of three charg... [in Daily Times] The US News: Iraq News

Rumsfeld, in France, Warns of 'Bumpy Road' in Iraq
By Will Dunham ABOARD THE USS O'BANNON (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told sailors on a destroyer off the French coast on Wednesday to expect a "bumpy road" in Iraq as he prepared to... [in Reuters] The US News: Iraq News

House Inquiry of U.N. Effort on Food Aid Is Extended
A House panel investigating the oil-for-food program in Iraq is expanding its inquiry to include suspected abuses at other U.N. agencies. New York Times: World Special

Weather
Weather information from The Weather Channel

Iraq
Al Azamiyah Al BasrahAl Al Hillah Al Karkh Al Kazimiyah Al Kut AnNasiriyah Baghdad Baqubah Mosul Najaf Nineveh Tall Kayf

Afghanistan
Bost/Laskar Ghurian Herat Kabul Qandahar


From Fox News
Baghdad Blast Kills Two
AP: Video Shows Executions
Israel Cancels Meeting
Sharon May Release Prisoners
Report: FAA Warned About Hijacking Prior to Sept. 11
Mosque Linked to Terror
Army's 'Stop-Loss' Policy Still Stands
Wounded Soldiers Get Therapy on Slopes
Bomb Kills 21 at Iraq Recruiting Center
Web Site: Italian Journalist Executed
ETA Bomb Injures 43 in Spain


From the Department of Defense
NATO Meeting to Cover 'National Caveats'
NICE, France, Feb. 9, 2005 — Restrictions some countries place on how NATO can use their forces - known as "national caveats" - are among the major topics under discussion at the informal meeting of NATO defense ministers here this week, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told reporters. Story

NATO Topics to Include Iraq, Afghanistan
Rumsfeld: 'Amazing' Things Happening in Iraq

Elections Boost Confidence in Iraqi Forces
WASHINGTON, Feb. 9, 2005 — The Iraqi elections at the end of January have given the security forces a needed boost of confidence, said Air Force Lt. Gen. Lance Smith, deputy commander of U.S. Central Command today. Story

Center Offers Respite for Wounded, Families
FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas, Feb. 9, 2005 — Located near Brooke Army Medical Center, the Soldier and Family Assistance Center offers respite from the hospital environment for wounded troops undergoing treatment and their families. Story

ON THE GROUND
Battalion's Heroism Honored
CAMP TAJI, Iraq, Feb. 9, 2005 — The 1st Cavalry Division's 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, together with a company of Oregon National Guard Soldiers, rounded out their service in Iraq with the presentation of heroic medals Feb. 8 here. Story

Infantry Division Troops Reach Out and Touch
CAMP LIBERTY, Baghdad, Feb. 9, 2005 — During their first rotation in Iraq, the soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Division had difficulty staying in touch with loved ones back home. But, now numerous methods of communication are in place. Story

Jalalabad Team Assesses Needs, Delivers Aid
SHERZAD, Afghanistan, Feb. 9, 2005 — Members of the Jalalabad Provincial Reconstruction Team visited a village in Nangahar Province Feb. 6 to assess village needs and deliver humanitarian aid. Story

Iraqi Pilots Get First-Time C-130 Training
BAGHDAD, Iraq, Feb. 9, 2005 — A five-man crew from Squadron 23 of the Iraqi Air Force trained for the first time on flying and operating an American C-130 cargo plane outside of Iraq's air space. Story

Operation Trailblazer Makes Iraqi Roads Safer
FORWARD OPERATING BASE WARHORSE, Iraq, Feb. 9, 2005 — In an effort to make Iraqi roads safer for soldiers, Army Reserve combat engineers patrol selected roads near Baqubah, searching for "trouble" in a mission called Operation Trailblazer. Story

Troops Assist with Joint Coordination Center
FORWARD OPERATING BASE PALIWODA, Iraq, Feb. 9, 2005 — Task Force Danger has been working with the Balad City Council to develop a Joint Coordination Center designed to be similar to a 911 emergency response centers. Story

IN IRAQ
Military Historian: 'Every Soldier Has a Story'
U.S. Soldiers Rescue Two Kidnap Victims
Arkansas Soldiers Attend School in Iraq
Air Force Provides Convoy Security
Team Leaders Bid Farewell to Kirkuk Council
Marines Mark Reopening of Fallujah Schools
U.S. Troops Help Balad Council Organize, Plan

IN AFGHANISTAN
Afghan Academy Welcomes First Cadets
'America’s Battalion' Takes Fight to Enemy

IN SOUTHWEST ASIA
Reserve Airmen Test C-130J in Southwest Asia

WHY I SERVE
K-9 Couple Watches for Danger
LOGISTICS SUPPORT AREA ANACONDA, BALAD, Iraq, Feb. 9, 2005 – The most dangerous part of Giray Jones' day is when Timer squats: It means he's found explosives. Giray and her husband, Brad, are dog handlers and Timer and Gromett are their dogs that look for the bombs. Story

Students Send Valentines to Troops
WASHINGTON, Feb. 9, 2005 - Following some sound advice, 28 third-graders from Central Elementary School in Wilmette, Ill., have cut, colored and pasted "Valentines for Vets and Soldiers." Story

TOP NEWS
IN IRAQ
Soldiers Stop Attack, Kill Terrorist
Polish Commander Heads Division
Iraq Daily Update
Year in Review 2004 Fact Sheets (pdf)
Iraq Reconstruction
Maps
Weekly Progress Report (pdf)

IN AFGHANISTAN
Drugs, Weapons Seized
Afghans Appreciate U.S. Presence
Civil-Military Ops Make Strides
Afghanistan Daily Update
Maps

WAR ON TERRORISM
Bush Thanks Poland for Iraq Effort
Rice Discusses Iran Nuclear Issue
Rumsfeld Seeks Larger NATO Role
Waging and Winning the War on Terror
Terrorism Timeline
Terrorism Knowledge Base

MILITARY NEWS
Bush Sends Defense Budget to Hill
Budget Focus Includes Terror War
Pay Hike Among Budget Proposals
National Guard, Reserve Update