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There\'s been a fresh US drone strike in Afghanistan. At least four people have been killed in the fifth attack over the past four days. Afghan officials say the airstrike took place in the north-eastern Kunar province near the border with Pakistan. The latest deaths bring to 22 the number of people who\'ve been killed in recent days. Washington uses its killer drones in several Muslim countries including Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen. It claims to target Taliban and al-Qaeda-linked militants but many of the casualties are civilians. The United Nations has urged the US to be more transparent on its drone strikes.

Saudi Arabia says it plans to make a major shift in its dealings with the US to protest Washington\\\'s inaction over the war in Syria. The Saudi intelligence chief has also voiced Riyadh\\\'s concerns over Washington\\\'s overtures to Iran. Bandar Bin Sultan has criticized Washington for failing to back his country when it deployed forces to crush anti-regime protests in Bahrain. How divided are Washington and Riyadh over Syria, Bahrain and Iran? Can Saudi Arabia successfully pursue its foreign policies without US support?

At least two people have been killed in a US drone strike in Somalia. The drone fired a missile at a car traveling in the outskirts of Jilib, a town south of the capital Mogadishu. Witnesses say the victims were al-Shabab fighters. The US has stepped up its drone activities in the country, saying it\'s targeting the fighters. Washington is being criticized for its drone operation in several Muslim countries including Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Yemen.

A new report by the Pakistani government has put the civilian death toll caused by US assassination drones at a surprisingly lower figure than previous estimates by government and independent organizations. Pakistan\'s Defense Ministry announced that only 3 percent of people killed by drones since 2008 were civilians. According to the ministry, the US has conducted about 320 drone strikes during that period, killing over 21 hundred militants and 67 civilians. The figure has sparked criticism from public opinion and groups that have been investigating the assassination drones. The Pakistani government regularly criticizes the drone program in public, even though it is reported to have secretly supported at least some of the strikes in the past.

A senior member of the US administration has admitted that the West has made mistakes in the Afghanistan war. US president\'s special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan says those mistakes have claimed unnecessary lives and prolonged the war. James Dobbins also said that sidelining Iran and Russia after the invasion of Afghanistan by the U-S and its allies was wrong. Dobbins stressed that Tehran and Moscow can play their part in rebuilding the country after the withdrawal of U-S-led foreign forces from Afghanistan.

In the US, the House Armed Services Committee has approved an additional funding in military aid to Israel. The committee has approved that nearly half a billion dollars be given to Israel this year. The approval has not yet been finalized but, it\'s expected to get the final okay by the House Appropriations Committee and Senate. The money is in addition to over three billion dollars in military aid that Washington is already planning to send to Tel Aviv in the coming fiscal year. This comes as the US government has made cuts in food assistance program. The cuts have forced nearly forty-eight million Americans to see their food stamps slashed.

The Leader of Iran\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s Islamic Revolution says the country\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s nuclear program is just an excuse for the United States to continue its enmity toward the Iranian nation. Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei referred to the history of US hostility toward the Iranian nation. He said that the US officials had targeted Iran with various forms of plots, campaigns and schemes, before the nuclear issue even existed. The Leader rejected as simplistic or ill-intended those statements made by some elements who claim that if Iran gives up its nuclear rights, all economic and other problems facing the country will be resolved overnight. Ayatollah Khamenei defended the Iranian negotiating team against internal criticism. He said the Iranian negotiators-- who have held talks with the UN Security Council\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s permanent members plus Germany, are shouldering a tough responsibility. The Leader however reiterated his skepticism of US intentions, saying a smiling enemy cannot be trusted.

Pakistan\'s prime minister says US drone attacks violate his country\'s sovereignty, international laws and Islamabad\'s efforts to bring peace and stability to the region. In his first public comments since the US killing of a pro-Taliban leader, Nawaz Sharif warned that peace can not be achieved by unleashing quote senseless force. He made the remarks ahead of a cabinet meeting to deliberate an appropriate response to the killing of Hakimullah Mehsud. Friday\'s deadly drone strike happened as Islamabad was working to hold peace talks with pro-Taliban militants in Pakistan. There are now fears that his killing could jeopardize the talks.

Yemen\'s interior ministry says at least five people have been killed in the latest US drone strikes hitting the country\'s south. Yemeni officials say the drone strikes targeted suspected al-Qaeda militants in Abyan province on Thursday. The US has carried out dozens of such strikes in the Arab nation over the past year, killing dozens of people. Washington claims the attacks target militants, but evidence on the ground shows many of the victims have been civilians. Yemenis have staged numerous protests to condemn the deadly drone strikes.

Afghan president Hamid Karzai has given a thumbs up to extend the presence of US troops beyond 2014. However he has also said that the Loya Jirga or the assembly of elders must approve the security pact between Kabul and Washington. Many Afghan citizens want Washington to leave their country. The central issue for the assembly is the issue of immunity for American troops that will remain in the country after the withdrawal of its allies\' forces by the end of 2014. What will this do to Afghanistan? And why does the US want to stay in Afghanistan, when more and more Americans are dissatisfied with the deteriorating socio-economic conditions back home?

Hundreds of Afghan people including students, have held demonstrations in the eastern province of Nangarhar against a possible security pact with the US. The protesters chanted anti-US slogans and blocked a key road between Kabul and the city of Jalalabad. They warned the Afghan elders and politicians against signing the deal, saying they do not represent the Afghan people. Afghanistan\'s grand assembly or Loya Jirga is slated to hold discussions on the controversial deal on Thursday. Meanwhile, scores of people gathered for a meeting in Kabul to voice their opposition to any deal that will prolong the US military presence in their country.

In Afghanistan, Loya Jirga-- or the grand assembly of tribal elders-- has approved a controversial security pact with the US. But the president has refused to sign it. Karzai made the remarks in the final hours of Loya Jirga. He said to guarantee peace, a free and fair vote is needed and therefore Washington should not meddle in the April elections. Karzai also noted that Americans don\'t have the right to raid Aghans\' homes and if they do it once more, there will be no agreement. However, the US has praised Loya Jirga\'s decision and urged Karzai to sign the pact before the end of 2014. If signed, the agreement will allow thousands of US troops to stay in the country beyond 2014. It also gives them immunity from prosecution under Afghan law.

The US National Security Agency has justified tracking the data of millions of people, wherever they are in the world. The NSA says its tracking of cell phones overseas is legally authorized under a presidential order. The intelligence agency says it isn\'t tracking every foreign phone call, and it takes measures to limit how much US data is collected. It was revealed earlier this week that the NSA gathers up to five billion records every day on the location data for hundreds of millions of cell phones worldwide. Documents supplied by whistleblower Edward Snowden detail how the NSA is applying sophisticated mathematical techniques to map cell phone owners\' relationships.

That well known candy-house in the Hansel and Gretel fairy tale has captured the imagination of many of us when we were children. And now the world\'s largest-ever gingerbread house is bringing back those memories. The tasty house is located in the US state of Texas and it\'s nearly the size of a tennis court. And of course it has an edible exterior. This house was built by a group of volunteers, all in the name of charity. And now it holds the Guinness World Record for the world\'s largest gingerbread house. The group used thousands of pounds of sugar, eggs, butter, flour and other ingredients, as well as 23 thousand pieces of hard candy, decorating the outside of the house. But you might want to think twice before grabbing a bite as the structure packs in a staggering 36 million calories. Better to look, and not touch!

A group of defiant US lawmakers will introduce a bill to impose more sanctions on Iran despite Washington\'s efforts to hold off new measures. Senate aides say a vote on the bipartisan plan is expected in January. The bill aims to target Iran\'s remaining oil exports and foreign exchange. The administration of President Barack Obama has been calling on lawmakers to delay any more sanctions as a diplomatic path with Tehran is pursued. Iran and the P5+1 group reached a nuclear deal in Geneva last month. Tehran agreed to limit its nuclear energy program in exchange for some sanctions relief. The sides have agreed to work to reach a comprehensive deal in six months. Tehran has warned that new US sanctions will kill the Geneva deal.

In Afghanistan, militants have attacked a US military base in the eastern Nangarhar province. Local sources say the attack took place in the town of Torkham near the Pakistan border. The Taliban have claimed responsibility for the attack and say several American soldiers were killed. Our correspondent in Kabul, Fayez Khorshid says US forces have turned into the Taliban\'s main target in recent weeks.

These international experts gathered here in the Pakistani capital Islamabad to discuss the future of Afghanistan. The two-day conference is discussing the impact of US plans to pull out of Afghanistan by the end of 2014. One of the key taking points here is the implication of US plans to maintain its military presence in Afghanistan beyond 2014. The US is currently discussing a bilateral security agreement with Afghanistan to ensure its long term presence in the country.

More than a quarter of the US Senate introduces a new bill to impose fresh sanction on Iran. The bill is sponsored by 13 Democrats and 13 Republicans. They say the sanctions will be slapped against Iran if the country breaches the terms of last month\'s Geneva deal. The draft also forces the U-S administration to support Israel militarily, diplomatically and economically in case Tel Aviv decides to launch an attack against Iran\'s nuclear energy program. Congress has recently tripled the US government\'s requested aid for Israel. Meanwhile, the White House has highlighted the use of diplomacy as a suitable approach for resolving Iran\'s nuclear issue.

A US appeals court has put Saudi Arabia back as a defendant in lawsuits, saying it had given support to al-Qaeda prior to the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001. The federal appeals court in New York City has revived claims by families of victims of the attacks. Another court had previously ruled that Saudi Arabia was protected by a legal privilege which says foreign countries can\'t be sued in American courts. The US says nearly three thousand people were killed in the attacks. It says most of the attackers were Saudi nationals who hijacked planes and flew them into the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington.

Bagram Jail is still packed with hundreds of prisoners. Some of these cells are being controlled by US forces and some by Afghans. And now these men are reviewing the files of each prisoner there. They are members of a three-panel commission appointed by President Hamid Karzai. So far, they have met 764 prisoners and investigated their cases. And 650 of them have been let go. Others have been found innocent too. They will be released soon. It may be good news for their families, but not for the US military men. They want this move to be blocked. An American military official has been quoted as saying \"These guys are tied directly to killing and trying to kill our forces and Afghan forces\". He also called it an issue of deep concern. And here is how the Afghan commission reacted to their concerns. The main dispute is over 88 inmates. Americans think they will soon return to the battle field and fight back. The move also comes as the relations between President Karzai and White House are already at very low ebb since Karzai refused to let American forces stay beyond 2014. Now, how will this latest dispute unfold, remains to be seen. U-S and Afghan officials have different views on the status of prisoners in Bagram Jail. Afghan government says the prisoners are innocent and there is no evidence to prove that they are terrorists. But the U-S military insists that these prisoners are very dangerous people. And the issue comes at a very sensitive time in relations between Kabul and Afghanistan.

A group of US lawmakers have warned the Afghan president against a failure to sign a bilateral security deal. After a meeting with Hamid Karzai in Kabul, a group of American senators, including John McCain and Lindsay Graham, said they expect the agreement to be signed soon. They have also noted that such a failure would pose a threat to Afghanistan and the region. Karzai has so far delayed signing the accord with the United States. The Afghan president says he won\'t sign any agreement that allows continued raids on Afghan homes. Without a signed deal, all U-S and NATO forces would have to withdraw from Afghanistan. The US-led foreign forces are blamed for many civilian deaths in the country. The senators have also warned Karzai about the release of 88 Bagram prisoners in north Kabul. Afghanistan says it\'s found insufficient evidence to continue their detention. But, Washington says the prisoners pose a serious security threat.

US airstrikes continue to take civilian lives in Afghanistan. The casualty rate has risen over the past few months, infuriating both the Afghan public and government. A fact-finding team has confirmed that a recent US airstrike left 14 civilians dead in the northeastern province of Parwan.

A report to unveil the violations of human rights in the US in 2013. Iranian Basij Organization has held a meeting in Tehran university to review a variety of human rights violations in the US including abuses related to criminal justice, immigration, national security, and drug policy. Almost all the violations have been confirmed by international organizations such Human Rights Watch. The organization says within these areas, victims are often the most vulnerable members of society: racial and ethnic minorities, immigrants, children, the elderly, the poor, and prisoners.

Thousands of people have staged a rally in the streets of the Jordanian capital Amman to protest against a planned visit by the US Secretary of State. The protesters also expressed anger at the so-called peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. The protesters came from Arab nationalist groups and Jordanian tribes. They chanted anti-US slogans and called on Palestinian groups to reject the so-called peace process. They demanded Jordan\'s king Abdullah to annul the 1994 peace treaty between Israel and Jordan. The protest comes as the US Secretary of State has been trying to push Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Acting Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas to accept a deal over occupied territories.

NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen says Afghan President Hamid Karzai will likely leave the signing of a security pact with the US to his successor. Rasmussen says he believes that Karzai will not sign the long-stalled pact until April\'s presidential election. The deal would allow American troops to stay in Afghanistan beyond the withdrawal deadline of the end of 2014. Rasmussen has acknowledged that NATO expects a separate pact with Kabul which would be impossible without a deal with the US. Back in November, Karzai told an assembly of elders known as the Loya Jirga that he will not sign the deal until certain conditions are met. He\'s demanded that the US immediately stop its military operations on Afghan homes.

[02 Apr 2014] More senators join campaign to release controversial US torture report - English

[11 Apr 2014] US sanctions 7 Crimean individuals, gas company - English

[15 Apr 2014] US State Department says it will not grant visa to Iran\'s envoy to UN - English