Iraq fails to ink deals with global oil majors
Iraq said on Monday that it had failed to sign technical support deals with global oil majors hoping to cash in on boosting the war-torn country’s extensive but underexploited oilfields… “We did not finalise any agreement with them because they refused to offer consultancy based on fees as they wanted a share of the oil,” [Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani] said.

Truck bomb wounds at least 15 near Mosul, Iraq
BAGHDAD - Hospital officials say a truck bomb has wounded at least 15 people near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.

Bomb attacks target Iraqi judges in Baghdad
Three bomb attacks targeted Iraqi judges on Monday morning, wounding one of them while two others escaped unhurt, an Interior Ministry source said. “Judge Ghanim Abdullah al-Shimmary, his wife and daughter were wounded when a bomb detonated inside his house in Baghdad’s eastern neighborhood of Bunoog,” the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

Iraq contractor reports consistent level of violence despite troop surge. (Think Progress)
Last week, the Pentagon reported that improvements in security in Iraq have been “substantial over the past nine months.” But an Iraqi contractor does not see such improvement. Spencer Ackerman reports that GardaWorld, a private intelligence firm doing business in Iraq, finds that since October, levels of violence are largely unchanged throughout Iraq.

Iraqi foreign minister urges security deal with US
BAGHDAD - Iraq’s foreign minister said Tuesday that the country has little choice but to sign a new security agreement with the U.S. that would let American troops stay in the country after a U.N. mandate expires.

Iraq: Miles-long gas lines despite oil riches
BAGHDAD - Frustrated Iraqis trying to tank up their cars faced miles-long gas lines on Tuesday — a stark reminder that a country with one of the world’s largest oil reserves still has major challenges delivering fuel to its people.

Israel seals Gaza crossings after rocket attack
JERUSALEM - Israel closed its cargo crossings with the Gaza Strip on Tuesday after accusing Palestinian militants of firing a rocket at southern Israel in violation of a shaky truce.

Turkish prosecutor: Disband ruling party
ANKARA, Turkey - Turkey’s chief prosecutor has argued in the country’s top court that the ruling Islamic-oriented party be disbanded for undermining secular principles.

Saudi detainee charged in attack on U.S.S. Cole
The Pentagon Monday announced a proposed death penalty prosecution of a Saudi man at Guantánamo, alleging he organized the October 2000 suicide bombing of the USS Cole off Aden, Yemen, that killed 17 American sailors.

Iran ready to strike at Israel’s nuclear heart
Iran has moved ballistic missiles into launch positions, with Israel’s Dimona nuclear plant among the possible targets, defence sources said last week.

US Won’t Let Iran Shut Strait of Hormuz, Fleet Says
June 30 (Bloomberg) — The U.S. won’t allow Iran to shut the Strait of Hormuz, through which the bulk of Middle East oil is shipped, a spokesman for the Fifth Fleet said.  

More US troops died in Afghanistan than Iraq in June
KABUL, Afghanistan - Militants killed more U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan in June than in Iraq for the second straight month, a grim milestone capping a run of headline-grabbing insurgent attacks that analysts say underscore the Taliban’s growing strength.

Pakistan says militants’ compound is destroyed
PESHAWAR, Pakistan - Pakistani forces destroyed a major militant compound in the troubled Khyber tribal region Tuesday as an operation against extremists entered its fourth day, a government official said.

Amid U.S. Policy Disputes, Qaeda Grows in Pakistan
After the Sept. 11 attacks, President Bush committed the nation to a “war on terrorism” and made the destruction of Mr. bin Laden’s network the top priority of his presidency. But it is increasingly clear that the Bush administration will leave office with Al Qaeda having successfully relocated its base from Afghanistan to Pakistan’s tribal areas, where it has rebuilt much of its ability to attack from the region and broadcast its messages to militants across the world.. The story of how Al Qaeda, whose name is Arabic for “the base,” has gained a new haven is in part a story of American accommodation to President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan, whose advisers played down the terrorist threat. It is also a story of how the White House shifted its sights, beginning in 2002, from counterterrorism efforts in Afghanistan and Pakistan to preparations for the war in Iraq.

Protesters mob ruling party in Mongolia after vote
ULAN BATOR, Mongolia - Police fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse angry protesters who mobbed the headquarters of the ruling political party Tuesday, alleging fraud in a weekend election that centered on how to share the country’s mineral wealth.

China scurries to quell social tensions before Olympics
BEIJING — Senior leaders exhorted local officials to deal more quickly with festering social tensions that might tarnish the upcoming Olympics as censors tried to snuff out all news about a weekend riot in southern China.

US beef goes on sale in South Korea
SEOUL, South Korea - U.S. beef returned to South Korean store shelves Tuesday under a new import agreement that has failed to stem anti-government protests, which have raged for weeks and turned central Seoul into a riot zone.

Australian police get special powers against pope protesters
SYDNEY (AFP) - Protesters planning to hand out condoms to Catholic pilgrims during Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Australia this month face arrest under special new police powers, critics said Tuesday.

Videos allegedly show torture by police in Mexico
MEXICO CITY - Videos shown by Mexican news media allegedly display municipal police participating in torture.

Venezuela priests open pro-Chavez church
CARACAS, Venezuela - A fledgling church that openly backs President Hugo Chavez is raising the ire of Venezuela’s Roman Catholic hierarchy, preaching the Gospel alongside socialism.

Ex-Peru spymaster: Fujimori innocent in spy case
LIMA, Peru - A former Peruvian spymaster whose misdeeds contributed to the collapse of Alberto Fujimori’s government eight years ago told a top court Monday that the ex-president had nothing to do with two death-squad massacres he is accused of authorizing.

Ex-Chilean intelligence chief gets 2 life sentences
SANTIAGO, Chile — A Chilean judge sentenced the country’s former intelligence chief, retired Gen. Manuel Contreras, to two life prison terms Monday for masterminding a double assassination that was one of the most notorious covert operations conducted by this country’s military government.

Cuba pushes to boost farm output
HAVANA - More than half of Cuba’s agricultural land is idle or underutilized, prompting a series of government reforms intended to dramatically boost farm production, government statistics released last week show.

French army chief resigns after 17 injured at show
PARIS - The head of France’s army has resigned after a weekend shooting at a military show that injured 17 when real bullets were used instead of blanks, the French presidency said Tuesday.

Bumpy start as France takes over EU presidency
PARIS - France’s EU presidency started inauspiciously Tuesday, with bickering between the bloc’s trade chief and President Nicolas Sarkozy and glum comments from Poland’s leader about the EU’s future direction.

Poland: US base must help Polish security
WARSAW, Poland - Poland’s prime minister on Tuesday emphasized that an eventual deal on accepting a U.S. missile defense base must strengthen his country’s security, and dismissed suggestions that negotiations have stalled.

Zimbabwe president’s spokesman to West: ‘Go hang’
SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt - Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe will not step down and Western critics who called the country’s recent election a sham can “go hang,” the longtime ruler’s spokesman said Tuesday.

Zimbabwe vote killed chances of deal: opposition
HARARE (AFP) - Robert Mugabe’s holding of a one-man election has killed off any prospect of a negotiated political settlement in Zimbabwe, the opposition Movement for Democratic Change’s number two leader said Tuesday.

African Union urges UN to take over Somalia peacekeeping
SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (AFP) - The African Union announced on Tuesday that it was extending the mandate of its force in Somalia for another six months but urged the United Nations to take over the peacekeeping mission.