Hizbullah Moving Into Venezuela
According to Israel Radio on Thursday, Hizbullah and Iranian Revolutionary Guard agents have sent special forces into Venezuela to abduct Jewish businessmen and take them to Lebanon. The Los Angeles Times reported that a counter-terrorism expert said Iranian-supported agents have enlisted Venezuelan citizens from Caracas to help with the kidnappings.

Interview: China Wary Of Russian Support For Georgian Separatists
China and Russia are two giant neighbors whose relationship never seems quite settled. Once Marxist allies, they later quarreled and went their separate ways. In the post-Soviet era, relations have been cordial, but fairly distant. At the Dushanbe summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Russian President Dmitry Medvedev was seeking China's support in the standoff with the West over Georgia.

Shanghai Cooperation Organization Fails To Back Russia Over Georgia
The member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) have expressed grave concern over tensions in Georgia, but failed to give Moscow clear support in its standoff with the West. While they backed "Russia's active role" in resolving the conflict in Georgia, the SCO member states stopped well short of recognizing South Ossetia and Abkhazia's independence.

Hindu-Christian Violence Kills 9 in India’s Orissa State
In India's eastern Orissa State, spiraling violence between Hindus and Christians has killed at least nine people. Authorities issued shoot-at-sight orders and police staged marches Wednesday in Orissa's Kandhamal District, the region worst-hit by violence between Hindus and Christians.

Former Premier Sharif Quits Pakistan’s Ruling Coalition
Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has pulled his party out of Pakistan's governing coalition. At a news conference in the capital, Islamabad, Sharif blamed the main ruling party of Asif Ali Zardari, the Pakistan People's Party, for the breakup of the five-month-old alliance.

Political Storm Looms In Pakistan After Deadly Attack On Military Site
The political alliance in Pakistan that pressured President Pervez Musharraf to resign earlier this week is now facing a crisis of its own. The two main parties, led by Asif Ali Zardari and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, were bitter political rivals before Musharraf seized power in a 1999 military coup.

Pakistan’s Musharraf Resigns In Face Of Impeachment Motion
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, under a serious threat of impeachment from the country's governing coalition, has announced he is resigning from office "in the interest of the nation." Musharraf said in an hourlong televised speech that he can prove that allegations made against him by his political opponents in parliament are false.

Initial Reaction To Pakistani President’s Resignation Cautious
News of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's resignation is being received with caution both domestically and internationally. One of the main parties in Pakistan's governing coalition, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), is the party of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who was deposed by the 1999 military coup that brought Musharraf to power.