Candidates press campaigns in key states
Obama has Gore appearing for him and McCain calls on Schwarzenegger.
- For liberals, Obama lead is too good to be true
- Fight brewing for Republican party's soul
- Obama plans a four-day hunt for more Democratic voters
- Ohio laws on ballots may decide the election

Montenegro becomes Russia's window of opportunity
Thanks largely to Russian investment, Montenegro has been getting more foreign investment per capita than any other country in Europe.

Reports of evictions at Congo camps
While the tense truce held in Goma, the UN said it had received "disturbing" reports from refugee camps.
- French and British envoys heading to Congo

McCain and Obama advisers briefed on deteriorating Afghan war
Experts sought to make clear to advisers from the presidential campaigns that the next president needed to have a plan for Afghanistan before he took office on Jan. 20.
- Blast rocks Afghan ministry

Japan general fired for war views
A high-ranking Japanese military official was dismissed Friday for stating that the U.S. had ensnared Japan into World War II.

Bank of Japan cuts rates for first time in 7 years
The Japanese central bank on Friday joined the U.S. Federal Reserve Board and other central banks in moving to soften the brunt of an oncoming global recession.
- Japanese banks cut their earnings estimates

Barclays to raise £7.3 billion in share sales, mostly to Mideast nations
Barclays is to sell £5.8 billion of convertible notes, which could leave Abu Dhabi and Qatar with as much as 32 percent of the British bank. An additional £1.5 billion would be raised by selling securities to new and existing institutional shareholders.
- French and Dutch bank rescue plans win EU approval

2 rivals in talks to finance 'Tintin' films
The elaborate, two-film "Tintin" series planned by Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson may find its financiers in a partnership being forged by Sony and Paramount.

Somalia's pirates flourish in a lawless nation
The country is in chaos, but one line of work — piracy — seems to be benefiting quite openly from all the lawlessness and desperation.

Libya pays $1.5 billion into fund for terror victims
Under a deal worked out earlier this year, President George W. Bush on Friday signed an executive order restoring the Libyan government's immunity from terror-related lawsuits and dismissing pending compensation cases.

Suspected U.S. missiles kill 27 in Pakistan
Suspected U.S. missiles slammed into two villages Friday, killing 27 people including foreign fighters in the latest strikes inside Pakistan, intelligence officials said.

Alaska senator defiant in face of charges
Two days after Senator Ted Stevens was convicted of failing to disclose more than $250,000 in gifts and home renovations, he was in Alaska calling it "a temporary situation."

Democratic transitions bring legacies into focus
How gracefully a politician exits the stage, and what sort of government he or she leaves behind, brings early shape to how that official will be remembered.

Van Dyck's subtle scrutiny of the human psyche
An exhibition at the Musée Jacquemart-André traces the oeuvre of Anthony Van Dyck.