Welcome to our world, Mr. President-elect
Within minutes of his election Nov. 4, the calls from foreign governments offering advice to Barack Obama began, his aides say, and have still not stopped.

Christine Lagarde: A French minister's trans-Atlantic balancing act
For the finance minister of France, the economic summit this weekend offers a quiet opportunity to push the European agenda of better regulation and more coordinated action.

Obama resigning from Senate
President-elect Barack Obama said he would resign his Senate seat on Sunday as he focused on his transition to the White House.
- Biden meets Cheney
- At governors meeting, Palin looks ahead
- For a Washington job, be prepared to tell all
- Democrats' plans to investigate Bush administration may be blocked
- Republican governors regroup and plan for the future
- Obama preparing comprehensive technology policy

Europe could cede to emerging nations at IMF
The head of the European Commission said he believed leaders in Europe accepted that they were over-represented at Washington institutions, and may cede some influence.

Bush's power to deal with crisis may be limited
Bush can hardly negotiate on behalf of the United States when neither he nor his foreign counterparts know if Barack Obama will live up to the commitments he makes.

U.S. stocks soar after volatile session on Wall Street
Wall Street markets swung wildly on Thursday, flirting with new lows before rebounding to close in positive territory.
- Asian shares decline sharply, but Europe is calm
- Oil prices slide, despite OPEC production cuts
- Jitters send U.S. stocks down sharply
- Australia acts to ban 'naked' short-selling
- Best Buy slashes forecast
- Asia refinancing to provide risks and opportunities

Gaza goes dark after officials shut power plant
Officials in Gaza shut down the territory's only power plant, cutting off electricity to much of the city's 300,000 people, after Israel canceled plans to ship in some diesel fuel for the plant.
- Gaza clash puts shaky truce under pressure
- Secular hawk wins mayor's race in Jerusalem

19 killed and dozens wounded in attack on U.S. convoy in Afghan market
A day after a suicide bombing in southern Afghanistan, insurgents struck Thursday in the east of the country, attacking an American military convoy in a crowded market.

Iranian diplomat abducted in Pakistan
The kidnapping of the commercial counselor at the Iranian Consulate in Peshawar on Thursday comes a day after the shooting death of an American aid worker in the same northwest city.
- U.S. aid worker and driver killed in Pakistani tribal region

Eighth-century church unearthed in Syria
The church, recently discovered by a Syrian-Polish archaeological team, is the fourth and largest discovered so far in Palmyra, an ancient trade center northeast of Damascus that is now an archaeological treasure trove.

Fiscal crisis gives Argentines that old sinking feeling
A steep fall in commodity prices and the global credit crunch are affecting much of Latin America. At the Innocenza factory in Buenos Aires, orders for bikinis are down by more than 15 percent.
- This time, Southeast Asia is not at center of the crisis
- Emirates see fiscal crisis as chance to save culture

Haunting Asia, a brown cloud blots out sun
A noxious cocktail of soot, smog and toxic chemicals is blotting out the sun, fouling the lungs of millions of people and altering weather patterns in large parts of Asia, according to a UN report.

Obama and a makeover for the 'ugly American'
Will the tarnished U.S. image abroad be remade now that the United States has elected as its next president a black man who has described himself as a citizen of the world?

Trading truth for broken bones in Bulgaria
Voices against corruption, including journalists and various organizations, defy physical attacks as signs of organized crime abound amid prospects of EU subsidies flowing into the country.

World leaders who could make Obama sweat
As Barack Obama, a former high school basketball player, prepares to take his rhetorical and organizational gifts and crossover dribble into the highest office in his land, he might be interested to know that other heads of state have strong sporting resumés of their own.
- Obama's brother-in-law faces challenges of his own