Finland wonders if Russia stole its camouflage design
As the world's militaries have switched over to camouflage based on digital images, countries are protecting their patterns, hence the chatter about Russia stealing from Finland.

Congressional shake-up helps Obama on climate change
John Dingell of Michigan was ousted from his chairmanship of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, helping Barack Obama in his plans to promote efforts to combat global warming.

Judge orders release of 5 Guantánamo detainees
The decision is likely to be seen as a major repudiation of the Bush administration's effort to use the detention center as a way to avoid scrutiny by judges.

U.S. report predicts decline for Al Qaeda
A global forecast by intelligence agencies says the group has alienated Muslim supporters with its indiscriminate killing and inattention to the problems of poverty, unemployment and education.

In endless slide, a painful market turn
World stock markets tumbled this week to their lowest levels in nearly six years, as different factors seemed to feed into each other in a vicious cycle.
- White House to extend unemployment benefits
- Breakingviews.com: Vicious circle in the markets

Oil dips below $50 a barrel
The price of a barrel of oil has shed close to $100 in four months in a stunning - and sudden - reversal, as an ailing global economy reduced its consumption.

North Korea's bluster has a familiar ring
North Korea, a master of survival surrounded by bigger powers, has used the same tactics often in the past and may be particularly tempted to use them again.

Iran is said to have enough material for one nuclear weapon
Several experts said the milestone was mostly symbolic, because Iran would have to take additional steps to build a bomb.
- UN frustrated with Iran over nuclear program

EU governments to overhaul farm subsidies
But Britain said the measures, which cover the period to 2013, did not go far enough and risked skewing markets.

Confusion in Moscow trial of men accused of killing journalist
The jury in the trial of three men accused of involvement in the killing of journalist Anna Politkovskaya did not demand that journalists be barred from the proceedings, a member of the jury said Thursday, contradicting a statement by a judge a day earlier.

No collapse coming, Putin tells Russia
Mindful that Russians have been traumatized by two other financial crises in the last two decades, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin tried to assure the country Thursday that it would be able to weather the current one.

Global downturn has Taiwan high-tech companies reeling
Makers of computer memory chips and flat-panel screens are at a disadvantage with their South Korean competitors as orders drop.

India's stepchildren, making their own way home
If our parents left India and trudged westward for us, then what does it mean when we choose to migrate to the place they forsook?

Coming soon to a zoo near you: Live mammoths (maybe)
For the first time, scientists are talking about resurrecting an extinct species as if this longtime staple of science fiction were a realistic possibility, saying that a living mammoth could perhaps be regenerated for as little as $10 million.

David Chan: A concertmaster whose other passion is wine
David Chan, concertmaster of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, says "talking about wine is like talking about music."