EU proposes deeper ties to 6 ex-Soviet nations
The proposed new "Eastern Partnership" with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus offers free trade deals, closer energy ties, easier access to visas and financial assistance programs.
- NATO chief defends re-engagement with Russia

Zimbabwe police break up cholera protest
Zimbabwean riot police brandishing batons charged into a group of doctors and nurses in Harare, breaking up a demonstration for better pay and working conditions.

Amid U.S. diplomatic effort, Mumbai police find a leftover bomb
A former U.S. Defense Department official said intelligence agencies had determined that former Pakistani officers helped train the Mumbai attackers, but that no links had been found to the Pakistani government.
- U.S. and India see link to militants in Pakistan
- A solemn Israel buries dead from Mumbai attack
- Jews in Mumbai reconsidering their long, quiet existence in India

Nominee for commerce chief has unusual breadth
Barack Obama said Wednesday that Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico, his choice to be secretary of commerce, was not a consolation prize for not being appointed secretary of state.
- Obama's stimulus package seeks to save jobs and energy
- A touchy path for Obama: Taking charge of the CIA
- Across the globe, a cautious welcome for Clinton
- Gates vows active role in staying on at Pentagon

Europe's big stimulus plans don't quite add up
Behind the headlines, the numbers are wispy, at best. But analysts say that the goal is often just to reassure the public.
- Britain takes more measures to stabilize housing

German automakers brace for downturn
The head of the auto industry association has even raised the sensitive issue of potential layoffs.

Is Europe ready for U.S.-style Olympics coverage?
By throwing open the bidding to broadcast the Games of 2014 and 2016, the Olympic committee could allow commercial and pay-TV channels to wrest the rights away from their publicly funded rivals.

British balance human gain versus the cost of drugs
Skyrocketing health care prices have led a growing number of countries to follow Britain's example when asking the hardest of questions: How much is life worth?

Relief as Thai airport reopens
Airline reservation offices were swamped with calls, and it was likely to be several days before the estimated 230,000 stranded foreign visitors would be able to leave Thailand.
- Thai central bank slashes interest rate

White House shift on coal-mining rules angers environmentalists
The shift will make it easier for coal companies to dump rock and dirt from mountaintop mining operations into nearby streams and valleys.

Internet helps foster communication between Iran and U.S.
Three decades after the United States cut off diplomatic ties with Iran, blogs and e-mail have become crucial conduits for communication between the countries.

Bild turns to the public for photos
The largest German newspaper is selling a basic digital camera in a bid to recruit a legion of citizen journalists to contribute images to its coverage.

U.S. lets Mexico have drug war funds
The U.S. government was finally releasing $400 million on Wednesday to support Mexican police and soldiers in their fight against drug cartels.

Odetta, voice of American civil rights movement, dies at 77
The singer, whose deep voice wove together the strongest songs of American folk music and the civil rights movement, died Tuesday. She was 77.

Guantánamo and China: A shared legal dead zone
Some of the things that China is accused of doing - preventing transparency, using national security to justify closed-door proceedings, bypassing procedure - are what the Bush administration has been doing at Guantánamo Bay.

Afghan refugees return home to a life of desperation
The situation in Afghan refugee settlements is dire, as government and aid groups lack the capacity to confront the approaching winter.

One man's 3-year experiment in eating organic food - all the time
Dr. Alan Greene has eaten nothing but organic food for the last three years. And the result, he says, is that he has more energy and is healthier.