North Korea Succession: Reports of Power-Handover Talks

In North Korea, the first congress in 30 years of the Workers' Party of Korea may be imminent, suggesting that a succession is being prepared to hand power from Kim Jong Il to his son Kim Jong Un

Koran Burning: Cues from Osama bin Laden Media Strategy?

While he's planning violence against books, not people, the would-be Koran-burning Florida preacher Terry Jones is following a self-promotion strategy similar to that of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden

China: Journalist Attacks Hurt Investigative Reporting

China has long been an unfriendly place for journalists, but two attacks on journalists in Beijing this summer serve as a reminder that the threats to the press can extend beyond censorship to outright violence

Financial Sheriffs to Monitor Banks, Markets in European Union

A trio of financial sheriffs will oversee finance in the entire European market

Uganda: Democratic Reform and Security Top U.S. Agenda

Pushing for electoral reform is tricky when the strongman in power is also a key ally against extremist violence

Afghan Elections: Candidates Flock to Kabul for Safety

More than 600 candidates are running for office out of Afghanistan's capital because it isn't safe to campaign in the provinces

Is China Planning a Broader South Pacific Strategy?

Beijing has entertained Fiji's pariah military dictator while doling out lots of cash and support to other impoverished countries in Australia's backyard

Spain: What the ETA Cease-Fire Announcement Reveals

Spain's political establishment has rejected a unilateral cease-fire declared by the battered Basque terrorist group ETA. What does it reveal about the cohesion of the separatists and what they might do next?

Afghanistan: Run on Kabul Bank Shakes a Fragile Economy

The government insists there is no reason for anxiety but the depositors outside Afghanistan's largest bank are implacable. They want their money back

The Bettencourt Scandal Puts Sarkozy in Growing Peril

As the scandal surrounding the L'OrÉal billions further entwines Eric Woerth, French President Nicolas Sarkozy's support for his labor minister could cost him the next election

Since Floods, Pakistani Women Not as Shielded from Strangers

The public mixing of the genders is leading to enormous tension and fear that violence may break out as men try to defend conservative ideas of honor

The Forbidden City's Secret Treasures Head to the U.S.

Though Beijing's Forbidden City has been open to the public for decades, parts of it remained off-limits. This month a new exhibition of artifacts from behind the gates heads to the U.S.