In the twisted calculus of today's presidential election, President Bashar al-Assad will claim legitimacy by getting a smaller percentage of the vote than in years past.
China is embroiled in territorial disputes over an oil rig close to Vietnam and the arrest of Chinese fishermen in the Philippines, alarming its Southeast Asian neighbors.
Today is the deadline for an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal, and the two sides won't even talk to each other. A look at how things went wrong 鈥� again 鈥� and what the options are now.
The Oklahoma Supreme Court halted two executions over concerns that the state is keeping secrets about its lethal injection drugs. The issue is increasingly urgent for many states.
The Social Progress Index 鈥� covering everything from social inclusion to environmental stability and literacy rates 鈥� offers a window into the well-being of people in 132 nations.
The explosion of a Harlem building last week because of a natural gas leak points to where the US natural gas delivery system is most vulnerable and why.
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas meets with President Obama today. Israel's insistence that Abbas recognize Israel as a Jewish state is likely to be a point of contention.
Tech companies are excited about the 'Internet of Things,' but what exactly does that mean? Just imagine your household appliances, Web-enabled and sharing info.
Despite Western condemnation of Africa's harsh gay laws (including a World Bank freeze of $90 million to Nigeria) the legislation is popular and the sentiment is deeply rooted in the culture.
Recent protests have pitted the government and Venezuelan opposition against each other 鈥� and the stakes are high.
Ukraine's political struggle conceals deep-seated economic fault lines. Whichever side emerges victorious from the crisis 鈥� and inherits the mess 鈥� is not to be envied.
Though Ukraine's opposition is united against President Yanukovych's government, they are far from monolithic. Who are the players, and how strong are the bonds forged in Kiev's protests?
Former allies in its war for independence have turned on each other and the world's youngest nation faces the danger of a prolonged war. What you need to know about the conflict.
The controversy over Russian charges against Greenpeace activists rages on, but ultimately it's all about Russia's aspiration in the thawing north.
An audacious attack on Beijing's Tiananmen Square has cast attention on the ethnic minority that China often calls terrorists. That label does not apply to most Uighurs.
Two-and-a-half years after the disaster, the nuclear plant continues to pose problems. Here's what you need to know now.
A historic phone call today between Presidents Obama and Rouhani could signal a new chapter in US-Iran relations.
Too many people is a big problem, but too few is a concern as well.
The chancellor remains immensely popular among the public, but the German electoral system means that she still faces hurdles in this weekend's election.
The shooting of dozens of striking miners shocked the nation, and continues to reverberate through South Africa's labor movement and economy.
The EU allowed the arms embargo to expire in June, but said it would not take action until August. That day is here.
A spate of car bombings and simultaneous attacks on two Iraqi prisons, which freed 500 prisoners, could end the vestiges of restraint preventing political tensions from exploding.
How a food fight could derail talks on a lucrative free-trade treaty.
A leaked report reveals new details, as well as a nation's vulnerabilities.
In his speech today in Berlin, President Obama called for the US and Russia to cut their strategic nuclear arsenals by a third. But the proposal may meet a chilly reception in Moscow.
