Honduras's de facto leader may step aside for a week

TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) -- Honduras's de facto leader said he may give up his presidential duties for a week so voters can focus on an election that Washington hopes will help end a five-month-old political crisis.

Pentagon orders review after Fort Hood rampage: Gates

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Thursday announced a major review of the Fort Hood shootings to examine if the military had missed warning signs or remained “vulnerable” to similar assaults.

Europe names Belgian PM as first president

BRUSSELS (AFP) -- EU leaders picked little known Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy as Europe's first president with a mission to give the continent a greater world profile.

Colombia, Ecuador resume contact on border security

BOGOTA (xinhua) -- The governments of Colombia and Ecuador reinstalled here on Thursday a defunct frontier committee to resume contact on border security one and a half years after both sides cut off ties.

Obama has failed the world on climate change
By Christian Schwägerl

U.S. President Barack Obama came to office promising hope and change. But on climate change, he has followed in the footsteps of his predecessor, George W. Bush. Now, should the climate summit in Copenhagen fail, the blame will lie squarely with Obama.

Zuma tells cabinet team to tackle corruption scourge

JOHANNESBURG (allAfrica) — President Jacob Zuma and his cabinet have vowed to deal with the “scourge” of corruption in the government in a determined and co-ordinated way to prevent it infesting every nook and cranny of society.

A softer approach to Karzai
By Rajiv Chandrasekaran

When a team of senior U.S. officials led by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton entered the presidential palace in Kabul on Wednesday for a dinner meeting, they had little indication of what Afghan President Hamid Karzai planned to discuss, or whether questions about corruption and governance would pitch their host into a foul mood.

World needs China-U.S. cooperation

BEIJING (Xinhua) -- The leader of the world's largest developed country came across the Pacific Ocean to the largest developing country this week, and nobody could ignore the event nor its significance.

Karzai: West's tarnished favorite looks to restore trust

KABUL (AFP) -- Eight years after he took power, Afghan leader Hamid Karzai will have to work hard to restore shattered Western faith in his leadership as he sworn in for another five-year mandate Thursday.