For President Obama and his party, last week brought another stiff dose of pain: the announcement of 263,000 more jobs lost, while unemployment ticked up to 9.8 percent.  And by all indications, Democrats must endure that form of political torture for at least several more months.

The U.N.-backed commission investigating fraud in Afghanistan's election issued its first orders Thursday to exclude some ballots from the final tally, throwing out votes from 83 polling stations.

A U.N.-backed commission Tuesday ordered a recount of Afghan presidential ballots,  even as President Hamid Karzai for the first time surpassed the threshold needed to win re-election.

South America, which boasts a range of basic resources and agriculture, is showing signs of rebounding from the global recession. But political uncertainty continues to plague the continent.

As Iran's government cracks down on traditional media after the country's disputed presidential election, tech-savvy Iranians have turned to the microblogging site Twitter.

A world wary of Iran's nuclear program reacted cautiously Saturday to hard-line leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's hotly disputed re-election. Some expressed hope that the Islamic republic's president will soften his defiance and warm to recent U.S. overtures.

A world wary of Iran's nuclear program reacted cautiously Saturday to hard-line leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's hotly disputed re-election. Some expressed hope that the Islamic republic's president will soften his defiance and warm to recent U.S. overtures.

The burgeoning British scandal over the misuse of government expense accounts is claiming its first major victims and setting the stage for a major shake-up in the country's leadership.