Topic: Ben Arnoldy

The price of gold: as influential as a global power

The record price of gold and the universal obsession with the sparkling metal make it a parallel global power.

One year after its worst flooding, is Pakistan ready for monsoon season?

Pakistan’s record floods last year killed some 2,000 people and displaced 20 million. Many officials say the country is still not properly prepared to deal with this year's imminent monsoon season.

Underdog candidate Carstens takes on IMF's European tradition

Mexico's central bank chief Agustín Carstens faces an uphill battle against French frontrunner Christine Lagarde, who this week is lobbying India, China, and Egypt for support.

Can the planet handle more middle-class humans?

In just 10 years, the world for the first time will be more middle-class than poor. That will tax resources and set up conflicts. But with more people free from just trying to survive, the arts and sciences should boom as well.

Surging BRIC middle classes are eclipsing global poverty

By 2022, those living in poverty will be a minority for the first time, as the global middle class – particularly from BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) nations – surges. Does new affluence signal shifting global power?

Osama bin Laden killed near Pakistan's West Point. Was he really hidden?

The world’s most wanted terrorist, Osama bin Laden, was not hiding in a cave along the lawless border with Afghanistan, as many believed. Instead, US forces killed him 75 miles north of Pakistan's capital, Islamabad.

Back from Asia, Obama weighs strategic partnerships, China's economic muscle

Obama's stops in India and Indonesia balanced security with economic pressures. But back-to-back global summits in Japan and South Korea underscored the administration’s weaker hand with China.

The 8 worst countries on Transparency International's list

Nearly three quarters of the 178 countries in the annual Corruption Perceptions Index has a ranking below five, meaning that not just the following five countries have a corruption problem.

Robert Kaplan: Indian Ocean becomes battleground for India and China

'China wants a presence. India is unnerved by all of this,' Robert Kaplan, author of 'Monsoon: The Indian Ocean and the Future of American Power,' told a small gathering in Cambridge.

Are Afghanistan elections hurting democracy?

US officials are calling the Afghanistan election for parliament a success, even as fraud allegations mount.

How an 'ugly American' can win the hearts and minds war

It is easy to criticize the misspending and poor execution of foreign aid in places like Afghanistan. Done right, however, foreign aid promotes self-reliance.

Talk to the Editor for Jan. 28: Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India

Talk to the Editor for Jan. 28: Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India

New Moon opening night: From Britain to China, fans are going crazy

New Moon opening night is bringing out the fan base – largely teen girls – around the globe.

Afghanistan: What Americans really think

The pundits have spoken. Now, how does the rest of America feel about the war and more troops in Afghanistan? Conflicted but reluctantly supportive, it seems.

How world views Obama Nobel Peace Prize

President Barack Obama's Nobel Peace Prize is praised in many countries as a reflection of a "new hope" in world politics, but others worry it came too soon. A global roundup of views.

Afghan bomb kills five wedding guests. Taliban breaking promise?

A new code of conduct had urged fighters to avoid civilian deaths.

Thwarted Taliban attacks a positive mark in Afghan police’s spotty record

Officers killed four of at least eight suicide bombers – some wearing burqas – launching a coordinated assault in Gardez.

Friday's coverage: Supreme Leader speaks, Hawaii girds, gun laws slide

Thursday's coverage: Naming names in Iran, moon mapping, financial regs

'Pakistan has awakened': Locals fight back against Taliban

A new militia is targeting militants in revenge for a mosque bombing Friday. Some say it could be a turning of the tide in public sentiment, driven by recent Army successes.

Today's news stories: Troops in Iraq, graduation mayhem in France, and limiting youth access to credit

Today's coverage agenda: car dealers, Pelosi, Obamas, nukes, Netanyahu

Today's lineup: Taliban PR, pope's trip, Florida builders

Today's agenda: Life under Taliban, Obama healthcare deal, Hubble repair

Today's briefing: Pakistan's next hot spot, Mexico returns to normal