Israel rebuffs calls for 48-hour truce in Gaza

Officials suspect the Heaven's Army members were planning to attack pilgrims celebrating the holiday of Ashura. Elsewhere, a candidate in upcoming provincial elections was assassinated. >>

The U.S. and Mexico agree that cartels have morphed into crime syndicates that pose an urgent security threat to the region. But working together has not been easy. >>

Public displays and rhetoric have two purposes: to assert leadership in the Islamic world and to bolster Tehran's hard-liners at home. But they also may link Iran unfavorably with Hamas' militancy. >>

At least 54 New Year's revelers died when a fire swept through a packed nightclub in the Thai capital, police at the scene said. >>

Mostafa Hosni preaches on TV, repackaging Islam and focusing on real-life problems for Egypt's young adults. He doesn't fit the West's stereotypical image of an Islamic spiritual leader. >>

As euphoria over his election begins to fade, young people are reminded that in Africa, money, ethnicity and family connections count more toward success than does hard work. >>

Ties may be irreparably damaged by perceptions that Cairo supports Israel. It is no longer clear whether Egypt can continue as a mediator Palestinian affairs. >>

The French plan would set a 48-hour cease-fire. Meanwhile, attacks against Hamas targets continue. >>

Washington is worried that a prolonged campaign in the Gaza Strip could bolster the Palestinian Hamas movement. It wants Israel to set a timetable. >>

Palestinians in the Shatila camp express anger toward Israel over its Gaza offensive, but they differ as to where the rest of the blame belongs. >>

Hopes are high that Sheik Hasina Wajed will bring democracy and peace to Bangladesh, but rumblings of dissent are growing. >>

The move by President Dmitry Medvedev amends the nation's constitution for the first time in the charter's history and sparks speculation that Vladimir Putin will soon return to the presidency. >>

Authorities seize sensitive files and records from the Tehran office of Shirin Ebadi, a human rights lawyer. >>

Pakistan suspended truck shipments of U.S. military supplies through the Khyber Pass on Tuesday after launching an offensive against militants who are trying to cripple Washington's war on a resurgent Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan. >>

China: Trial begins in tainted milk scandal / Guinea: Coup leaders pick prime minister / Russia: Former Yukos executive free on bail / Indonesia: Ex-agent acquitted in death of Munir Thalib >>

More than 1,100 American troops died building the road in what is now Myanmar. Today China and some in India see the long-neglected route as their lifeline. >>

Experts and public figures in the U.S. and Latin America offer a range of views, from stepped-up policing to legalization. >>

Answers to some questions about the outbreak of the deadly fighting, its context and the key players. >>

A Gaza father mourns for his five slain daughters, and a rocket from the enclave kills a man nearby in Israel. Though the overall tolls are wildly disparate, the effect on loved ones is the same. >>

The death toll in Gaza rises to 364. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak says the offensive will be expanded 'as we see fit.' Palestinian militants' rocket attacks kill three Israelis. >>

Answers to some questions about the outbreak of the deadly fighting, its context and the key players. >>

Abdullahi Yusuf steps down after losing a power struggle. A proposed reconciliation plan would bring a moderate Islamist opposition faction into government. >>

Thanks to a Baptist missionary, tens of thousands were ready to lend a hand when World War II soldiers needed help building the Stilwell Road. >>

Cuba: Hundreds seek Spanish citizenship / Congo: 189 villagers reported killed / Bangladesh: Alliance wins election / Afghanistan: Blast kills 2, hurts U.S. soldiers / Guinea: African Union sanctions >>

More than 300 illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar were missing and feared dead off India's eastern coast after they jumped from a rickety boat that had been adrift 13 days and tried to swim to shore, an official said Monday. Authorities rescued 102 others on the boat. >>

From admission in primary school to setting up a business, bribes grease the wheels of Chinese enterprise. Some citizens dare to speak out against corrupt officials, but sometimes pay a heavy price. >>

Before launching attacks on Hamas in Gaza, the Jewish state carefully prepared a list of targets, and it has kept its tone more modest than it did before attacking Hezbollah in 2006. >>

The violence in the Gaza Strip may also reinforce many Muslims' unhappiness with the U.S. position on Israeli-Palestinian affairs and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. >>

Pakistani elite gather at the exclusive hotel amid heightened security. In the northwest, a suicide car bomber kills at least 36 people. >>

The suicide attacker strikes a Buner polling station during a parliamentary by-election. In Islamabad, a hotel bombed three months ago reopens under increased security. >>