A report from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission shows that index funds actually were cutting their stake in the oil market as prices were soaring.

A Naples man who played himself in the award winning film "Gomorra" about the Naples mob is among seven men arrested at the weekend on suspicion of Mafia offences.

The attack on Lashkar Gah is the first time that the Taleban have attempted to push inside the well-defended provincial capital. The operation was an attempted “spectacular”, a Taleban tactic culled from the insurgents in Iraq and aimed as much at psychological impact as military success.

British and Afghan forces repulsed an attempt by hundreds of Taleban fighters to attack the provincial capital of Helmand, Lashkar Gah, on Saturday night in the most audacious Taliban attack in the province since 2006.

The decision comes in response to the U.S. decision to take the nation off a list of terrorism sponsors.

North Korea said Sunday that it was resuming the dismantlement of its nuclear program in response to President Bush's decision to remove it from a list of nations that sponsor terrorism.

Because of stoves and smoking, the air inside lower-class homes is up to 10 times worse than the gloom outside, researchers say.

China is already home to 16 of the planet's 20 most heavily polluted cities -- a noxious consequence of its double-digit economic growth. Now researchers have worse news for the nation's beleaguered lower classes: The air inside their homes is up to 10 times worse than the prevailing gloom outside.

An American computer game designer reached space today, fulfilling a long-deferred childhood dream that began with the flight of his astronaut father.

NATO-led forces repel a bold Taliban assault on a provincial capital.

Taliban fighters made an unusual bid to capture a provincial capital, Afghan and Western officials said Sunday, a failed assault that nonetheless underscored their heightened boldness and ambition in recent months.

As Pope Benedict XVI announced the ascendance of four new saints, a look back at how the guiding lights of the Catholic faith are identified

The world's biggest exporter falters as the global financial crisis begins to bite

Rightist Joerg Haider's, dead in a car crash, marshaled anti-immigrant sentiment, nationalism and even a bit of Nazi sympathy to change Austrian politics forever

Viewpoint: Professional troubleshooter Martti Ahtisaari may not seem an inspired Nobel choice, but who'd want the job of brokering agreements between those who'd prefer to have blown one another way

Asian and European markets have another black day as traders keep selling shares

The Finn Martti Ahtisaari has made a career of forging peace through the hard slog of conventional diplomacy

The failure of the island's outsize banks leaves British civic authorities and charities worried about their deposits

Stocks in the region suffer historic losses as economic news goes from bad to worse

Lessons from Japan's "Lost Decade" and the Asian Financial Crisis may provide clues for easing the credit crunch

The hijacking drama may come to an end but the controversial booty may violate an agreement that ended the Sudanese civil war. Where will it end up?

The road to sainthood for the Nazi-era Pontiff had been put on hold, but on the holiest of Jewish holy days, the current Pope appears to renew the process

Analysis: Venezuela's Chavez may crow about the demise of the U.S. economy, but it will tighten his own belt. Latin America's big winner may instead be Brazil, the country that has best managed capitalism