World - The Christian Science Monitor

Hebron, West Bank - If Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas of the mainstream Fatah party makes good on his threat to resign, the man constitutionally assured his post is from the rival Hamas faction.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia - In a surprising plea on the final day of statements at the Khmer Rouge war crimes tribunal Friday, a prison chief asked judges to release him, claiming he was not a high-ranking member of the regime.

Islamabad, Pakistan - The imminent expiration of a controversial decree that provides amnesty against criminal charges to top Pakistani politicians could further weaken the country's embattled civilian government, according to analysts here.

London - Feared, loved, and reviled, the cornerstone of Rupert Murdoch's international media empire celebrated 40 years under his control this past week. The best known of Britain's tabloids or "red tops" mixes a cocktail of blaring headlines, celebrity gossip, sports and hard news exclusives that have often brought it in for criticism.

Islamabad, Pakistan - A Pakistan court charged seven people Wednesday with participating in last year's Mumbai terrorist attacks. The indictments came one day ahead of the first anniversary of the three-day assault on India's financial hub that left more than 165 people dead.

Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan - In one of the worst chapters of their casualty-marred deployment in Afghanistan, Canadian forces earlier this year lost 10 soldiers in 90 days to improvised bombs on one stretch of highway in Kandahar province.

Leiden, The Netherlands - The first Pilgrims of the first American Thanksgiving in 1621 were unusually devout – even by Puritan standards. They crossed the ocean on a conviction that "the Lord has more truth and light yet to break forth out of his holy Word," as pastor John Robinson said before they sailed from the Netherlands.

MOSCOW - Russian human rights activists are voicing cautious optimism that an investigation ordered by President Dmitry Medvedev might dig up some truth about the mysterious prison death last week of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, who was involved in a massive corruption lawsuit against the police.

Jerusalem - In an attempt to jump-start Middle East peace talks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Wednesday for a c. Israel's security cabinet, one of the gatekeeping bodies on major policy decisions, approved the freeze with an 11-1 vote.

Cairo - Street-level clashes between fans that began over a soccer game between Algeria and Egypt last week have escalated into an international diplomatic incident that goes to the core of Egypt's identity and its waning role as Mideast powerbroker.

Philippine security forces named a prominent politician, Andal Ampatuan Jr., as a prime suspect Wednesday in the investigation into a massacre of his political rivals in the southern island of Mindanao two days ago.

Johannesburg, South Africa - It is often asserted that climate change will affect women the most in the developing world. That's because most women will have to walk farther for drinking water, work harder to grow food, pull daughters out of school to help with family chores, and fuss more about family hygiene as the world – and particularly the developing world – becomes a hotter, drier place to live.

London - Britain's official inquiry into the Iraq war got under way in London on Tuesday, but it's not likely to satisfy many of those who have long been awaiting it.

Philippines President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declared a state of emergency for parts of the southern island of Mindanao on Tuesday, after a political massacre there left at least 46 people dead.

New Delhi - A new report on the 1992 destruction of a centuries-old mosque has sparked fights in the country's Parliament and threatens to inflame relations between Hindus and Muslims.

Baghdad - A senior Kurdish leader on Friday moved to defuse the latest threat to Iraq's imperiled elections – a possible Kurdish boycott – saying ongoing discussions with Iraqi leaders and political party blocs were close to resolving their differences.

Johannesburg, South Africa - In South Africa, New Moon opening night doesn't hit until Nov. 27, a week after its appearance in the United States. But Dhalyn, an American 8th-grader attending a private school in Johannesburg, says she will simply re-read the book while she waits, and maybe watch some of the trailers available on the Internet.

New Delhi, India - Indian fans of the books never got to see the first film in theaters. Outraged, a 15-year-old Calcutta girl named Ritisha Mishra launched an online petition last year to get the film released in India, eventually attracting more than 1,700 signatures.

Beijing - China has no literary tradition of vampires, aside from a few 17th-century short stories about a blood-sucking variety of ghost, but "Twilight" has swept young Chinese women off their feet.

London - It's a love story between a beautiful young woman and the man of her dreams – who just happens to be 109-year-old vampire.

Tegucigalpa, Honduras and Mexico City - For months, ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya – with the backing of the world community – has demanded that Roberto Micheletti step down as the interim president of this Central American nation roiled in political conflict.

Istanbul, Turkey - Officially, Iran has not yet given a "final answer" to a nuclear fuel proposal from six world powers, the chief of the UN's nuclear watchdog, said on Friday.

Guatemala City - Moving up the ranks of Guatemala's ruthless gangs can be as simple as robbing a store at knife point or as brutal as shooting a city bus driver. Marisole figures she fell somewhere in between.

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Paris - A closed-door meeting of six world powers signaled growing impatience with Iran's inscrutability on its nuclear program, coming a day after US President Barak Obama in Asia said Iran would face "consequences" if it refused to show good faith.

Auja, West Bank - The Hmoud family once prospered in this arid Palestinian farm village by cultivating banana and eggplant crops, earning enough to send a son abroad for medical school and to build a house with a showy staircase and a two-story window.

Damascus, Syria - More than six years after the invasion of Iraq, up to 2 million refugees remain stranded in neighboring countries and fears are rising that international support for them is fading, threatening more long-term regional unrest.

New Delhi - Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai promised to crack down on corruption after being sworn in for his second term on Thursday. But his related promise to fill his cabinet with "professionals" may be what the US and other governments were most hoping to hear on the topic.