King Abdullah, who's at least 90, was hospitalized last week and Crown Prince Salman delivered an annual televised speech Tuesday. One analyst says the kingdom is stable, perhaps too much so.
There are many ways to refer to the parts of our planet where people lack decent health care, education and services like electricity and clean water. And just about every label has its problems.
The master luthier's violins and cellos include spruce from the Fiemme Valley. The forest still thrives, and its trees are still made into fine instruments.
A movement tinged with anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim sentiment has been growing in the German city of Dresden since the fall. The city's weekly rally grew to some 18,000 people on Monday. Robert Siegel speaks with Melanie Amann, who covers German national politics for the newspaper Der Spiegel, about the so-called "PEGIDA" movement.
To help end the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Michael Sharp sits among the banana trees and talks with the fighters about memories of the past and dreams for their children.
The Ethiopian Orthodox Church observes Christmas on Jan. 7, and the 40 days prior are observed as a vegan fast. That means no dairy and no meat until the traditional dish of doro wat on Christmas Day.
A court approved Frank Van Den Bleeken's request to die in September. The planned euthanasia was called after the doctor who was to oversee the procedure backed out.
There are upsides to having global investors stash their savings in the United States. But their embrace of the dollar can start to feel like a death grip if it goes too far and chokes off exports.
A group calling itself PEGIDA has protested since October against Germany's asylum and immigration policies. The German political and public mainstream has responded sharply.