World News

France recently hosted discussions between Afghan and Taliban officials. The meetings again raised the possibility of negotiations to end the fighting in Afghanistan, though many analysts remain deeply skeptical.

Polls for next month's election show leftist parties with a comfortable lead. But attention has focused on the attempted comeback of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and the man who took over when he was ousted, Mario Monti.

South Korea now appears to be the fastest-aging country in the world. The government has launched a series of creative programs, including a network of community centers for dementia patients and training for young people that simulates the physical and mental effects of old age.

Brazil is now a world power when it comes to food production. And a leading symbol of that might is Katia Abreu, a senator, landowner and head of the country's most powerful Big Agro association. But environmentalists say limits need to be placed on the farming industry in order to protect the forests of the Amazon.

French President Francois Hollande has vowed to improve his country's competitiveness. But to better compete, France has to overhaul its labor market, and some hard-earned workers' rights and privileges could be lost.

The big money earned by workers in Australia's thriving mining industry is attracting sex workers from around the world. One lawmaker wants to restrict or ban prostitution, which is legal in Australia — but so far, there hasn't been much progress in changing the law.

The former Soviet citizens who flooded into Israel two decades ago have changed the country's demographics, helped strengthen the economy and played a significant role in the general rightward shift of the Israeli electorate.

Buyers are snapping up property in Germany, leaving some analysts worried that it's a bubble in the making. But others say the conservative approach to home ownership, including a tradition of large down payments, will protect the market from a U.S.-style crash.

In most of Britain, property prices are slumping amid a weak economy. But mega-rich foreigners see London's upscale neighborhoods as a safe place to invest, and they are snapping up properties and pushing up prices even though many don't plan to use these homes as a primary residence.

One of the hard things to tell about the ongoing conflict in Eastern Congo is whether it is an ethnic war or a mercantile battle for resources. The Tutsis, an ethnic minority in Congo, have been at the center of the conflict for the past 20 years. Some support the M23 rebel group because they say it offers them protection, but others say the M23's only interest is controlling mineral wealth.