President Obama is exploring alternatives to a major troop increase in Afghanistan, including a plan advocated by Vice President Joseph R.

In an hourlong meeting with Massoud Barzani, the president of the semiautonomous region of Kurdistan in northern Iraq, Mr. Gates said that Kurdish leaders should take advantage of the remaining time the United States has in Iraq and use the Americans as honest brokers to help negotiate a settlement. The account of the meeting was provided by Mr.

At least 1,000 rioters clashed with the police on Sunday as disputes between Muslim Uighurs and Han Chinese grew.

President Obama signed an agreement on Monday to cut American and Russian strategic nuclear arsenals by at least one-quarter, a first step in a broader effort intended to reduce the threat of such weapons drastically and to prevent their further spread to unstable regions.

An analyst says Dell should buy Palm. It would get a cool phone to sell, but the two companies have very different approaches to technology. There's a better fit. There’s even a certain logic to this. Dell has no handset business, while Palm has surprised the market with the elegance of its Pre smartphone and WebOS operating system. Palm is controlled by Elevation Partners, and venture backing always implies a company willing to sell at the right price.

Source: The New York Times Link Below

Housing advocates who work with homeowners in foreclosure or on the verge of it say that while the loan modification program could help thousands of New Yorkers, it has been slow to get off the ground and a majority of people who have applied for help have yet to hear whether they will receive it.

Housing advocates who work with homeowners say that while President Obama’s loan modification program could help thousands of New Yorkers, it has been slow to get off the ground.

Source: The New York Times Link Below

World stock markets fell Monday as some investors worried that the three-month rally may not be justified by economic indicators and as the dollar was bolstered by comments from Russia’s finance minister.

Rising prices at the pump pushed sales higher in May, the government said, but consumers also spent more on cars, groceries and clothing.

The bank said that growth could resume in developed countries starting next year, but emerging countries could feel “aftershocks” for years.

The American news — showing slight growth in retail sales and a dip in first-time jobless claims, as well as rising stocks — was not enough to end the disagreement between bulls and bears over how soon the economy would improve.

Kenneth D. Lewis, the Bank of America chief, told a House panel that he was pressured by the government late last year to purchase Merrill Lynch.