In this image reviewed by the U.S. military as a condition of release, a detainee peers through his hands from inside his cell at the Camp Echo detention facility at the U.S. Navy Base, in Guantánamo, Bay, Cuba on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2008. The man's name and nationality is not known.

BRENNAN LINSLEY/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Indonesia wants access to terror suspect Hambali

Indonesia is asking for access to a jailed terror suspect at Guantánamo, known as Hambali, who was long considered an arch-terrorist in southeast Asia

INDIA

Tibetans meet, debate future of homeland

Summoned by the Dalai Lama, 550 Tibetan exiles have been meeting to plot strategy for their homeland, where China has been unwilling to loosen its grip.
GLOBAL TRENDS

Study details global political power shift

A U.S. intelligence report warned of the potential dangers that could be caused by competition for resources.
CONFLICT IN IRAQ

Iraqis skeptical that security agreement will end U.S. presence

A security deal on U.S. forces' exit from Iraq is in the works, but Iraqis don't believe it will fully end America's presence.
AFGHANISTAN

Peace overtures to Taliban go nowhere

The Afghan government made an offer of peace talks to Taliban insurgents, but both the Taliban and the U.S. strongly rejected the proposal.
KUWAIT

Firm lagging on new projects after delayed U.S. Embassy

The same Kuwaiti-based company that largely built the troubled U.S. Embassy in Baghdad has run into problems in construction of a Gabon embassy and a new U.S. consulate in Surabaya, Indonesia.
WASHINGTON

ACLU to sue U.S. officials over detainee

The ACLU plans to sue U.S. government officials over an American Muslim held without charges in the United Arab Emirates.
IRAQ

Iraqi Cabinet approves deal for U.S. forces withdrawal

An agreement for the withdrawal of U.S. forces was passed by Iraq's Cabinet, but the proposal could face opposition in the parliament.
PAKISTAN

Taliban regroups, rearms, recruits

Limiting the pursuit of al Qaeda to Afghanistan has enabled the Taliban's ranks to grow in neighboring Pakistan.
PAKISTAN

American aid worker gunned down in Pakistan

The assassination of a U.S. aid worker came during a wave of bombings, kidnappings and hijackings that continue to grip Pakistan's volatile northwest.
ENERGY

Alaskan hydrates, or methane crystals, hold promise as energy source

Hydrates, frozen methane and water crystals found in Alaska, could be a 'paradigm shift' in U.S. energy.
IRAQ

Bridge opening in Baghdad is cause for joy

A Baghdad bridge linking Shiite and Sunni areas reopened after a three-year closure.
CONFLICT IN IRAQ

Schoolgirls' bus bombed in Iraq; 2nd blast hits rescuers

Two deadly explosions during Baghdad's rush hour -- the first wrecking a bus carrying girls -- marked a surge in violence in Iraq.
IRAQ

Iraq wants changes to security pact

Iraq's government spokesman said Monday the proposed U.S. changes to a draft security agreement were ''not enough'' and asked Washington to offer new amendments if it wants the pact to win parliamentary approval.
MIDDLE EAST

Bush's Mideast peace efforts ending, with few gains

The attempt to broker an accord between Israel and the Palestinians now falls to the incoming Obama administration.
CONGO

Many are dying in Congo's `forgotten crisis'

Thousands of Congolese, dsiplaced by conflict, are still dying every month from hunger and disease.
PAKISTAN

Deadly violence flares in northwest Pakistan

Islamic militants staged a new rash of suicide attacks in Pakistan's volatile northwest, killing at least 20 people.
IMMIGRATION

Past year saw record deportations

Immigration officials deported almost 350,000 foreign nationals in the past year in an effort to lower the number of illegal migrants in the U.S.
WORLD REACTION

World anticipates a shift in U.S. foreign policy

Around the world, even those who were wary of Barack Obama expressed hope that his election portends a major shift in U.S. foreign policy.
AFRICA

Kenyans celebrate Obama's victory

Kenyans embraced Barack Obama's victory as an icon of triumph and possibility.