Democrats in the Senate called on President Bush to halt any effort by his administration to place political appointees in career jobs just weeks before his team leaves office.

Brian Taylor blogs on political strife in East Lothian

NEW DELHI: The former Sri Lankan Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, has called for a political package to the strife-torn island that is acceptable to all political parties but felt that a ceasefire at this point may not be realistic. ...

Ghana's political party atmosphere must be so fouled that political party colours have become a put-off!.

While world waits with bated breath to see if President-elect Barack Obama will choose Hillary Clinton as his secretary of state, who will head the Securities and Exchange Commission is another criitical question. But political columnist Darrell Delamaide points out that some presidential appointments, no matter how important, are no plums.

China's $586-billion stimulus plan serves economic and political needs, experts say.

The US Embassy in Beirut hosted a luncheon on Wednesday for Lebanese participants of a US-sponsored "Election Exchange Program" held from October- November. Almost 50 women political leaders from the Middle East and North Africa traveled to the US "to learn from the US experience in electoral campaigning."

For the first time in years, Venezuela's political opposition is poised to break President Hugo Chávez's nearly complete hold on local and state offices. Crime is one reason why.