Madonna, Ritchie granted divorce

Madonna and husband Guy Ritchie ended nearly eight years of marriage in just a few minutes on Friday when a British court granted them a preliminary divorce decree.

Citigroup eyeing options, including a merger

Citigroup Inc shares fell sharply again on Friday as the second-largest U.S. bank by assets mulled a variety of options to save itself, including a possible merger or asset sales.

Blast kills 8 mourners at Pakistani funeral

A blast killed at least six mourners Friday at the funeral of a Shiite cleric in northwest Pakistan who was gunned down hours earlier, police said.

Bush to promote action plan to deal with crisis

Struggling to get ahead of a global financial crisis, the president hopes to win more converts at a summit in Peru for a plan aimed at showing governments have the will and means to halt the turmoil.

Afghanistan markets pomegranates

Afghanistan is telling the world that it has a trendy, new replacement for its dreaded poppy crop: sweet, juicy pomegranates.

Myanmar sends comedian, monk to prison
Courts in military-ruled Myanmar on Friday handed long prison sentences to a prominent monk and a popular comedian active in the country's pro-democracy movement.

Obama team springs leaks

Barack Obama was famously able to impose discipline and control over his presidential campaign, but it didn't take long for him to discover that running a transition is something quite different.

GM plans more cuts, eyes up to 10 factories
General Motors Corp. will extend its holiday shutdown or make other production cuts at up to 10 factories as it deals with a continued U.S. auto sales slump and fights to stay solvent.

Report predicts U.S. decline, Russia rise

Global warming could be a boon to Russia while the U.S. could further decline in importance during the next two decades, says a U.S. intelligence report with predictions for the world in 2025.