BARACK OBAMA

The head of an independent Russian election watchdog was detained for 12 hours at a Moscow airport Saturday as part of attempts to stop it monitoring Sunday's vote for a new parliament, the group's lawyer said.

U.S. President Barack Obama sought on Saturday to boost pressure on Republican lawmakers to back an extension of a tax cut for workers that he views as vital to help the fragile economy.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is set to urge key European officials to take decisive action next week at a make-or-break summit to prevent a debt crisis from turning into runaway contagion.

Former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin has not responded to supporters' ads urging her to run in for president -- but she apparently can relate to Herman Cain's difficulty in dealing with allegations of infidelity.

The U.S. unemployment rate tumbled to a 2-1/2 year low in November, even though the pace of hiring remained too slow to suggest a significant acceleration in the labor market recovery.

The United States and Canada are scheduled to announce a new security agreement next Wednesday designed to lower obstacles between the two nations while ensuring the perimeter around them is secure.

A 2009 report from the Office of Congressional Ethics said there was probable cause to believe Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. of Illinois agreed to raise campaign money for Gov. Rod Blagojevich in exchange for a Senate seat.

GQ has just released a list of The 25 Least Influential People of 2011, and the list had some big surprises, including past GQ favorites like January Jones and President Barack Obama. See the full list here, and GQ's reasons for including the unlucky 25.

The unemployment rate tumbled to a 2-1/2 year low in November, even though the pace of hiring remained too slow to suggest a significant acceleration in the labor market recovery.

Congress' ongoing battle over a proposed extension of the payroll-tax cut hit its first legislative wall on Thursday night, as two measures to keep the rate at least at 4.2 percent failed to overcome a filibuster in the Senate.

Thanks to a positive unemployment report released Friday, which said America's unemployment rate fell to 8.6 percent, or its lowest level since March 2009, U.S. President Barack Obama's chances of getting re-elected have increased.

President Barack Obama vowed to boost U.S. efforts to fight AIDS with a new target of providing treatment to 6 million people worldwide by 2013, up from an earlier goal of 4 million.

Employment growth picked up speed in November and the jobless rate dropped to a 2-1/2 year low of 8.6 percent, further evidence the economic recovery was gaining momentum.

Looking for the richest 1 percent? There's a gaggle roaming the Capitol Hill Rotunda. For all the focus on Wall Street's ills and the growing income disparity in America, a prominent target has been overlooked: Congress. Many lawmakers have enjoyed handsome levels of fiscal success.

Horses could soon be butchered in the U.S. for meat, after congress lifted the five-year-old ban on horse slaughter this week.

Local business men in Malawi are naming their products after names like Osama Bin Ladin, Obama and Bush which is helping them to get unique identity capable of boosting sales.

President Barack Obama announced a $50 million increase in HIV/ AIDS treatments Thursday, funding meant to treat two million additional people.

President Barack Obama and family will light the new national Christmas tree in Washington Thursday evening, according to the National Park Service.

Congressional Republicans on Wednesday proposed an extended pay freeze for federal workers' wages as a counter to Democrats' proposal to fund a payroll tax holiday with a marginal tax rate increase.

World AIDS Day 2011 marks the 30th anniversary of HIV. While tremendous progress has been made, cases continue to rise worldwide, with treatment still largely unavailable to the poor. President Obama aims to combat stigma and apathy about HIV/AIDS, and increase available medication, with a joint U.S.-global initiative targeting 15 countries most affected by the deadly disease.

To mark World AIDS Day on Thursday, New York City released a new recommendation that every person diagnosed with HIV start taking medication right away, rather than waiting until the virus progresses to AIDS and the immune system weakens.