ELECTIONS

Voting is underway to elect a new president in the cholera-hit Haiti. International observers are on the watch hoping that the elections will lead to a stable government capable of administering the humanitarian aid flowing into the country. Almost $900 million of the pledged $2.12 aid has been disbursed by 24 donor nations. Armed peacekeepers are on guard at polling booth across the capital of Port-au-Prince.

South African president Jacob Zuma set off to Harare on Friday expecting to even out the disputes of Zimbabwe's power-sharing government which is almost on the verge of collapse. The Zimbabwe standoff worsened as Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai filed a lawsuit against ruling president Robert Mugabe accusing him of violating the global political agreement (GPA) signed between them.

The Nitish Kumar government set the state police free in arresting criminals, unlike before when the criminals enjoyed the support of politicians.

Bihar, India’s third most populous state voted Janata Dal (United)’s-Bharatiya Janata Party combine to power with a thumping majority to give Nitish Kumar a second term as chief minister of the state, giving a drubbing to the rival combine of Lalu Prasad and Ram Vilas Paswan, decimating the Congress.

Supporters of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act may be looking at the measure’s last best chance of becoming law.

The Irish government is busy finalizing an austerity plan that is expected to save about 15 billion euros, even as the opposition called for early elections in January.

Myanmar's Junta backed government has granted a visa to pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi's son. Thirty-three-year-old Kim Aris is expected in Yangon on Tuesday and Suu Kyi herself is likely to receive him at the airport. This will be for the first time in 10 years that Kim would get to see his mother.

It's been 33 years since Egypt's President Anwar El Sadat visited Israel. He then became the first ever Arab leader to engage with Jewish state. Though the United States brokered peace between the two nations, recent political developments suggest that things could go off balance in the coming months.

The saga surrounding the extension (or repeal) of George W. Bush’s tax cuts seems to be changing daily, almost hourly. It’s a highly complex and contentious issue that will (perhaps unfortunately) be decided solely by politics.

The Paris Club of creditor nations and Brazil have agreed to cancel $7.35-billion of debt owed by the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), representing more than half of the nation’s foreign debt.

On the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in Seoul, city mayor Oh Se-hoon, in an interview with IB Times speaks about his agenda for the city’s future, the recognition received by the Seoul Metropolitan Government for carrying out public participation in governance successfully and more.

Alaska Senate candidate Joe Miller isn't ready to accept defeat despite media projections that rival candidate Sen. Lisa Murkowski has won the election.

Yields on municipal bonds has risen recently, with long-term yields rising more sharply than those on the short-end since the beginning of the November.

House Democrats re-elected Rep. Nancy Pelosi D-CA as their leader for the next Congress by a large margin on Wednesday as her challenger said the fragmented vote meant moderates should get a say in decision making.

Republican Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski is the projected winner of her tight race for the Senate against challenger and tea-party-backed Republican Joe Miller.

Tensions are mounting on the rough waters of the East China Sea as both China and Japan refuse to withdraw claims over the disputed isles. There is no end in sight to the crisis with China setting off to embattle the waters, while the Japanese are solidifying their stance. Suffering both domestic and International setbacks in the recent months, Prime Minister Naoto Kan is mired in severe public discontent. With his approval ratings plunging to a new low, Kan, missing no opportunity, reiterated h...

The hand counting of write-in and absentee ballots continues in Alaska today, where incumbent Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski appears on the verge of a historic victory over tea-party Republican nominee Joe Miller.

Two new Democratic senators will be sworn in this afternoon.

A two-year investigation into possible ethics violations by U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel, D-NY, led today to the beginning of a trial before an eight-member, bipartisan House subcommittee. Rangel’s first move was to request a postponement.

In an attempt to topple Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's government, four top officials, including two ministers, are set to resign on Monday afternoon. Even as the move might not be able to bring down the administration, it is likely to prompt early elections in the country, analysts say

Euro rose across the board and pulled off 1-1/2-month lows against the US dollar and British pound on Friday on news EU leaders reassured the holders of outstanding bonds that they would not be forced to take losses. The day's gains, however, did not prevent the single currency from heading for weekly losses versus the majors as investors are still worried that Ireland may default on its bonds.