3/9 International Herald Tribune - World News, Analysis, and Global Opinions

President's political protector is ever close at hand March 9, 2009 at 4:30 am David Axelrod's political advice carries more weight than most anyone else's on President Barack Obama's payroll. Stocks fall back in Europe and Asia March 9, 2009 at 4:30 am Stocks fell Monday in Europe and most Asian markets, taking Tokyo equities back to 1982 levels. Markets in the United States appeared to be headed for a modest decline at the opening. Despite U.S. woes, dollar is riding high March 9, 2009 at 4:30 am With lending and investment dysfunctional around the world, the tilt of money toward the United States appears to be exacerbating the economic crisis in other countries. Seeking justice, Chinese land in secret jails March 9, 2009 at 4:30 am Rights advocates say leaders are using "black houses" to reduce the number of petitioners reaching Beijing. Fight over Internet filtering has a test run in Europe March 9, 2009 at 4:30 am American telecommunications and internet companies are lobbying lawmakers in Brussels before network neutrality battles play out back home. Irish assault raises specter of brutal days March 9, 2009 at 4:30 am The gunning down of a group of British soldiers by suspected IRA dissidents has shaken communities and challenged the still fragile cohesion of the province's power-sharing government. U.S. lobbyists angle for influence in Europe's Net neutrality debate March 8, 2009 at 5:14 pm In the Brussels lawmakers are seeking to adjudicate the competing needs of networks and high-volume users. TV and its role in popularizing modernism in America March 8, 2009 at 5:14 pm The television networks in the 1950s and 1960s were influential in introducing Americans to what has been called ""everyday modernism." Benedict to visit Holy Land in May March 8, 2009 at 5:14 pm Pope Benedict XVI announced Sunday that he would visit Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories in May in a trip that will include a stop at Jerusalem's memorial to Holocaust victims. Top Republicans say banks should be allowed to fail March 8, 2009 at 5:14 pm John McCain and Richard Shelby, two high-profile Republican senators, said that the government should allow a number of the biggest American banks to fail. World Bank offers dire forecast for world economy March 8, 2009 at 5:14 pm In a bleaker assessment than those of most private forecasters, the World Bank predicted Sunday that the global economy would shrink in 2009 for the first time since World War II. Pakistan claims a victory over the Taliban March 8, 2009 at 5:14 pm Pakistan says it has driven the Taliban out of Bajaur, a northern sliver of the tribal areas, but experts say the militants are probably waiting in mountain enclaves to return when the military eases off. Photo: Tribesmen welcoming soldiers to Inayat Kalay in Bajaur. Obama to end restrictions on stem cell research March 8, 2009 at 5:14 pm The president's announcement Monday to reverse Bush administration limits on federal financing for the research is part of a pledge to separate science and politics. Talk with the Taliban? It may be necessary March 8, 2009 at 3:27 pm Experts say negotiations with some elements of the Taliban could help end the fighting in Afghanistan. Hottest conservative pundit is not yet in high school March 8, 2009 at 10:55 am Jonathan Krohn, a Georgia eighth-grader, electrified the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington and became an instant media sensation. Obama throws critics by sticking to his word March 8, 2009 at 10:55 am Republicans and self-styled conservatives, like Captain Renault in "Casablanca," are shocked - shocked - that President Barack Obama is trying to govern as candidate Obama promised he would. Tough odds facing bill to impose carbon tax March 8, 2009 at 10:55 am Representative John Larson has embarked again on his lonely quest to enact a national tax on carbon dioxide emissions. Villagers in India open their homes March 8, 2009 at 10:55 am Samthar, in West Bengal, is one of a growing number of Indian villages that are offering homestays to tourists looking to join the humdrum rhythms of everyday life. A phrase for all seasons March 8, 2009 at 10:55 am Play the fool? Play the market? Play around? You pays your money and you plays your choice. Don't go there March 8, 2009 at 10:55 am Eight years ago the Durban Conference on human rights was turned into an anti- Western rant. Now it seems like history will repeat itself. Roger Cohen: Middle East reality check March 8, 2009 at 10:55 am The United States should follow Britain and talk to Hezbollah. Two British soldiers slain in Ulster attack March 8, 2009 at 10:55 am The shooting, the worst in more than a decade in Northern Ireland, appeared designed to undermine the Catholic-Protestant administration and the wider peace process. Psychological toll of war extensive, Iraq studies find March 8, 2009 at 10:55 am Two studies released, one on mental health and the other on the status of women, paint a sobering portrait of the difficulties that lie ahead. On dark Saudi streets, boredom leads to speed March 8, 2009 at 10:55 am Drag racing may be the most popular sport of Saudi youth, an obsessive, semilegal competition that dominates their weekend nights. Rebuilding comes slowly in South Ossetian capital March 8, 2009 at 10:55 am Six months after Russia and Georgia went to war over the enclave, little aid has reached the country and reconstruction has barely begun. Prime minister resigns to help unify Palestinians March 8, 2009 at 10:55 am Salam Fayyad said he hoped the move would help efforts to form a unity government with Hamas. Karzai says he'll stay in office until election March 8, 2009 at 10:55 am The Afghan president refused to cede authority to an interim government and would not say whether he would run for re-election. Discord likely over ratifying women's rights pact March 8, 2009 at 10:55 am Pakistani women rallying in Islamabad on Saturday for International Women's Day. This year, a global women's rights treaty completed 30 years ago has a better-than-ever chance for U.S. Senate ratification. For New York dealer, art as crisis shelter March 8, 2009 at 10:55 am At an opening at his Madison Avenue gallery a few weeks ago, Larry Gagosian wore a dark suit with a window-pane pattern and a look on his face that said, "Don't ask." Clinton's spontaneity put on hold for Mideast March 8, 2009 at 10:55 am The U.S. secretary of state was a loose, unscripted politician in Asia but a controlled diplomat in the Middle East. Layoffs in U.S. challenge traditional recovery strategies March 8, 2009 at 5:42 am A sense is taking hold that rising joblessness could reflect a wrenching restructuring of the U.S. economy. Obama's interview aboard Air Force one March 8, 2009 at 4:33 am President Barack Obama spoke in a 35-minute interview aboard Air Force One on Friday afternoon. This is an edited transcript, as recorded by The New York Times. Dreaming of splitting the Taliban March 8, 2009 at 3:58 am Should the United States seek to negotiate with some of the same people who gave sanctuary to Osama bin Laden before 9/11?