2/19 International Herald Tribune - World News, Analysis, and Global Opinions

A Colorado home is ready for its owners' old age February 18, 2009 at 10:26 pm <strong>AGING GRACEFULLY</strong> An American couple equipped their home in the Colorado Rockies with amenities designed to address their needs as they age. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/02/19/garden/20090219-homes-slideshow_index.html" target="_blank">Photos</a> | <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/02/19/garden/20090219_AGING.html" target="_blank">Interactive</a> | Palestine backer or Israeli spy? Lebanese in shock over arrest February 18, 2009 at 10:26 pm Lebanese investigators say that Ali al-Jarrah has confessed to a career of espionage for Israel spectacular in its scope and longevity. U.S. regulator fines didn't avert Stanford Group case February 18, 2009 at 10:26 pm Years before it was accused of fraud, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission found violations but let the Stanford Group off with modest fines. Egyptian dissident released after years in prison February 18, 2009 at 10:26 pm The U.S. and Europe had long pressed for the release of Ayman Nour, a one-time presidential candidate. China adds to security forces in Tibet amid calls for a boycott February 18, 2009 at 10:26 pm Officials have significantly increased security forces across Tibet in the face of a grass-roots movement to boycott festivities during the coming Tibetan New Year. Swiss bank is set to open its secret files February 18, 2009 at 10:26 pm UBS, Switzerland's largest bank, has agreed to divulge the names of well-heeled Americans suspected of using offshore accounts at the bank to evade taxes. Campaign trail Nafta talk looms over Obama's trip to Canada February 18, 2009 at 10:26 pm As Barack Obama embarks on his first foreign trip as president to Canada, he is no longer emphasizing the idea of renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement. Outsourcing of U.S. drug trials is faulted February 18, 2009 at 10:26 pm The New England Journal of Medicine raises questions about the ethics and the science of increasingly conducting studies outside the United States. As others fled Venezuela, bank saw a golden opportunity February 18, 2009 at 10:02 pm As much as 30 percent of Stanford International Bank's $8 billion in reported assets last year came from Venezuelans. Modifying mortgages can be a tricky business February 18, 2009 at 9:24 pm As the Obama administration steps up efforts to help troubled homeowners modify their mortgages, it might consider the experiences of two South Floridians. Russia and Georgia agree on security measures for Abhkazia and South Ossetia February 18, 2009 at 1:54 pm The measures, aimed at preventing or resolving security incidents in the breakaway regions, are due to come into operation in the next few days. British court rules Muslim cleric can be deported February 18, 2009 at 1:54 pm Britain's highest court ruled that Abu Qatada can be deported to Jordan, where he was convicted in absentia in a terrorist bombing and a bomb plot in the late 1990s. New chief of Alcatel-Lucent shrugs off naysayers February 18, 2009 at 1:54 pm Ben Verwaayen, the new chief executive, said the company's comeback from a disastrous merger would begin in vast markets like China. Zimbabwean opposition figure to be tried for terrorism February 18, 2009 at 1:54 pm A magistrate in Zimbabwe ruled that Roy Bennett, the third-highest ranking member of the political opposition, should be tried on terrorism charges and remain in prison. EU considers possibility of a small-country bailout February 18, 2009 at 1:54 pm The German finance minister has raised the prospect of a rescue of one country by the rest of the bloc becoming necessary. Obama is his own 'czar' in auto crisis February 18, 2009 at 1:54 pm The scope and reach that the Obama administration will have in the nation's auto industry is unprecedented. Obama plans $75 billion outlay to fight foreclosures February 18, 2009 at 1:54 pm The plan, more ambitious than many housing analysts had expected, is intended to help up to 9 million Americans stay in their homes. Clinton makes big detour to Indonesia February 18, 2009 at 1:54 pm The U.S. secretary of state said she wanted to pay tribute to the country's hard-won democracy. Ex-leader of opposition concedes failure in Italy February 18, 2009 at 1:54 pm In a public mea culpa, Walter Veltroni, the just-departed opposition leader, conceded Wednesday that his vision of a modern reformist party for the country had failed, but he urged his former party to unify for the good of the country, which he said "never as before requires a deep and radical change." What are genetic risks for IVF children? February 18, 2009 at 1:54 pm Researchers have always wondered whether there might be subtle changes in an embryo that is grown for several days in a petri dish, as IVF embryos are-- and, if so, whether would there be any consequences. Some tentative answers are starting to emerge. U.S. accuses Texas financial firm of $8 billion fraud February 18, 2009 at 1:54 pm The Securities and Exchange Commission said it could not account for $8 billion in assets held by the Stanford Financial Group. New York in the Space Age: Rodarte, Narciso Rodriguez February 18, 2009 at 1:54 pm Intergalactic, shimmering surfaces, molded body armor and helmeted heads - the space age seems to have overtaken New York's fall/winter 2009 shows, although designers often go back to a future first offered in the 1960s and the 1980s. Roger Cohen: Reading Khamenei in Tehran February 18, 2009 at 1:54 pm The central Iranian political fact of recent years has been the reinforcement of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. How to engage with Iran begins and ends with him. Thomas L. Friedman: No way, no how, not here February 18, 2009 at 1:54 pm The defiance of Islamist terrorists by Indian Muslims stands out against a dismal landscape of Sunni Muslim suicide murderers who have been treated by Arab media as "martyrs." Maureen Dowd: Cheney and the goat devil February 18, 2009 at 1:54 pm One of the great mysteries of the Bush presidency is whether W. ever had an epiphany when he realized that he had been manipulated by Dick Cheney. GM seeks outside help to prop up its European units February 18, 2009 at 1:11 pm General Motors forecast that its European business would report a profit by 2011 at the earliest, following cost cuts of $1.2 billion that could translate to plant closures and thousands of lost jobs. Verizon taps Ericsson and Alcatel-Lucent for 4G network February 18, 2009 at 12:34 pm Verizon is counting on the multibillion-dollar investment to manage surging data traffic and one day offer advanced features like high-definition television. In his 1st trip abroad, Obama walks thin line on trade in Canada February 18, 2009 at 12:27 pm Obama, who will make a day trip to Ottawa on Thursday, is no longer stressing the idea of renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement, a pact he decried as not "good for America" when he was a presidential candidate. U.S. housing starts drop to lowest ever February 18, 2009 at 9:03 am Construction of homes and apartments dropped 16.8 percent last month, the slowest pace on records dating back a half-century. Obama tours 'battleground' states to sell stimulus package February 18, 2009 at 8:48 am Top billing in President Barack Obama's travel itinerary has been given to states that turned from red to blue last fall.