ANALYSIS

First-quarter earnings from Oracle Corp. (Nasdaq: ORCL) could be an early sign for performance by IBM (NYSE: IBM) and Microsoft (Nasadq: MSFT).

While Chicago students are returning to school, the broader dispute over teacher evaluations -- in particular, what role student test scores should play -- is here to stay.

Could Microsoft's new deal With RIM be a prelude to an acquisition?

U.S. and Chinese officials have been quick to dismiss bilateral problems and are highlighting the need for greater cooperation. An assault on the U.S. Ambassador's car in Shanghai has been quickly sidelined.

The high abortion rate of female fetuses has led to a dramatic gender imbalance in India -- over the 50-year period from 1961 to 2011, the number of girls born per 1,000 boys plunged from 976 to 914, according to the census.

Kurdish rebels of the PKK in Turkey have seen an increase in bloody clashes with the Turkish military, according to Prime Minister Erdogan. It's another indication that regional upheavals are raising the stakes in what was already a complicated bid for the sovereignty of Kurdistan.

Tangible results to alleviating China's rising temper against Japan seem nowhere to be found. U.S. officials are urging for calm and peace, but the reality on the streets is that Chinese anger and frustrations are dealing increasing damage and violence to businesses carrying Japanese branded products. Meanwhile, a massive Chinese fishing fleet is soon expected to arrive in the waters off the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, worsening the prospects of a swift resolution.

Benjamin Netanyahu football talk on two Sunday talk shows was meant to draw a stark focus on Israel's threats to prevent a nuclear Iran at a time when the world has been fixed upon global anti-American Muslim protests. His main hope is the U.S. doesn't drop the ball.

Venezuela and Colombia are both rich in natural beauty, but have taken two very different approaches to tourism. One has seen tourist numbers stagnate while the other is an international success story. What happened, and why are two neighbors so radically different?

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI: DJI) gained another 53.51 points, or 0.40 percent, on Friday to close at 13,593.37, the highest level in nearly five years. However, many uncertainties remain. Here are four factors that could make -- or break -- the Dow's continued ascent.

Want to play the iPhone 5 craze created by Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) and not pay the price for Apple's near-$700 shares. Think of some of its suppliers like Arm Holings (Nasdaq: ARMH) and Qualcomm (Nasdaq: QCOM), or even Corning (NYSE: GLW) whose products are designed into the product.

Anger in the Muslim and Arab world over an anti-Islam film produced in America has spread to Yemen, where several hundred protesters stormed the U.S. Embassy in the capital, Sana. Yemen is already dealing with widespread social problems due to food and water shortages, rising extremism and sectarian conflict and political instability following the popular uprising that began in 2011.

When the first customers for the iPhone 5 from Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), the world's most valuable technology company, get their new products next Friday, chances are they’ll rave over the latest model, the upgrade for the nearly year-old iPhone 4S. But some anticipated items are absent, like an upgrade to Siri, NFC and biometric security.

Less than 24 hours after the U.S. government reported it was mostly done with its money-losing bailout of AIG, a Bloomberg News article out Tuesday explained how Wall Street banks are setting themselves up for the next systemic crisis by playing at financial alchemy in the derivatives market.

The island, officially French but in fact very much its own place, is among the most beautiful in the Mediterranean, but it still suffers from endemic violence by nationalists and mobsters. What's wrong with Corsica, then?

The Middle East is looking increasingly unsteady with the attacks in Libya and the protests in Egypt, which may further deter the U.S. from eventually intervening in Syria.

Far-right Dutch politician and leader of the ultra-conservative Freedom Party (PVV) Geert Wilders formerly established his party in parliament on a platform of Islamophobic anti-immigration, and now seeks to turn nationalist sentiment against the eurozone amid frustrations with debt-laden countries like Greece, Italy and Spain. Poll indicate his party will lose seats this election, but it has defied expectations in the past.

Sam Bacile's poorly-made YouTube trailer for the movie "Innocence of Muslims" has gone viral in the Middle East, resulting in protests that killed four Americans in Libya on Tuesday. While it is not directly responsible for those deaths, it is a provocative, tasteless effort.

Facebook scrip (FB) seemed to rise against the tide as it posted a gain of 3.30 percent or 62 cents to end at $19.43 Sept.11, after its shares recorded a fall of over 2 percent in early Sept.10 trade before recovering to close $18.79, down 19 cents or 1 percent. The revival despite Co-founder Dustin Moskovitz selling shares stemmed from CEO Mark Zuckerberg's assurance to revive Facebook growth story and align services toward mobile and search functions.

Saudi Arabia regularly executes convicted criminals by beheading. Its use of the death penalty has been criticized due to a lack of transparency and due process in its criminal justice system

Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) is expected to debut the iPhone 5 on Wednesday but there are at least five pitfalls that could endanger the company's huge success in the market. Here they are.

Hassan Sheik Mohamud was just elected president of the volatile country of Somalia. With a new constitution and parliament behind him, it's full steam ahead. But can he reverse the country's 21-year curse of failed statehood?

French billionaire Bernard Arnault is seeking Belgian citizenship just as France's Socialist President Hollande sets out to raise taxes on the wealthy, raising fears about a mass exodus of French investors and jobs creators.

Prince Harry has been asked by the British Foreign Office to visit China in an effort to improve diplomatic relations between the two countries, which have suffered over the U.K.'s relationship with the Dalai Lama and the murder of a British national by the wife of a prominent Chinese politician.

The twin towers of New York's World Trade Center destroyed on Sept. 11, 2001 were designed by Japanese-American architect Minoru Yamasaki. Just before he started work on it, he designed Robertson Hall, home of the Woodrow Wilson School, on the Princeton University campus. which has an uncanny resemblance to its former associates.

General Motors Company (NYSE: GM) may be losing money on the Chevy Volt at present, but the long-term benefits of early R&D in electric vehicles, improvements to brand image and improving sales volumes should ultimately make it a wise decision for the company.

Control over a major detention facility at Afghanistan's Bagram Air Base was passed from the U.S. military to the Afghan government in a small ceremony on Monday, a major step in NATO's troop withdrawal and Kabul's progress toward full security independence.

Economic problems have drastically lowered standards of living across the Palestinian territories, and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad is facing heated criticism from the public. But, this weekend, President Mahmoud Abbas stepped up to defend Fayyad.

The FBI's Next Generation Identification would use photographs and biometric data to help law enforcement entities nationwide identify "persons of interest." If NGI's early stages are any indication of where it's heading, privacy advocates and ordinary citizens are right to fear it.