ELECTIONS

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may be considering holding an early general election between the end of August to the beginning of November, to take advantage of his current popularity over the country's unprepared opposition.

The International Monetary Fund has reduced the growth forecast of India for this year citing a slowdown of investment and governance problems.

Riven by ethnic divisions and struggling amid economic woes, Kyrgyzstan is far from stable. But with its vocal and uniquely progressive citizenry, there are worlds of potential for this young Central Asian nation.

Jailed former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko continues a hunger strike to protest prison abuse while doctors say she also suffers from a chronic back condition that is unable to be treated in Ukraine.

Disgraced former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn believes that the scandal that brought an end to his political career could have been a plot to keep him out of the French presidential elections.

Tens of thousands of protestors will march in Malaysia on Saturday to demand election reforms.

For the second straight Friday, Egyptian Islamists rallied in Cairo's Tahrir Square to protect the revolution that brought an end to Hosni Mubarak.

Challenger Francois Hollande and incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy are apparently seeking to attract those who cast ballots for Marine Le Pen in the French presidential election's first round on April 22. The way these voters break most likely will determine the winner of the second round on May 6.

West-African regional bloc ECOWAS will send troops Mali and Guinea-Bissau to try to pressure their new juntas to reinstate civilian rule.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez returned home early Thursday after 11 days of cancer treatment in Cuba, putting an end to ongoing rumors of his death.

The final list of Egyptian presidential candidates was announced on Thursday, and 13 men will face off in the first free presidential elections in the country in decades.

More than a third of the $200 million poured into Super PACs this election cycle has flowed from a mere 10 donors, including seven individuals, according to an analysis by the Center for Public Integrity.

Pakistan's Supreme Court Thursday sentenced Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani to a symbolic detention for a few seconds after he was found guilty of contempt of court by refusing to reopen the corruption cases against President Asif Ali Zardari.

The Senate advanced legislation Wednesday evening that would let the U.S. Postal Service end Saturday mail after two years as part of efforts to overhaul the agency and keep it from shuttering thousands of facilities next month.

Three military representatives close to the coup that toppled Mali's democratically-elected government gained key security position in new government.

The Libyan National Transitional Council bans religious political parties before elections in June, angering the Muslim Brotherhood

Greece will no longer pay benefits to 200,000 fraudsters and dead pensioners; Greek central-bank governor warns of departure from euro zone if budget cuts are not followed

Sarkozy has to walk a fine line between trying not to alienate Le Pen?s supporters, while appearing not to agree with some of their more extremist points of view.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who trails candidate Francois Hollande in France's presidential elections, said that he will not make a deal with the far-right National Front party.

Credit rating agency Standard & Poor's Wednesday cut India's outlook on the long-term rating to negative from stable, saying that the country's economy is facing high fiscal deficits and a heavy debt burden.

European and U.S. stocks rose Tuesday as a negative sentiment the day before gave way to an upbeat, risk-on sentiment, despite weak economic news from the United States.