Corey Flintoff

Ash from an Icelandic volcano is causing big and costly disruptions in Europe but, so far, it's nothing compared with the havoc caused by the country's economic eruption a year and a half ago. How can a remote island in the North Atlantic, with only about 320,000 people, be the source of so much damage?

Days after it was revealed that Iran has been building a secret nuclear enrichment plant, Iran staged a show of force, testing missiles that could reach Israel or U.S. bases in the Middle East. Will Iran's tactics provoke tighter international sanctions?

The African National Congress is undergoing a fierce power struggle, as veterans of the fight against apartheid vie for control of the party and of the South African government. The group led black resistance to the country's white-minority government throughout much of the 20th century.

The new National Intelligence Estimate is raising questions about what the White House knew — and when. The estimate judged that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003. President Bush has recently portrayed Iran as a nuclear threat and pressed for international sanctions.

When the House Foreign Relations Committee approved a measure that would officially declare the deaths of as many as 1.5 million Armenians in the early 19th century genocide, it revived a political debate.

Condemnation from the United States and other nations may be just what the Iranian president needs to shore up a shaky political position at home.

Hundreds of thousands of Shiite pilgrims are fleeing the holy city of Karbala amid clashes between rival Shiite factions that have left at least 24 dead and dozens wounded. The fighting broke out late Monday.

Thousands of Shiite pilgrims are fleeing the Iraqi city of Karbala, where fierce clashes between rival factions have left at least 24 dead. Clashes at the holy city south of Baghdad erupted as thousands of pilgrims came from around the country for a Shiite religious festival.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates spent three days in Iraq this week, meeting with senior military officials and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Saturday, he joins President Bush for further discussions of Iraq policy.

Iraqi politicians are offering mixed reactions to the Iraq Study Group's recommendations. Some regard it as a plan for fixing America's problems rather than those of Iraq.