South Korean election winner owes a lot to a stream
As mayor of Seoul, he restored a paved-over waterway and it became a popular park. But the company that did the work was once headed by him.
- Lee easily wins presidential election in South Korea

Quietly, the Polish-German border dissolves
As of midnight Thursday the historically fraught border between Poland and Germany will be open, and it has been more whimper than bang.

EU proposes legislation that would require deep cuts in auto emissions
Carmakers immediately criticized the draft legislation, saying that the rules would be difficult to follow and would reduce competitiveness.
- U.S. Congress passes sweeping energy bill

Morgan Stanley posts first quarterly loss, and welcomes Chinese investor
The Wall Street bank said it would sell a $5 billion stake to China Investment Corp. as it announced the loss and a new write-down.

EU ministers to allow more fish to be caught next year
The decision, which went against the advice of EU scientific consultants, could threaten already endangered species, experts said.
- EU agrees to tone down plan on opening the wine industry

Train crash kills scores in Pakistan
It was unclear what caused the accident, which left hundreds of passengers to claw their way out of the wreckage.
- Pakistan quietly frees 100 terrorism suspects
- Sharif's election ban upheld in Pakistan

Bush lawyers discussed fate of CIA tapes
The Bush administration said it had not misled the public about the role of White House lawyers in discussions about the destruction of tapes showing secret interrogations.

Interim government formed in Belgium
At the behest of the king and after a record 192 days of embarrassing political deadlock, former Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt on Wednesday assembled a stopgap coalition designed to remain in power until March 2008.

U.S. offer on factories is spurned by EADS
A competing proposal from Spirit Aerosystems of the United States, which had offered to buy all of the sites, was rejected.

Bush approves reorganization U.S. of ground forces
Officials are describing the plan, which will keep more troops than previously envisioned in Europe, as the most significant reorganization of American ground forces since World War II.

At root of Congo crisis, Rwandan-led militia
Congo's civil war, and its deepest crisis since the war ended in 2003, are inextricably tied to the Rwandan genocide.

For some, climate fight is about survival
Imagine what global warming looks like for countries like the Maldives, Papua New Guinea and Grenada, and you quickly understand: Climate change is a matter of life and death for them.