Spitzer resigns as New York governor amid sex scandal
Reeling from revelations that he had been a client of a prostitution ring, Spitzer announced his resignation Wednesday.
- Fall of hero dismays foes of prostitution
- Silda Wall Spitzer: The public ordeal of a private person
- Politics, and scandal, as usual
- A shocking descent for Governor Spitzer

Rival Democratic camps battle over race and gender.
Party leaders fear that a political vacuum before the Pennsylvania primary will be filled with rhetoric and polemics damaging to the party's hopes.
- Obama and Clinton battle to define 'winner'
- Obama, adding to Southern support, wins primary in Mississippi
- Democrats in Florida are near plan for new vote
- McCain advisers lobbied in EADS tanker deal

Lazare Ponticelli, 110, last 'poilu' of World War I trenches
"Through him, I bow to the millions of 'poilus' who responded with exemplary everyday courage to the call of the invaded homeland," President Nicolas Sarkozy said, using the French word commonly used in France to describe the unshaven men on the front lines.

2nd Soci??t?? G??n??rale employee is detained in trading scandal
The news that another employee at the French bank had been taken into custody came before a hearing at the Paris appeals court on Friday, where lawyers for J??r??me Kerviel would be seeking his release from jail.
- Rights offering from Soci??t?? G??n??rale raises ??.5 billion

Euro hits new record against the dollar
Investors remain skeptical about the effect of the Fed's move to inject funds into the market on Tuesday.
- Feeling the pain of the strong euro
- Soaring copper prices could leave a lot of money at risk

'Magic is over' for the U.S., says foreign minister of France
Asked whether the United States could repair the damage it has suffered to its reputation during the Bush presidency, Bernard Kouchner replied, "It will never be as it was before."

Israeli undercover troops kill 4 Palestinian militants in Bethlehem
Among the four were two men who had been wanted by the Israelis for years: Muhammad Shehada of Islamic Jihad and Ahmed Balboul, a senior figure in the Al Aksa Martyrs Brigades, a militia affiliated with Fatah.
- New rocket attack aimed at Israeli city

Lawmakers reject nominee for head of Bank of Japan
A successor is supposed to be named before March 19, when the current governor of the central bank, Toshihiko Fukui, is scheduled to step down. Finding a successor in time now looks increasingly unlikely.

U.K. budget cuts GDP forecast and raises borrowing
The chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling also introduced a watered-down version of a controversial charge on people who live and work in Britain but were born abroad; he raised taxes on alcohol and gas-guzzling cars, while postponing a planned rise in fuel duty in the face of soaring oil prices.

Venezuelans taking circuitous route to get dollars
In a quest for American cash, Venezuelans are flocking to the island of Cura??ao to take part in a backroom scheme to get around currency controls imposed by the government of President Hugo Ch??vez.

Liechtenstein issues international arrest warrant for tax informant
The warrant suggests that Heinrich Kieber may have been supplied with a new identity by the German intelligence service.

Sarkozy and Merkel draft agreement detailing role of nations on EU's southern border
The French and German leaders will brief colleagues at a summit in Brussels on proposals for a Union for the Mediterranean designed to intensify cooperation in the region.

Trophy fulfills snowy dreams for American
Lindsey Vonn, formerly known by her maiden name of Kildow, clinched the World Cup season title last month and received the traditional crystal globe trophy that went with it Wednesday after the season's final women's downhill race was canceled because of soft snow on the bottom of the course.

Muddy waters in Iraq keep public protest at a murmur
In key respects Iraq and Vietnam are quite different, and the differences go a long way toward explaining the apparent unwillingness of the public to go into outright opposition.

Pushing 'Batman' into new and darker directions
Can the director Christopher Nolan's vision of Batman in "The Dark Knight" maintain its hold on comic fans and critics and, at the same time, expand its reach to a wider audience?