Already one of the poorest countries by many measures, Yemen — a nation of roughly 22 million people — has been struck by severe droughts and depleted water supplies in recent years. Some Yemenis are calling the situation a potential time bomb.

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A new political party in Germany has made saving the working class and the country's welfare system rallying points for attracting votes. Die Linke, or the Left Party, is drawing support from mainstream parties with a radical message.

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Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano is said to be President-elect Barack Obama's pick to be the next secretary of homeland security. In taking on the job, she would draw on her experience with immigration and border-state issues.

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The judge said there was no evidence to justify the detention of the Algerians, who have spent seven years in detention. They could be sent to Bosnia, where they were arrested in connection with an alleged terrorist plot.

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Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who made a spirited bid for the Republican presidential nomination, has a new book. He talks about what's next for the GOP and how the party can recover, as it did after the Watergate scandal.

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After the Big Three auto executives spent two days seeking support on Capitol Hill for a bailout, the grand finale is no finale at all. Democratic leaders say they are delaying a vote until the auto companies present a plan showing how they will restructure their business.

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In a power shift in the House, Rep. Henry Waxman of California has defeated Rep. John Dingell of Michigan for the chairmanship of the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

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Amid job cuts, restructuring and pleas to Congress for financial aid, General Motors and Chrysler are represented, but not making much of a splash, at this week's Los Angeles Auto Show.

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As central banks continue to slash interest rates almost to zero, prices can plummet. It creates a liquidity trap, as it did in the 1930s and in Japan during the 1990s. Harvard economist Kenneth Rogoff outlines what deflation could mean for modern America.

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The Fontainebleau Hotel was once the height of Miami Beach sophistication. Now the hotel will reopen after a $1 billion renovation, but it's not clear the Florida economy is ready to support it.

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Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said this week that financial markets have "stabilized" But the daily numbers don't agree. Bank stocks remain under pressure and the credit market worsened again Wednesday. Are the government's actions producing the desired results?

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President-elect Barack Obama has pledged to bring change to Washington, but his administration appears to have a lot of familiar names from the Clinton years. Presidential historian Robert Dallek discusses the composition of the new White House.

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The Dow Jones industrial average takes yet another tumble as the price of oil drops below $50 a barrel.

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A Harvard Square landmark may soon fall victim to the decline of the newspaper business. For more than 50 years, Out of Town News in Cambridge, Mass., has offered newspapers from all over the world.

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Alaska's Ted Stevens bid farewell to his Senate colleagues Thursday as his nearly 40-year career draws to a close. The longest-serving Republican in the Senate was convicted on corruption charges last month and narrowly lost his re-election bid to Democrat Mark Begich.

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NASA's aging shuttle fleet is expected to be retired before the agency has a new space transportation system in place. The GAO has identified this spaceship gap as one of 13 urgent issues facing the new administration.

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Said Jawad, Afghan ambassador to the U.S., defended talks between his country's government and the Taliban. Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher said he thinks the way to achieve stability is by reaching out to the Afghan people.

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The economic news just keeps getting worse. The stock market is at its lowest level in more than five years. The number of homes being built continues its downward spiral. Retailers are predicting a miserable holiday season. David Wessel, economics editor at The Wall Street Journal, talks with Steve Inskeep about whether the bottom is anywhere in sight.

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There are indications that President-elect Barack Obama has chosen former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle to head the Department of Health and Human Services. The transition team won't confirm that.

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The Obama transition team has announced that campaign strategist David Axelrod will be a senior advisor. Some compare Axelrod's relationship with President-elect Obama to that of Karl Rove and President Bush, or James Carville and President Clinton. During the campaign, Axelrod wore out several BlackBerries because he was emailing, texting and calling so much.

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