World - The Christian Science Monitor

Phnom Penh, Cambodia - At a luxury guesthouse, Cambodia's newest government adviser picks up a copy of his latest book, "Tackling Poverty." It explores how lessons from Thailand can be applied to other developing countries.

Milan, Italy - Brescia is a quiet town east of Milan and few would think of it as a hot spot for international terrorism. Yet Italian authorities believe that last year's terror attack in Mumbai (Bombay), where 173 people lost their lives, was partially planned from there.

Jerusalem - Israel and Hamas appear to be moving closer to a prisoner swap in which Israel would release up to 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

Baghdad - A senior Kurdish leader on Friday moved to defuse the latest threat to Iraq's imperiled elections – a possible Kurdish boycott – saying ongoing discussions with Iraqi leaders and political party blocs were close to resolving their differences.

Johannesburg, South Africa - In South Africa, New Moon opening night doesn't hit until Nov. 27, a week after its appearance in the United States. But Dhalyn, an American 8th-grader attending a private school in Johannesburg, says she will simply re-read the book while she waits, and maybe watch some of the trailers available on the Internet.

New Delhi, India - Indian fans of the books never got to see the first film in theaters. Outraged, a 15-year-old Calcutta girl named Ritisha Mishra launched an online petition last year to get the film released in India, eventually attracting more than 1,700 signatures.

Beijing - China has no literary tradition of vampires, aside from a few 17th-century short stories about a blood-sucking variety of ghost, but "Twilight" has swept young Chinese women off their feet.

London - It's a love story between a beautiful young woman and the man of her dreams – who just happens to be 109-year-old vampire.

Tegucigalpa, Honduras and Mexico City - For months, ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya – with the backing of the world community – has demanded that Roberto Micheletti step down as the interim president of this Central American nation roiled in political conflict.

Istanbul, Turkey - Officially, Iran has not yet given a "final answer" to a nuclear fuel proposal from six world powers, the chief of the UN's nuclear watchdog, said on Friday.

Guatemala City - Moving up the ranks of Guatemala's ruthless gangs can be as simple as robbing a store at knife point or as brutal as shooting a city bus driver. Marisole figures she fell somewhere in between.

• A daily summary of global reports on security issues.

Paris - A closed-door meeting of six world powers signaled growing impatience with Iran's inscrutability on its nuclear program, coming a day after US President Barak Obama in Asia said Iran would face "consequences" if it refused to show good faith.

Auja, West Bank - The Hmoud family once prospered in this arid Palestinian farm village by cultivating banana and eggplant crops, earning enough to send a son abroad for medical school and to build a house with a showy staircase and a two-story window.

Damascus, Syria - More than six years after the invasion of Iraq, up to 2 million refugees remain stranded in neighboring countries and fears are rising that international support for them is fading, threatening more long-term regional unrest.

New Delhi - Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai promised to crack down on corruption after being sworn in for his second term on Thursday. But his related promise to fill his cabinet with "professionals" may be what the US and other governments were most hoping to hear on the topic.

• A daily summary of global reports on security issues.

Osan Air Base, Osan, South Korea - There was no doubt it. President Barack Obama got by far the loudest cheers of his six-day East Asian odyssey Thursday in a rousing 15-minute talk before about 1,000 troops.

Beijing - President Obama flew to South Korea Wednesday, ending his maiden visit to China and leaving behind a strong impression that the new partnership he seeks with the Asian giant remains to be built, issue by issue.

Seoul, South Korea - President Barack Obama can expect the warmest reception of his swing through East Asia Thursday morning when he meets South Korea's conservative President Lee Myung-bak – a welcome contrast to tense summits in China and Japan as well as talks with other Asian leaders at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Singapore.

London - Got "stingers" or laser guns on your ship?

Jerusalem - Israel approved the expansion of a Jewish settlement in East Jerusalem on Tuesday, drawing criticism from US, British, and Palestinian officials.

• A daily summary of global reports on security issues .

Johannesburg, South Africa - The Maersk Alabama was ready this time.

Boston - Even as the Copenhagen climate change negotiations have moved into the slow lane, greenhouse gas emissions are accelerating, according to new evidence released today.

Baghdad - The execution-style killings of 13 Iraqis over the weekend west of Baghdad has raised fears than a resurgent Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) is taking advantage of the gaps between retreating US forces and Iraqi troops not yet capable of maintaining security on their own.

Kampala, Uganda - Some 4,000 miles away from the spiral of violence in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the simultaneous arrests of two key Rwandan Hutu rebel leaders in Germany could help bring the troubled region a step closer to peace.

Forward Operating Base Nawbahar, Afghanistan - The Taliban had set a trap for the tiny company of Afghan soldiers here, its handful of US mentors and the American helicopters that they expected would rush in to help.