TIME.com: Top World Stories

Spain's Troubled Economy: Fears Over Euro Zone Outlook

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:55:00 EST

Spain is in trouble. It's the only major world economy still in recession, and its rising deficit is sparking concerns that it could bring down the entire euro zone

North Korean Defectors Finding Matchmakers in the South

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:55:00 EST

Matchmaking services connecting North Korean women and South Korean men are helping ease the transition to a new life for some defectors

Sri Lankan Opposition Leader Sarath Fonseka Arrested

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:55:00 EST

Protests are expected to escalate as the government sends military police to detain General Sarath Fonseka

Why China Needs The U.S. -- And Vice Versa

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:55:00 EST

Trade frictions, political barbs and finger wagging are the new trends in U.S.-China relations. As things get worse, both sides stand to lose

The Role of Chicken Feet in U.S.-China Trade Tension

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:55:00 EST

Despite their humble nature, chicken feet, a product for which the U.S. holds an advantage over China's export machine, have outsize significance in the U.S.-China trade relationship

Venezuela: Chavez Protests at Ball Game Over Electricity

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:55:00 EST

Fiery Venezuelan President Hugo ChÁvez's popularity has been plummeting. His opponents have taken advantage of the situation by heckling him at the Lions of Caracas vs. Navigators of Magallanes baseball series

European Vacation: Pope Talks Tough in His Own Backyard

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:55:00 EST

For his next two trips abroad, Pope Benedict XVI is traveling to Britain andPortugal to try to counter the forces of secularism sweeping the continent

A Year After Fires, Australia Debates What Went Wrong

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:55:00 EST

On Feb. 7, Australia will mark the one-year anniversary of the Black Saturday bushfires, the worst natural disaster in the continent's recorded history

Can New U.S. Ambassador Reboot Syria-Israel Peace Talks?

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:55:00 EST

The Obama Administration is moving to send an ambassador to Syria five years after President Bush called home the last one. That could help U.S. goals in Iraq, Iran and elsewhere, but trouble may be looming on the Israeli-Syrian front

New Terror Threat in North Africa: Kidnapping Foreigners

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:55:00 EST

Inspired by their al-Qaeda brethren in Afghanistan and Iraq, North Africanmilitants are increasingly turning to the abduction of foreigners to fundtheir operations and sow terror

In Ukraine, a Parting Shot From an Unpopular President

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:55:00 EST

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko has honored a World War II-era nationalist -- and accused Nazi collaborator -- in a controversial last act for the unpopular leader

In Port-au-Prince, the Smell of Death, the Odor of Corruption

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:55:00 EST

Coupons that were supposed to allow the women of the community to receive free food are now being sold in the streets

Pakistan Taliban Bomb Kills 3 U.S. Soldiers, Fuels Suspicions

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:55:00 EST

The killing of U.S. military trainers in a Taliban attack on a girls' school ignites a fresh wave of conspiracy theories, further dampening prospects for Pakistani cooperation

Haiti's Baby Lift: Don't Just Take the Children, Save Them

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:55:00 EST

While the missionaries who took Haitian kids may have meant well, they may have been doing the children and the country a disservice -- as well as breaking the law

Iran Nuclear Deal: Is Ahmadinejad Serious on Fuel Swap?

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:55:00 EST

A statement that Iran remains open to shipping enriched uranium abroad is greeted with skepticism in the West, but if Tehran is offering a credible compromise, it could leave the U.S. facing a dilemma

South Africa: Zuma Admits Love Child in New Scandal

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:55:00 EST

South African leader Jacob Zuma is facing a major scandal after admitting he fathered a child out of wedlock -- an action critics call irresponsible in a country that is struggling with an AIDS epidemic

Iran Loves 'Lost': TV Show a Hit on Tehran Black Market

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:55:00 EST

The denizens of Tehran, the capital of the Islamic Republic, are as excited about Season 6 of Lost as fans are in the U.S. Perhaps even more so

China and the U.S.: Too Big to Fail

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:55:00 EST

Viewpoint: Beijing's spats with Washington are not to be ignored, yet neither are they game-changing

In India, A Salon A Cut Above the Rest

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:55:00 EST

Thanks to rising disposable incomes, designer hairstyling is finally making the cut with India's middle class. Take a chair in the coiffured world of Jawed Habib

China Puts Out Welcome Mat for U.S.-Born Pandas

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:55:00 EST

An elaborate welcome was ready Friday for two American-born giant pandas arriving at their new China home after a tearful send-off in Washington by adoring crowd

Did Anti-Muslim Dutch Lawmaker Wilders Incite Hatred?

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:55:00 EST

Geert Wilders, an outspoken, anti-Muslim Dutch politician, is on trial in theNetherlands for inciting hatred and discrimination -- a test of the limitsof freedom of speech and tolerance in the country

Egypt's Bedouins Raise Tension at Israel and Gaza Border

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:55:00 EST

Smuggling goods into Gaza to beat the Israeli blockade has been lucrative for the long-marginalized Bedouin tribes of Sinai. Egypt's move to cut off the tunnels could provoke a violent response

Brazil: Lula Health Scare Could Hurt Chosen Successor

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:55:00 EST

The brief hospitalization of the wildly popular President last week raised questions over whether his uncharismatic protÉgÉ can win without him on the stump