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1 | Khartoum Sudan's Most Wanted Sudanese officials confirmed Oct. 13 that they had arrested notorious janjaweed militia leader Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-al-Rahman, also known as Ali Kushayb. The International Criminal Court (ICC) charged Kushayb with crimes against humanity in 2007 for orchestrating militia attacks in the Darfur region that led to the rape and murder of civilians and the destruction of entire villages. But given that Sudan's government had previously ignored orders to extradite Kushayb, its sudden willingness to cooperate raises suspicion that his arrest may have been merely an attempt to ease international pressure on Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir--whom the icc has also recently accused of war crimes and genocide in Darfur.

2 | Damascus Love Thy Neighbor In a joint statement on Oct. 15, one day after Syrian President Bashar al-Assad issued a decree formally recognizing Lebanese sovereignty, Syria and Lebanon formally established diplomatic ties for the first time since both nations gained their independence in the 1940s. Political and military tensions between the two countries have increased in recent years amid a string of assassinations of anti-Syrian Lebanese officials. International observers are hopeful that the normalization of relations will help bring stability to the region.

3 | Zimbabwe Power Struggle Continues On Oct. 14, Zimbabwe's Parliament held its first working session since the highly disputed election between President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai early this year. But power-sharing negotiations have hit setbacks, as Tsvangirai threatened to back out of talks after Mugabe unilaterally appointed his loyalists to vice-presidential posts.

4 | Washington Worrying Words for the Market As they scramble to soothe panicked traders, George W. Bush and his financial team might consider a strategy of silence--at least during market hours. A look at their recent speeches suggests that saving their remarks for after the 4 p.m. closing bell might be a bit easier on the Dow.

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Oct. 7 Ben Bernanke, Bush Time of speech 12:30 p.m. 2:35 p.m. Close -5.1%

Oct. 8 Hank Paulson 3:08 p.m. -2%

Oct. 10 Bush 10:25 a.m. -1.5%

Oct. 14 Bernanke, Paulson 8:45 a.m. -0.8%

Oct. 15 Bernanke 12:15 p.m. -7.9%

5 | North Korea Game On? Just days after being removed from a U.S. blacklist of states that sponsor terrorism, North Korea told the International Atomic Energy Agency that it would resume dismantling its Yongbyon nuclear reactor and would welcome international inspectors, ending nearly two months of stalled talks and threats of a second nuclear test. The announcement drew praise from China, which had led disarmament negotiations among the U.S., North Korea and its regional neighbors. Meanwhile, officials in Pyongyang released a purportedly recent photograph of Dear Leader Kim Jong Il, in an attempt to refute rumors of his failing health. But experts in South Korea and the U.S. say summer foliage in the background indicates that the pictures are months old, raising further questions about the reclusive leader, who has not been seen in public since Aug. 14.