The World

1 | Kabul

A Weak Win for Karzai

After months of recounts, investigations and recriminations, Afghanistan's presidential election is over. Former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah withdrew from a runoff scheduled for Nov. 7, prompting the Independent Election Commission to declare incumbent Hamid Karzai the winner by default. But it's by no means an unalloyed victory for Karzai. Allegations of fraud in the Aug. 20 vote, coupled with long-standing concerns over corruption in his administration, have undermined his credibility. Abdullah, Karzai's closest challenger, said the election process was so flawed that it wasn't worth participating in. He later said he had no intention of joining a coalition with Karzai, calling his re-election "illegal" and adding that his "government cannot bring legitimacy, cannot fight corruption."

2 | Pakistan

9/11 Plotters Were Here

Pakistani forces advancing on a Taliban stronghold in the restive South Waziristan region made a surprising discovery: documents that appear to be linked to suspects in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Among the finds: a German passport in the name of Said Bahaji, a militant associated with hijackers, and a Spanish passport for the wife of an alleged al-Qaeda member. Though the documents have not been authenticated, U.S. officials say they're proof that al-Qaeda members took refuge in the area. Visiting Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she found it "hard to believe" that Pakistani forces couldn't capture al-Qaeda leaders "if they really wanted to."

3 | Honduras

After a Deal, Uncertainty

Days after ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya and interim leader Roberto Micheletti signed a U.S.-brokered accord on Oct. 30, resolution of their long-running standoff was delayed again. Under the deal, the Honduran congress must decide whether to reinstate Zelaya for the remainder of his term; a legislative committee declined to call a special session for the vote, opting to await an opinion from the Supreme Court on the matter.

4 | New York City

Taxpayers Take a Hit on TARP

Uncle Sam is out some $2.3 billion in bailout funding following the bankruptcy of CIT, a major lender to small and medium-size businesses. The Nov. 1 filing by the century-old firm marks the government's first loss stemming from the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), designed to stabilize major businesses during the height of the economic meltdown. CIT says it hopes to emerge from bankruptcy by year's end. More government losses could follow as bailout recipients such as Chrysler and AIG continue to struggle. Still, analysts say it could have been worse: CIT sought more bailout funding last summer, but the government declined.

5 | Switzerland

In the Red

More than a third of the 47,000 animal and plant species tracked by the International Union for Conservation of Nature face extinction, according to the group's latest Red List--a study used to help governments identify species in need of protection.

[The following text appears within 7 charts. Please see hardcopy or PDF for actual charts.]

Portion Endangered

MAMMALS 21%

AMPHIBIANS 30%

BIRDS 12%