Top story: Nine soldiers from the U.S.-led international coalition were killed in southern Afghanistan when their helicopter crashed, bringing the total number of casualties for NATO troops in Afghanistan to 529 this year. 521 soldiers were killed in the country last year, which had previously been the deadliest year for the coalition.
The helicopter crashed in Zabul province, and the Afghan government spokesman in the area said that the Taliban had taken credit for shooting down the aircraft. However, a statement from the NATO forces said that the cause of the crash was still under investigation, but that there had been no reports of hostile activity in the area.
According to icasualties.org, the international coalition in Afghanistan has suffered a steady increase in losses since the 2001 invasion. Though the coalition toppled the Taliban regime in 2001, it only suffered 12 casualties, all U.S. soldiers. By 2004, the insurgency was still relatively subdued, and the coalition only lost 60 soldiers. However, violence subsequently surged and the deaths of foreign troops have increased dramatically every following year.
Afghanistan's political opposition optimistic about election results: Abdullah Abdullah, the former challenger to Afghan President Hamid Karzai in last year's presidential election, is hopeful that he will increase the share of seats held by his allies in parliament to 100 after last weekend's elections.
Americas
The National Bureau of Economic Research concluded that the U.S. recession lasted 18 months, making it the longest since World War II.
Colombian security forces said that they killed a senior leader of the rebel group FARC.
Venezuela's political opposition is facing difficulties challenging President Hugo Chavez.
Asia
North Korea's ruling party will hold a conference that is expected to elect the successor to Kim Jong-Il.
Japan warned China that it should avoid encouraging "extreme nationalism" as the diplomatic row between the two countries deepened.
Afghan insurgent leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar is believed to have sponsored dozens of candidates in the recent parliamentary elections.
Middle East
Up to 15,000 Yemenis fled their homes as the Yemeni government undertakes a new offensive against rebels in the country's south.
An important collection of Iraqi antiquities were found in the office of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israeli troops should remain on the eastern border of any future Palestinian state.
Europe
28 deputies in Ukraine's parliament have been formally expelled from the bloc of opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko.
France's anti-terror forces are on high alert after intelligence suggested the possibility of an attack.
Thousands of Swedes protested the rise of a far-right party that won 20 seats in the country's recent general election.
Africa
Somalia's prime minister resigned over disagreements with the president of the country's transitional government.
Zimbabwe's Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai suggested that he might boycott elections planned for next year if political violence continues.
A bomb exploded in an Algerian town, killing two policemen.
PATRICK BAZ/AFP/Getty Images
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