News from Yemen has been dominated recently by an escalating rebellion along the border with Saudi Arabia. But the country has been making news for decades because of its severe overuse of a rapidly disappearing water supply, the result of natural and political causes.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai pledged Thursday to prosecute corrupt officials, and said the country would control it own security within five years. Karzai's comments came in an inauguration speech that kicked off his second term of office amid a growing Taliban insurgency and a cloud of corruption allegations.

Pakistan's army says it has captured most major Taliban bases in South Waziristan. It plans to fan out across the area's rugged countryside to hunt down militants. The tribal area along the Afghan border has been a command center for extremists. The army flew a group of journalists to the area to see two Taliban strongholds that were captured in the offensive.

Since they were founded from the partition of British India in 1947, Pakistan and India have become locked in a relationship rooted in rivalry and suspicion. But many Indians believe the country's biggest foreign policy challenge these days is its rivalry with China, and that it is time to put aside old attitudes about Pakistan.

The Pakistani army is battling Taliban militants along the northwest frontier. Despite the widening influence of the extremists on Pakistan's soil, many Pakistanis perceive their eastern neighbor India as the biggest security threat. Analysts say Pakistan is paying a price for sowing anti-India sentiments.

About 7,000 British and Australian soldiers died in the muddy fields around the French village of Fromelles during the first World War. A mass grave of 250 of those killed in 1916 was recently found near the town. Experts are now trying to identify the bodies and prepare them for burial in a new war cemetery in the heart of Fromelles.

On Nov. 14, Hafez Nazeri will headline at Carnegie Hall. The young Iranian musician has been attracting attention for "Sounds of Peace," an East-meets-West program inspired by a progressive political vision. Or is it?

Former U.S. ambassador Peter Galbraith denies there were conflicts of interest when he advised the Kurdish government about their constitution. He says the Kurds knew about the business relationship he formed with a Norwegian oil company a year later. Nonetheless, some experts worry Galthraith's actions will make it more difficult for Americans to give advice independently without the suspicion of profit.

For decades, the cosmetics industry in India has made millions selling skin-whitening products to women. Now, it's making more money by convincing men that they should be lighter, tapping into a preference that has deep roots in India's history.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is facing heavy criticism for his handling of the war in Afghanistan. In one town, which has begun an unofficial tradition of mourning British soldiers as the coffins are driven through the streets, support for the troops is universal, but many residents question the Afghanistan mission.