Steve Inskeep

The fledgling U.N. monitoring mission in Syria is under sharp criticism from activists who say the team is failing to enforce the terms of the agreement drafted by special envoy Kofi Annan. Violence is down in some areas but flaring up in others.

The Republicans could use the vice presidential slot to appeal to Hispanics. Meanwhile, President Obama used his weekly address to focus on the high cost of student loans.

The Secret Service announced Wednesday night that three people involved in misconduct in Colombia would be leaving the agency. Agents, as well as military personnel, are alleged to have hired prostitutes in advance of President Obama's recent trip to there.

At Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers sent the retired space shuttle Discovery into the sky for a final time. On top of a jumbo jet, it was flown to Washington, D.C., bound four a museum run by the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum.

In the French city of Toulouse, police have a suspect in Monday's killing of three Jewish schoolchildren and a rabbi.

The NFL has revealed that the New Orleans Saints maintained a bounty pool to award players for delivering game-ending injuries to the opposition. Franchises and fans are waiting to see what the penalty will be, and what kind of message it sends the league.

In Yemen Tuesday, voters are casting ballots in a one-candidate presidential election. They hope it may bring an end to a nearly year-long political crisis that's sparked much violence among various heavily-armed factions as well as pro-democracy protesters.

Twitter is supposed to have turned the world into a global village. But new research shows that our Twitter ties are considerably more parochial than most of us imagine. People no longer define their communities by where they live but by common interests.

The Obama administration officially lays out its economic blueprint for the next fiscal year on Monday. He'll announce the 2013 budget at Northern Virginia Community College, where he'll push for more investment in community colleges and job training.

Assuming all goes as planned, at least 49 states will have signed on to a broad settlement between the banks and state attorneys general over robo-signing. Troubled homeowners may see some benefit, the banks will get some immunity provisions and the Obama administration is hoping to get some credit for negotiating the deal.

The contempt hearing for Pakistan's prime minister has been adjourned until next month. Pakistan's Supreme Court wants him to explain why he refused to reopen an anti-corruption case against the country's president.