To Marla Martinko, Wednesday felt like a holiday in downtown Pittsburgh. "It's like Christmas Eve. There was no traffic," and few customers, she said as workers prepared to board up the windows of the dry cleaners she manages. Galardi's Cleaners will be closed the rest of the week -- one of dozens of downtown businesses shutting down as the G-20 economic summit comes to town. "It's like a ghost town. I don't know why we opened today," Martinko said. "It's ...

Leaders of the G-20 economic summit will announce Friday that the group will become the new permanent council for international economic cooperation, senior U.S. officials told CNN Thursday. The move comes in the wake of a major push by President Obama, the officials said. The G-20 will now essentially eclipse the G-8, which will continue to meet on major security issues but carry much less influence. "It's a reflection of the world economy today and the players that make it ...

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Wednesday that his country is committed to helping build a durable peace and security worldwide based on justice, spirituality and dignity. "Our nation is prepared to warmly shake all those hands which are honestly extended to us," he told the United Nations General Assembly. "We welcome real and human exchanges and stand ready to actively engage in fundamental global reforms." He called for a "return to monotheism and justice," calling it "the ...

An Indian army officer, a naval commando and two top militant commanders were among eight people killed in two extended gunfights in Indian-administered Kashmir, a senior police officer said Wednesday. "Our nation is prepared to warmly shake all those hands which are honestly extended to us," he told the United Nations General Assembly. "We welcome real and human exchanges and stand ready to actively engage in fundamental global reforms." He called for a "return to monotheism and ...

In what appeared to be the most visible demonstration yet of this week's G-20 summit, four people attached to a massive banner dangled from a Pittsburgh bridge Wednesday to protest the global economic meeting. The banner hung from the West End Bridge over the Ohio River and read like a road sign: "Danger: Climate Destruction Ahead. Reduce CO2 Emissions Now." Greenpeace, the environmental activist group, claimed responsibility for the stunt. On its Web site, the group said it ...

The Obama administration's national security team is working on alternative strategies for the war in Afghanistan that may not require tens of thousands of additional U.S. troops, a senior U.S. official told CNN Wednesday. The official, who is familiar with the highly confidential discussions, said the national security team hopes to send its proposals to President Obama within three weeks. The alternatives wouldn't necessarily involve sending the additional troops Gen. Stanley McChrystal is expected to say would be needed to ...

As the leaders of the world's industrial powers gather this week in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, their economies are starting to emerge from the shadow of the worst financial downturn since the Great Depression. A year ago, global markets were in free fall as governments moved to prop them up, sometimes nationalizing financial institutions and automakers. At this year's Group of 20 summit, the leaders will begin looking at an exit strategy for the programs that were considered necessary, but often added ...

The Honduran government extended a nationwide curfew to 36 hours Tuesday, as the country awaits the consequence of the surprise return of deposed President Jose Manuel Zelaya. Zelaya, a centrist whose politics took a strong turn to the left once in office, was ousted in a military-backed coup on June 28. Despite increasing political, diplomatic and economic isolation, the government of interim President Roberto Micheletti has steadfastly resisted pressure to allow Zelaya to return to power. Micheletti maintains that Zelaya's ...

Asia is set to lead the world out of the global financial crisis in spite of the slow recovery in the US and Europe, according to the latest forecasts by the Asian Development Bank. In a dramatic contrast to its view in March, when it slashed 2009 growth forecasts for Asia excluding Japan from 7.2 per cent to 3.4 per cent, the ADB on Tuesday said the region would grow more strongly than expected both this year and in 2010. ...

At the end of his internationally televised concert in Havana's Revolution Plaza on Sunday, Sept. 20, Colombian rock superstar Juanes looked out at a crowd of more than 1 million and shouted, "Cuba libre! Cuba libre!" It was a mantra you could take two ways: If you're a fan of Cuba's communist government, it was a cry to keep the island safe from U.S. imperialism. If you're a foe, it was a plea for the political and economic ...