Around the World

The U.S. economy will slowdown further due to risks from inflation or a worse-than-expected housing slump, both of which could further complicate things for an already lagging economy, Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke warned Tuesday.

Iraq's state of emergency was extended for 30 more days by the country's Parliament, and suspected Sunni insurgents set off bombs that killed eight people and wounded 40 across the country.

Secretary of State Rice will meet the Palestinian president in the West Bank this week in an attempt to build on momentum from a new truce in volatile Gaza, White House officials said Tuesday.

Ethics, the minimum wage and stem cell research are the top items on the Senate agenda next year, incoming Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Tuesday in an interview with The Associated Press.

Iran leader Ayatollah Khomeini said the United States is to blame for chaos in Iraq and called for the withdrawal of foreign forces, but also pledged Tehran's help to stabilize the region, saying doing so was a "religious and humanitarian" duty.

Eight face charges in juvenile boot camp death. A nurse and three guards have been charged with aggravated manslaughter in the death of a boy who was punched and kicked by staff members in a videotaped melee at the Panama City camp.

Rudy Giuliani, John McCain and Barack Obama are "warm" among American voters, according to Quinnipiac University's "thermometer reading," a poll released Monday that scores the popularity of national leaders.

Arab-owned shipping ports will return to American ownership within two weeks. After the previous sale of the properties caused a stir among some politicians, who said Dubai-based ownership raised security concerns, the company chose to sell to alleviate pressures.