Obama Aides: Record Cash Raised In September, Polls Show McCain Ads Backfired  —  With the presidential campaign approaching its final stretch, Barack Obama finds himself in an enviable position.  —  One official close to the campaign said that September's fundraising haul set a new record …

Paul Krugman Wins Economics Nobel  —  Paul Krugman, a professor at Princeton University and an Op-Ed columnist for The New York Times, was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Science on Monday.  —  Mr. Krugman received the award for his work on international trade and economic geography.

Fire the Campaign  —  It's time for John McCain to fire his campaign.  —  He has nothing to lose.  His campaign is totally overmatched by Obama's.  The Obama team is well organized, flush with resources, and the candidate and the campaign are in sync.  The McCain campaign …

Palin: I've been cleared of ‘any hint of unethical activity’  —  (CNN) — Sarah Palin told Alaska reporters Saturday that she had been “cleared of any legal wrongdoing, any hint of unethical activity” in the investigative report released the day before that explored her actions in dismissing …

Obama Up by 10 Points as McCain Favorability Ratings Fall  —  With just over three weeks until Election Day, the two presidential nominees appear to be on opposite trajectories, with Sen. Barack Obama gaining momentum and Sen. John McCain stalled or losing ground on a range of issues and personal traits …

No New Economic Proposal Expected From McCain  —  WASHINGTON — Despite signals that Senator John McCain would have new prescriptions for the economic crisis after a weekend of meetings, his campaign said Sunday that Mr. McCain, the Republican presidential nominee, would not have any more proposals …

The Man Behind the Whispers About Obama  —  The most persistent falsehood about Senator Barack Obama's background first hit in 2004 just two weeks after the Democratic convention speech that helped set him on the path to his presidential candidacy: “Obama is a Muslim who has concealed his religion.”

Gordon Does Good  —  Has Gordon Brown, the British prime minister, saved the world financial system?  —  O.K., the question is premature — we still don't know the exact shape of the planned financial rescues in Europe or for that matter the United States, let alone whether they'll really work.

Prostitution has not suffered drop-off despite economic meltdown  —  It's still a good time to be morally bankrupt.  —  The plunging Dow Jones and panicky investors are hardly a problem for the world's oldest profession, where business is still brisk.  —  “The market is down, business is down …

Discontent Buffets the Nation; Bush Craters, Obama Benefits  —  Obama in Drivers Seat, Amid Economic Worry  —  A tornado of economic discontent is buffeting the nation, sending satisfaction with the country's direction to a 35-year low, George W. Bush's approval rating below Richard Nixon's worst …

Markets surge after crisis talks  —  European and Asian markets have rallied in response to efforts by world leaders to end the recent financial turmoil.  —  The UK's FTSE 100, France's Cac 40 and Germany's Dax index all jumped more than 6%, tracking earlier gains on Asian markets.

How to capitalise the banks and save finance  —  Now that Hank Paulson has recognised that the troubled asset relief programme is best used to recapitalise the banking system, it is important to spell out exactly how it should be done.  Since it was not part of the Treasury secretary's original approach …

Obama's Kenya ghosts  —  About 50 parishioners were locked into the Assemblies of God church before it was set ablaze.  They were mostly women and children.  Those who tried to flee were hacked to death by machete-wielding members of a mob numbering 2,000.

Venezuela's oil output slumps under Hugo Chavez  —  Venezuela's daily oil production has fallen by a quarter since President Hugo Chavez won power, depriving his “Bolivarian Revolution” of much of the benefit of the global boom in oil prices.  —  To win allies and forge an anti-American front …

Hindu Threat to Christians: Convert or Flee  —  BOREPANGA, India — The family of Solomon Digal was summoned by neighbors to what serves as a public square in front of the village tea shop.  —  They were ordered to get on their knees and bow before the portrait of a Hindu preacher.