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Their darkest dealings often go unreported and unnoticed. But from Nairobi to São Paulo, many urban gangs are becoming more sophisticated, more brutal, and more powerful than ever.

A tattered nation tries to recover.

Mohamed El-Erian is one of the world’s most respected financial and economic analysts. Now, he shares his insights on the realignment of the global economy and why we aren’t prepared to handle it without significant risks of both market accidents and policy mistakes.

For years, Western experts promised Africans that free-market ideology would save them from poverty and famine. Now, one African country is showing that sometimes, a little protectionism can work wonders.

U.S. intelligence agencies are sounding the alarm about the threat posed by Islamist insurgents in Pakistan’s tribal badlands. But it is difficult to imagine just how brazen the militants have become until you see them in action.

Ever since Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria during the 1967 Six Day War, the residents of this strategic plateau have been caught in the middle of a dispute that has gone unresolved for more than 40 years. Today, they are going about their lives while others decide their fate.

Tobacco could kill as many as 1 billion people in the 21st century, health experts warn. But antitobacco activism may be winning the day. At least 84 countries now have policies in place to curb smoking, and many are enacting full public bans. For the world’s nicotine lovers, it’s time to smoke ’em while you’ve got ’em.

Far from an epic “journey of harmony,” the Olympic torch’s world tour has been a farce of historic proportions.

Bill Clinton once styled himself the “comeback kid,” but he has nothing on Malaysia’s Anwar Ibrahim. Two weeks ago, the former deputy prime minister turned political prisoner was officially cleared to reenter politics, and many think he could become his country’s next prime minister. He spoke to FP about his return to power and how former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad thought he could break him.

Human rights groups are rightly outraged about China’s abysmal record. But it is foolhardy to treat a rising superpower like a tin-pot dictatorship. Sometimes, a little pragmatism goes a long way.

Wal-Mart is the world’s biggest retailer by far, but new rivals in new places are giving the Arkansas-based chain a run for its money.

How a small Asian country became the world’s rice producer of last resort.