The fund seeks to soften effects of the financial collapse, but many Asian leaders - citing bad advice from the '97 crisis - are wary of conditions attached to assistance.
As a new bout of fear gripped the financial markets, stocks fell sharply again, and the credit markets seized up as confidence in the nation?s financial system ebbed.
AP - Attorney General Michael Mukasey, the no-nonsense ally in President Bush's war on terror, was hospitalized Thursday after he collapsed during a late-night speech and lost consciousness.
AP - President-elect Barack Obama plans to nominate Hillary Rodham Clinton as secretary of state after Thanksgiving, a new milestone for a former first lady and a convergence of two political forces who contested mightily for the presidency.
AP - Most Asian markets rebounded Friday after days of sharp declines in stocks around the world as investors scooped up battered financial and technology shares.
President-elect Obama is on track to nominate Sen. Hillary Clinton as his secretary of state after Thanksgiving, three aides on Obama's transition team told CNN Thursday. Obama met last week with Clinton to discuss the possibility of her serving in his Cabinet.
The Justice Department reports Attorney General Michael Mukasey is "conscious, conversant and alert" after he collapsed Thursday at a Federalist Society dinner at a Washington hotel. While Mukasey, 67, was talking, his speech began to slur and he slumped forward. Two people grabbed him and laid him on the ground behind the podium before he was rushed to a hospital.
A new government report paints an alarming picture of an unstable future for international relations defined by waning American influence, fragmenting political power and intensifying struggles for natural resources. The report was drafted by the National Intelligence Council to better inform U.S. policymakers -- starting with President-elect Barack Obama's administration.