A profile of the international terrorist network that the United States has singled out as the most serious threat to U.S. security.

Amid political uncertainty in Bangkok, a violent insurgency continues in the country’s majority Malay Muslim provinces in the south, with no possible settlement in sight.

While some experts fault demand increases for record-high oil prices, others say production and market issues reflect price hikes are more complicated.

Political volatility among the world’s leading oil producers suggests deeper causes for recent price spikes.