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Allegations of fraud have marred Afghanistan's presidential election. Ronald Neumann, former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, says despite the allegations it is worth it for the White house to maintain support for Afghanistan.

Toyota President Akio Toyoda apologized Friday two weeks after reports of problems with gas pedals and floor mats led to the recall of more than 5 million vehicles. But Japan is very much in denial that its national icon is in turmoil.

The U.S. Transportation Department said Thursday it has received more than 100 complaints from owners of the 2010 Toyota Prius and has opened an investigation into possible brake problems with the model. That's more bad news for Toyota, which has recalled more than 5 million vehicles of various models to repair problems with sudden acceleration.

President Obama challenged leaders gathered at the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday to join the U.S. in solving the world's problems rather than waiting for America to do it on its own. Obama used his first address to the U.N. General Assembly to calls for a "new era of engagement."

G-20 leaders will likely leave Pittsburgh with an agreement to have banks build up their capital reserves while cutting back on bonuses and other forms of compensation. The new capital rules will be phased in and banks would have until the end of 2012 to meet the new requirements.

Iranian envoys meet Thursday in Geneva with representatives from Europe, Russia, China and the U.S. for talks that will focus on Tehran's suspect nuclear program. The meeting comes as Iran's foreign minister visited Washington on Wednesday on a rare visit.

U.N. and Afghan officials confirmed reports of fraud in the Aug. 20 presidential elections and ordered a partial recount. The latest returns from the Afghan Election Commission show incumbent President Hamid Karzai now has enough votes to avoid a run-off with his nearest challenger.

The U.S. Senate Finance Committee rejected a provision to include a government-run public insurance option as part of the effort to overhaul the health care system. The vote was 15-to-8 against the measure.

Representatives from the U.S. and five other world powers outlined their concerns about Iran's nuclear program at a meeting in Switzerland with an Iranian delegation. U.S. officials held the highest-level direct talks with the Iranians in years.

In Austin, Texas, a small private plane crashed into a federal office building that housed Internal Revenue Service workers. Initial reports indicate the pilot hated the IRS and may have crashed the plane intentionally.

President Obama said Tuesday Democrats and Republicans should be able to come together and pass a jobs bill. The comments came at a meeting with congressional leaders from both parties.

Automaker Toyota says it's recalling about 437,000 Priuses and other hybrid vehicles worldwide to fix brake problems. Toyota has now recalled more than 8.5 million cars worldwide because of various manufacturing defects.

The government's latest response to the financial crisis involves taking ownership stakes in financial institutions in order to get credit flowing through the economy again. Treasury Secretary Paulson said he didn't like government ownership of banks, but the alternatives, he said, were "totally unacceptable."

It's been 20 years since the legendary Indiana University men's basketball team won a national championship. Will new head coach Tom Crean be able to turn the tailspinning team around?

Film critic David Edelstein reviews The Class, the Oscar-nominated French film about a high school class in an impoverished Paris neighborhood.

The economy shrank at a pace of 3.8 percent in the final three months of last year, the worst performance in more than two decades. At the White House, President Barack Obama took note as he was launching a task force to focus on helping the middle class.

President Obama will soon have the chance to appoint a new justice to the U.S. Supreme Court. Justice David Souter is planning to retire at the end of the court's term.

A new translation of Carlo Collodi's 1881 classic Pinocchio reveals a puppet that's much darker than Walt Disney might have you believe. Critic-at-large John Powers has a review.

A Senate Judiciary subcommittee held a hearing Wednesday with a witness who warned the Bush administration against harsh interrogation techniques. Former FBI agent Ali Soufan interrogated Abu Zubaydah. He called the harsh methods ineffective.

President-elect Barack Obama is said to have chosen Chicago schools chief Arne Duncan to serve as education secretary. Duncan has run the country's third-biggest school district for the past seven years. He has focused on improving struggling schools, closing those that fail and getting better teachers.

The Senate has voted 94-2 to confirm Hillary Clinton as secretary of State. Clinton was expected to be confirmed Tuesday, but Texas Sen. John Cornyn raised objections, citing foreign contributions to Bill Clinton's foundation.

President Barack Obama is freezing all pending federal rules changes left by the Bush administration. He also froze salaries for White House staffers who make more than $100,000 a year. And because of some bungled wording during Tuesday's swearing-in ceremony, Chief Justice John Roberts re-administered the oath to Obama Wednesday.

The impeachment trial of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich begins Monday in the state Senate. Instead of going to the state capital to defend himself against charges that he has abused the power of his office, Blagojevich will be making the rounds to TV studios in New York. He's trying to salvage what's left of his flagging political career.

The latest movie in the Star Trek franchise opens on Thursday — though it premiered Wednesday night at the San Diego Comic-Con. Director Justin Lin was there to walk the fine line with fans.

The State Department is holding back on the money for recovery funds for Syria. It was promised by departing Secretary of State Tillerson, and was to go to areas controlled by U.S.-backed rebels.