French President Nicolas Sarkozy has announced German-French cooperation in proposing a new European treaty to address the debt crisis. He said Europe will be strong only if there is unity between Germany and France. But he failed to provide details about specific measures.

On this World AIDS Day, President Obama is calling for a modest expansion of U.S. efforts to fight the disease both at home and abroad. To reduce waiting lists for AIDS drugs in the U.S., Obama is calling for $50 million of more funding. He is also setting a goal of 6 million more people on HIV treatments worldwide by 2013. But critics say the effort falls far short of what's needed.

Retirement benefits are being cut at every level, both in the U.S. and in Europe. Economic and demographic pressures may have made cuts inevitable, but they are generating strong opposition.

A South Korean man meant for his Twitter profile picture, with its backdrop of a North Korean flag, to be a visual parody of North Korean news programs. Now, Park Jong-kun may be charged with violating a security law from 1948. Critics say it's being used to stifle free speech on North Korea.

There are basically two solutions to the European debt crisis. The problem is there's a barrier blocking both these potential solutions — a certain European country known for its beer and brats — Germany.