How do Americans celebrate this national holiday when overseas? We put the question to our Facebook fans. Among the more than 1,200 responses: Turkey with all the fixings plus pasta in Villasanta, Italy; buying a small turkey for $60 in Katmandu, Nepal; and sharing dumplings with Czech friends in Prague.

The difficulty and expense associated with nation-building in Iraq and Afghanistan has made the notion of nation-building unpopular with Democrats and Republicans alike. But throughout U.S. history, the idea has always staged a comeback.

To gauge the severity of the crisis in Europe, it helps to look at how much it costs the continent's countries to borrow money. Investors are pulling back from buying bonds, one country at a time. Investors have dumped their Spanish and Italian debt; now they're looking warily around the rest of Europe, wondering who's next. And suddenly France isn't looking very strong.

In Egypt, intense clashes between protesters and security forces overnight raised the death toll from recent violence to at least 40. But both sides appear to be observing a truce this morning, as the country prepares for elections next week. Tens of thousands of Egyptians have been protesting since last Friday, demanding the ruling military council step aside — something the council rejected Thursday.

The U.S. State Department says it's urging the government of the Persian Gulf kingdom of Bahrain to act on the findings of a major human rights report that has just been issued. That report details the abuses that took place during and after a mass uprising in Bahrain that was styled after movements in Tunisia and Egypt. The report was commissioned by the government itself and assembled by a team of international legal experts. But it remains to be seen whether it will lead to real reform and dialogue between the ruling Sunni monarchy and the Shiite majority.

In Spain, last weekend's election victory by austerity-minded conservatives hasn't done much to quell volatile markets. It's been a rude awakening for Spain's next prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, who's under pressure to enact reforms quickly — even before he takes office next month.

Imran Khan, who led Pakistan to its only World Cup Championship in 1992, aspires to be the country's prime minister. He's been in politics for years with limited success, but is now drawing big crowds.