In Bangkok, Thailand, the Constitutional Court has dissolved the country's top three ruling parties over electoral fraud. The ruling brings down the government and sets the stage for thousands of protesters to end their siege of the country's two main airports.

The U.S. Supreme Court hears an important environmental case Tuesday, testing the role of cost-benefit analysis in federal clean-water rules. At issue is how far power plants must go in protecting fish and wildlife.

Last week's deadly strikes in Mumbai, India, caught the world by surprise. But some of the details that have emerged might seem familiar to the readers of the 2007 novel Sacred Games. Author Vikram Chandra describes those similarities and the mood in Mumbai after the attacks.

The twin Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are the busiest in the nation. But as the economy has declined, so have imports. The repercussions are being felt throughout Southern California, and the people who work the docks and warehouses are being affected.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is delivering his State of the City address exclusively on the Internet. The annual speech will be shown in 10 episodes on YouTube and the city's Web site. It will total 7.5 hours. The first round, unveiled Monday, focuses on health, education and the environment.

A New York man has been keeping his license plates inside his car. He says that's the only way to preserve them. Jonathan Lifschutz has vanity plates with five letters that read: OBAMA. Lifschutz is a former donor to Hillary Clinton. But after Barack Obama started winning Democratic primaries, Lifschutz went to the Department of Motor Vehicles and got the plates. He says the only trouble is that people keep trying to steal them.

The attacks in Mumbai, India, last week reflect a new pattern. The terrorists used small arms and grenades, and their tactics were reminiscent of traditional guerrilla warfare. The small group of attackers demonstrated discipline and training, and their actions were clearly well-organized and financed. That raises the question: Is the world dealing with a new era of terrorism?

Negotiators from European Union governments and the European Parliament tentatively have agreed on new standards for cutting global-warming gases. The new rules would apply to only new-car fleets in six years. The EU Commission had wanted a three-year deadline. The deal still needs approval by the European Parliament and all 27 EU nations before becoming law.

India says that "elements from Pakistan" were responsible for the attacks in Mumbai last week. Pakistani journalist Ahmed Rashid says Pakistanis do not accept that the attackers came from Pakistan. He tells Steve Inskeep that Pakistanis are rallying around the nation's government.

Despite the economic downturn, there are still some big spenders out there. A Chinese casino mogul just paid $200,000 for an Italian white truffle. The super gourmet mushroom weighed more than 2 pounds. But the price, paid at a recent international trufflle auction, was not a record. Last year, the same man, Stanley Ho, bought a slightly heavier truffle for $330,000 — an all-time high.

Japan's main index fell more than 6 percent. South Korea was down more than 3 percent. Hong Kong's main stock average fell nearly 5 percent, partly on grim economic news out of China. The drop in world markets follows a nearly 8 percent plunge in the Dow, after the National Bureau of Economic Research issued a report declaring that the U.S. officially is in recession.

Executives from Detroit's Big Three carmakers are back on Capitol Hill this week to make a new pitch for $25 billion in federal loans. The executives were grilled during their first visit and have retooled their pitches.

Wanted: a couple willing to run a Victorian bed-and-breakfast perched on a tiny island off San Francisco. Must be willing to cook, clean and endure a foghorn going off every 20 seconds half of the year. The historic lighthouse-turned-guesthouse is beautiful but isolated. As the outgoing tenants told the San Francisco Chronicle,"We'd probably stay forever if we could figure out how to get a pizza delivered."

President-elect Barack Obama meets Tuesday in Philadelphia with the National Governors Association. The governors plan to ask Obama for $136 billion in infrastructure funds to stimulate the economy. Pennsylvania has the highest number of structurally deficient bridges in the country.

New York City honored the iconic cocktail with a Times Square celebration Monday that included the granddaughter of the bartender who invented it. The Bloody Mary turned 75.