In Mexico, an American couple and a third person were killed over the weekend just across the U.S. border in Ciudad Juarez, a city consumed by drug violence. All three of the dead were connected to the U.S. Consulate there, underscoring the risks of living and working in that city. But, as Tom Ackerman of Al Jazeera English reports, the violence is widespread.

In Pakistan, a series of deadly bombings shatter a period of relative clam that also saw the capture of several high-level Taliban officials. For more, Daljit Dhaliwal interviews Ahmad Kamal, and Hashem Ahelbarra of Al Jazeera English reports from the Swat Valley.

There were indications today of how the Iraqi election may play out. Estimates show that the coalition led by the current prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, is doing well in Baghdad and in the Shiite south of Iraq. For more, Daljit Dhaliwal speaks with Michael Wahid Hanna, and Mike Hanna of Al Jazeera English follows one elderly woman who votes for the future.

Even as Iraq prepares for elections, there were three separate suicide bombings in the northeastern provincial capital of Baqouba today that killed at least 30 people. For more on the violence and the upcoming elections, Daljit Dhaliwal interviews Michael Wahid Hanna, a fellow at the Century Foundation. And Anita McNaught reports for Al Jazeera English.

After the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, Russians are asking themselves why they performed so poorly. Russia, which dominated the Winter Olympics throughout the seventies and eighties as the Soviet Union, finished sixth on this year's medal table. Neave Barker of Al Jazeera English reports from Moscow on anger at Russia's Olympics performance.