Europe's plan to secure a cheap and reliable source of energy by bypassing Russia was dealt a hard blow recently with the signing of a new agreement between Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. The agreement, which came as a result of two days' talks between the countries' leaders in Turkmenbashi, is to build a new pipeline bringing Turkmenistan's large gas resources through Kazakhstan to Russia. Robin Adams reports from St. Petersburg.
Australian Prime Minister and key US ally John Howard has intimated that he could stand down as leader of the Liberal Party in an effort to boost its re-lection chances. By Simon Roughneen in Darwin.
One of most enduring political slogans of recent times is that something as simple as grafitti can lead to murder. It ascribes itself to a “quality of life” or “broken windows” theory of policing, whereby grafitti, or spitting on the street, or littering, is the first link in a criminal chain that eventually ends up in murder.
The passing of Boris Yeltsin did not come as a surprise to most Russians. He was known to be ill for some time, his resignation in 1999 being partly because of health reasons. Even so, the news brought an atmosphere of reflection to the country. For many Russians, the period of uncertainty and chaos that signified the Yeltsin era is well and truly over. But the memory remains fresh, and with Putin affirming in this year's ‘State of the Nation' address that it would be his last, the future of the nation once again seems unsure. Robin Adams writes from St Petersburg.
Local child protection agencies in Nepal are concerned over the lack of action to trace and release child soldiers in the country, children's rights activists told IRIN on Monday.
Some historic manuscripts plundered by the British from Ethiopia in the 19th Century are now in the care of the Chester Beatty Library and Trinity College Dublin. It is time to consider sending them back to their country of origin, say Professor Richard Pankhurst and Dr Elene Negussie
Two million people displaced and up to 400,000 people killed in the continuing conflict in Africa's largest country. By John Duggan
Marwan Hussein is a 31-year-old unemployed father of two - Hala, 5, and Yehia, 7 - who is internally displaced and living in an abandoned school in the outskirts of Baghdad. Before being unemployed, he was working as mechanic and earning enough money to support his family in Dora neighbourhood. His wife, Abdya, works as a housekeeper for some families.
During his recent trip to Latin America, the first since 2005, president Bush went to extraordinary lengths to downplay the real reason for the tour: Chávez. The week long trip spanned five countries-Mexico, Guatemala, Brazil, Colombia and Uruguay-and was portrayed as a good will tour to remind the region of the deep U.S.
In a centuries deep sea of clichés despairing that 'prostitution will always be with us', one country's success stands out as a solitary beacon lighting the way. In just five years Sweden has dramatically reduced the number of its women in prostitution.