VENEZUELA: Statements Indicate Chavez May Indeed Be in Somebody’s Crosshairs

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez has repeatedly claimed that the U.S. government has plans to assassinate him and thus trigger chaos that would allow it to intervene militarily and take control of the South American country's huge oil reserves.

POLITICS-US: Bush Appoints Right-Wing Extremist to UN Post

In a breathtaking victory for right-wing hawks, U.S. President George W. Bush has nominated Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security John Bolton to become his next ambassador to the United Nations.

RELIGION: Thoughts Turn to the ‘Pope-Ables’

With the 84-year-old Pope John Paul II barely able to move freely or speak coherently, attention has shifted to how long his 26-year reign, the fourth longest in history so far, could last. And, consequently, to his successor among the 'papabili' ('pope-ables')..

POLITICS-NEPAL: Regime’s Charm Offensive in India to Win Over Donors

Nepal's royal government sent its highest-ranking diplomat - Foreign Affairs Minister Ramesh Nath Pandey - to New Delhi on Monday in a bid to placate India over political developments in the Himalayan kingdom. But the minister will have a tough sell on his hands.

POLITICS-MIDDLE EAST: Democratisation or Disintegration?

Feeling vindicated by dramatic events in the Middle East since the Iraqi elections Jan. 30, especially the growing international clamour for Syria to withdraw from Lebanon, neo-conservatives are calling on Pres. George W. Bush to seize the moment by pressing for "regime change" in Damascus and Iran, as well.

POLITICS: China Engineers a Change of Leaders in Hong Kong

It is, on the face of it, a stunning victory for ''people's power''. Hong Kong leader Tung Chee-hwa is stepping down following a chain of events set off by an anti- government protest involving more than half a million people. In reality, however, things are not what they seem to be.

POLITICS-MERCOSUR: The Lost Generation’s Turn

More sceptical and pragmatic today, survivors of years of prison, torture, exile, emigration and the fall of cherished ideologies have made it to the government in Uruguay, just as they did not so long ago in neighbouring Argentina and Brazil.

POLITICS: Uruguay’s Leftist Gov’t Expands New Regional Political Map

The inauguration of Uruguay's new leftist government marks a watershed in the history of this small South American nation and completes a political map in the region that differs markedly from the neo-liberal scenario that prevailed in the 1990s.
     The sensation of change was colourfully visible Tuesday as tens of thousands of Uruguayans took to the streets of Montevideo to celebrate the historic occasion, which also marked the 20th anniversary of the restoration of democracy after the 1973-1985 military dictatorship.

MIDEAST: Peace Move Could Be the Kiss of Death

The U.S. hand of support offered to a new push for peace in the Middle East could well turn out to be the kiss of death for the peace process.

POLITICS: Uruguay’s Leftist Gov’t Expands New Regional Political Map

The inauguration of Uruguay's new leftist government marks a watershed in the history of this small South American nation and completes a political map in the southern cone region that differs markedly from the neo-liberal scenario that prevailed in the 1990s.

HEALTH-ASIA: Bird Flu Pandemic, Now a Possibility

A year after it triggered alarm bells across Asia, the lethal bird flu virus is showing little signs of slowing down, consequently forcing health and food experts to concede that the disease will persist for years in the region.

RIGHTS-BRITAIN: Justice Goes on Trial, And Does Badly

The conviction of three soldiers by a military court for abusing Iraqi prisoners is seen to have put the British military on trial. But reports on the way the trial has been conducted puts Britain's judicial system itself on trial.

POLITICS-SOUTH ASIA: India Talks Down To Its Neighbours

Last week, India spelt out its emerging thinking and policy towards its neighbours in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). In a public speech, Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran - the chief of the Indian diplomatic service - announced a more assertive approach, to which economic cooperation, leading to a South Asian common market, would be central.

POLITICS-U.S.: Jaafari Victory Win for Administration Pragmatists

The choice of Ibrahim Jaafari as candidate for prime minister of the majority United Iraqi Alliance (UIA) is seen as an important advance for the more pragmatic forces in the administration of President George W. Bush against their adversaries among the neo-conservatives and other hawks.

CLIMATE CHANGE: Price of Carbon on the Rise

The Industrial Revolution in the Western world, responsible for much of the pollution now threatening the planet's very existence, was fuelled by the drive for profit.

EUROPEAN UNION: Iberia’s Socialists Tilt Political Balance Back Towards the Middle

The socialists' landslide victory in Portugal's legislative elections and the substantial increase in the support garnered by the rest of the left indicate that the political balance in the European Union (EU) may be starting to tilt back towards equilibrium and away from conservative domination.

POLITICS-INDIA: Muslims, Peasants Hold Key to Bihar Elections

Eastern Bihar, reckoned as India's most lawless region, completed this week the second and last phase of voting for a new provincial assembly in an election that is most likely to return to power the same coterie of politicians that have ruled the state for the past 15 years.

POLITICS-SYRIA: Hariri Killing Sure to Bolster U.S. Hawks

Whether or not Syrian President Bashar Assad was behind Monday's assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, the car-bombing is sure to strengthen forces inside the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush who have long argued for "regime change" in Damascus.

MIDEAST: Assassination Puts the Spotlight on Syria

It was a Valentine's day massacre in front of Beirut's formerly glorious St. George hotel. Violence returned to the Lebanese capital on a scale not seen since the end of the civil war 14 years ago, and its victim was the very man who was synonymous with the country's slow emergence from that nightmare, former prime minister Rafik Hariri.

SOUTH ASIA: India Ready For Closer Ties with Pakistan

India's External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh arrives in Islamabad on Tuesday with a firm agenda to restore ties with an estranged Pakistan. This will be the first visit by an Indian foreign minister to the neighbouring country in 15 years.

CHINA-NORTH KOREA: Two Nations in a Bind Over Nukes

North Korea's bold statement that it has nuclear weapons - in order to thwart a possible U.S. strike - puts Beijing in an uncomfortable position.