POLITICS-LAOS: Hmong ‘Insurgency’ Actually a Humanitarian Crisis

The month-long detention of two European journalists in Laos, the ensuing global outcry and their sudden release is emerging as a classic case study of how media, diplomacy and so-called 'dissidence' work in contemporary times.
   The ethnic Hmong 'insurgents' the journalists went to cover turned out to be a group of starving villagers desperate for help.

POLITICS-LAOS: Hmong ‘Insurgency’ Actually a Humanitarian Crisis

The month-long detention of two European journalists in Laos, the ensuing global outcry and their sudden release is emerging as a classic case study of how media, diplomacy and so-called 'dissidence' work in contemporary times.

DEVELOPMENT: EU Building Bridges with U.S. in Iraq

European Union money for the reconstruction process in Iraq should be managed by a donors' trust fund that may not be controlled by Britain and the U.S., according to Chris Patten, EU commissioner for External Affairs.

POLITICS-US: Key Officials Used 9/11 As Pretext for Iraq War

With demands for a full-scale investigation of the manipulation of intelligence by the administration of Pres. George W. Bush mounting steadily, it appears increasingly clear that key officials and their allies outside the administration intended to use the Sep. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks as a pretext for going to war against Iraq within hours of the attacks themselves.

POLITICS-MIDEAST: EU-Israel Relations Remain Tense

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon failed to advance Israel's relations with the European Union as he met his British counterpart Tony Blair in London to discuss the fragile Middle East peace process.

POLITICS-INDIA: From the Start, Sending Troops to Iraq Unacceptable

Now that India has rejected a request from its newfound friend, the United States, to send a division of its troops to Iraq, it is beginning to dawn on many that the whole idea was unpalatable from the start.

POLITICS-U.S.: Imperial Dreams Running Aground on Arabian Sands

Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld has become distinctly testy, while Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz seems almost to have disappeared from public view, and Vice Pres. Dick Cheney hasn't been heard from in weeks.

RIGHTS-CHINA: Protests Expose Faults of Hong Kong ‘Experiment’

Beijing is trying to ease tensions in Hong Kong, where mass protests against a draconian security bill have turned into big rallies for democratic change - and now threaten to derail China's long-term goal of reunification with Taiwan.

ECONOMY-BRAZIL: Pension Debate Puts Lula at Another Crossroads

The government of Brazil lost control of negotiations on social security reforms, leaving it at a decisive moment for the nation's economic future and reviving fears of new financial turbulence for this South American giant.

POLITICS: Bush’s Africa Trip Long on Rhetoric, Short on Specifics

On his first week back from a whirlwind trip across Africa, U.S. President George W. Bush will have a lot of explaining to do - and not just why a controversial allegation about Iraq's efforts to obtain uranium yellowcake from Niger made it into his State of the Union address, either.

POLITICS-U.S.: Anatomy of a Quack-Mire

How could such smart people get so much wrong?

POLITICS: Africans Weary of Americans Bearing Gifts

-George Orwell, the British author of the books titled Nineteen Eighty Four and Animal Farm, must be turning in his grave.

POLITICS-AFRICA: Caught Between A Rock And Hard Place

South African President Thabo Mbeki hands over the reins of his year-long chairmanship of the African Union (AU) in Maputo this week to President Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique.

POLITICS-SOUTH AFRICA: Bush Arrives In Africa Armed With A Carrot And Stick

-President George W Bush arrives in Africa armed with his Millennium Challenge Account carrot of 10 billion dollars over three years to alleviate poverty, his 15 billion dollar pledge over five years to fight HIV/Aids and the US's Africa Growth and Opportunities Act (Agoa), which allows African exporters of garments and textiles duty-free access to US markets.

POLITICS: Burma on Diplomatic Offensive, Little Effect So Far

Stung by criticism from its neighbours, Burma's junta has launched a diplomatic offensive against mounting international pressure, especially from Asian countries, to release Aung San Suu Kyi immediately and resume the dialogue process with the opposition leader.

POLITICS-AFRICA: Angry Protestors Target Bush Trip

Protestors in three African nations are gearing for marches to coincide with the visit to five countries by U.S. President George W. Bush.

ENVIRONMENT: EU Draws Closer to U.S. over Biotech Foods

New genetically modified foods may be sold in the European Union for the first time, bringing the 15-nation grouping a step closer to ending a trade row with the U.S.

POLITICS-U.S.: Bush Africa Trip More Spin Than Substance?

Will President George W. Bush's first trip to Africa as president amount more to spin than to substance?

POLITICS-AFRICA: War on Terror, Access to Oil Likely to Dominate Bush’s Trip

War on terror and access to oil seem to be behind the visit of U.S. President George W. Bush to Africa next week, say analysts.

POLITICS-EUROPE: Italy’s Ambitious Plans for 6-Month EU Presidency

The new European Constitution, economic integration, immigration and external relations will dominate Italy's six-month presidency of the European Council that it took over from Greece Tuesday.

POLITICS-Europe: Italy’s Ambitious Plans for 6-Month EU Presidency

The new European Constitution, economic integration, immigration and external relations will dominate Italy's six-month presidency of the European Council that it took over from Greece Tuesday.