RIGHTS: A New Attempt to Bridge Britain’s Race Divide

In a controversial recommendation aimed at making immigrants to Britain more British, a government inquiry report wants all immigrants to vow "clear primary loyalty" to Britain.

EDUCATION-SERBIA: Govt Deals with the Legacy of Adult Illiteracy

Serbia is trying to deal with the legacy of adult illiteracy and with the country's inability to keep pace with the modern world.

RIGHTS-GERMANY: Immigrant Children Fall Through the Education Net

Immigrant children in Germany are less likely than their peer group in other industrialised countries to improve their prospects through education.

TRADE-BRITAIN: A Small Way of Showing the Way

London Mayor Ken Livingstone brought cheer for a moment when he dropped in on a fair trade fair over the weekend. The fair promoting "Christmas with a conscience" brought together ethical traders and charities in a sale pointedly separate from Christmas shopping in the usual stores.

HEALTH: Indicators Tumble in Ex-Communist Nations

A United Nations agency warned of the grave crisis facing health services in the countries of eastern and central Europe, and the members of the Community of Independent States (CIS).

RIGHTS-RUSSIA: Volunteers Help Russia’s Refugee Children

These days millions of Russians are struggling to overcome the dire economic circumstances of their households - a situation which is affecting many children.

RIGHTS-ITALY: Spies May Win License to Commit Crimes

The Italian government says its intelligence service agents should be given free rein to commit certain crimes as they seek to complete their secret missions, though not assassination or other offences that cause personal harm.

FINANCE-RUSSIA: Russia Pledges Output Cut to Halt Oil Prices Slide

Following a long drawn out bargaining process, Russia has announced that it will reduce oil exports by 150,000 barrels a day beginning Jan. 1.

RIGHTS-SPAIN: Double Standards for Sex Trade, a Booming Business

The sex trade is a booming business in Spain, where it involves around 300,000 people - mainly immigrant women - and moves more than 10 billion dollars a year, according to a report presented by police commissioner Manuel Javier Peña. However, activists complain of double moral standards.

FINANCE-YUGOSLAVIA: Euro Brings Fears of Money Laundering

By the end of last week three million households in Serbia received flyers inviting them to convert hidden German Marks into bank accounts in the Euro. The move is being disputed as an invitation to money laundering.

/ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT/MUSIC-BRITAIN: Harrison’s Love of East Was Never a Fad

For former Beatle George Harrison the East was never a passing fad of the sixties. An absorption with forms of Hinduism and with Indian music remained a part of his life to the very end.

DEVELOPMENT: Funding a Core Issue at Global Freshwater Conference in Bonn

Some 180 billion dollars a year are required as investment in providing water and sanitation services to about 1.2 billion people around the world, who do not have access to sufficient and hygienically safe water, says a document tabled at a five-day International Freshwater Conference that began in Bonn Monday.

RIGHTS-ITALY: Housing Loans only for Legally Married Couples

Social organisations and leftist parties in Italy announced Monday that they would call a referendum to repeal a statute passed by the council of the central region of Lacio that only benefits legally married couples.

FINANCE-BRITAIN: New Powers to Check Money Laundering

Britain's financial regulators have acquired new powers to fight extensive money laundering operations taking place through London.

POLITICS-RUSSIA/CIS: Post-Soviet Integration Remains A Distant Dream

Former Soviet leaders, who gathered in Russian capital to mark the 10th anniversary of the Commonwealth of Independent States, CIS, have all long pledged to prioritise multilateral integration.

POLITICS-SPAIN: ETA Slips by Justice, Moves Forward with Attacks

The Basque separatist group ETA continues forward, attacking police in the Basque region, while measures taken to isolate and eradicate the group are on the rise both inside and outside of Spain in the context of the international fight against terrorism.

DEVELOPMENT: Former Communist Nations No Paradise for Children

The former communist countries of Europe and Central Asia, in the rush for economic growth, have neglected their goals to improve the standard of living for all and to build humane and democratic societies, says a new report by the United Nations Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

POLITICS-EUROPE: British Seek to Push Germany Down the Military Path

The Luftwaffe was the dreaded name that rained death on England in living memory of many. Now Britain complains there is not enough of it.

SPORTS-SOUTH AFRICA: A Sporting Dispute Brings a Political Division

Stitch two pieces of leather with some stuffing in between and you can get a cricket ball. The dust that this stitching gathers on the field has set off an international row that has raised issues of both a racial and a political divide.

POLITICS: Europe Moving to Criminalise Racist Internet Postings

The European Commission is expected to adopt and announce rules in the next few weeks that would bind the 15 European Union (EU) members to outlaw racism and xenophobia on the Internet and offline.

SCIENCE-YUGOSLAVIA: DNA Lab to Help Solve the Mystery of Missing in Wars

The mystery of what happened to the over 40 000 people who went missing during the gruesome wars in the former Yugoslav federation in the 90's will soon be solved with the setting up of the region's largest DNA laboratory in the Serbian capital of Belgrade.