Politics Jan 01 Russia Cuts off Gas to Ukraine, Supplies Continue to Europe Russia stopped supplies of natural gas to neighboring Ukraine over a contract and debt dispute, raising concerns of gas shortages in the rest of Europe which depends on gas supplies from Russia.
Politics Jan 01 As Revolution Reaches 50, Cuba Under Raul Castro Gradually Undertakes Reforms When Raul Castro stepped into his older brother Fidel's shoes as Cuba's president, he promised to usher in new economic reforms. And while Cubans can now get cell phones and plant crops in unused farmland other reforms are coming at…
World Jan 01 Amid International Crises, Czech Republic Takes Helm of European Union The start of a new year also marks a shift in the leadership of a key international institution, with the Czech Republic becoming only the second former Iron Curtain nation to take the mantle of the European Union.
World Jan 01 Background Report: The EU Membership Process In 1950, in the wake of two brutal world wars that had ravaged the continent of Europe, French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman proposed the formation of a European Coal and Steel Community to unite the countries.
Health Dec 31 China Dairy Exec Pleads Guilty in Melamine Case The former chairwoman of a Chinese dairy company implicated in September's tainted milk scandal pled guilty Wednesday to charges of selling "fake or substandard" products.
Economy Dec 30 Consumer Confidence Hits Record Low More gloomy news emerged on the U.S. economic front Tuesday as consumer confidence fell to a record low in December and new data showed home prices dropped by the sharpest annual rate on record in October.
Politics Dec 29 Israeli Forces Hit Hamas Hard in Retaliation for Rocket Fire; 300 Dead In the deadliest show of force against Palestinian targets in decades, Israeli aircraft pounded the Gaza Strip Monday for a third day, targeting militant leaders and key symbols of the militant group Hamas.
Politics Dec 29 Somali President's Departure Marks Next Step for Transitional Government Somalia's President Abdullahi Yusuf resigned Monday after failing to stabilize the African country that has lacked a functioning central government for 17 years.
Nation Dec 29 Ugandan Rebels Kill Nearly 200 in Northeast Congo Facing a new military campaign aimed at ending their 20-year war, Ugandan Lord's Resistance Army rebels have launched a series of attacks that have killed nearly 200 people in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the U.N. reported Monday.
Arts Dec 29 W.S. Merwin: A Passion for Poetry and the Natural World W.S. Merwin is one of the nation's greatest living poets and is the author of more than 50 books. In a house he built on the island of Maui, he cultivates his other life long passion: gardening.