The explosion was heard several kilometres away A powerful blast has rocked an eastern suburb of the Lebanese capital, Beirut, killing one person and injuring at least 22 more.

The explosion happened in the Ashrafiya area, a part of the city that has a large Christian population.

Two cars were blown u >>>

      By Ray Furlong BBC News, Bremen, Germany Chancellor Schroeder addressed a rally in Bremen this week Bremen has a somewhat curious symbol: a menagerie of exotic animals that should normally be hunting and eating each other, standing on top of each other‘s backs to form a pyramid.

It comes from a fairy sto >>>

      There are reports that ex–ruler Jean–Claude Duvalier will run At least 30 candidates have registered for Haiti‘s elections, the first since President Jean–Bertrand Aristide was ousted, officials say.

Former Presidents Rene Preval and Leslie Manigat, as well as ex–PM Marc Bazin, ar >>>

      The meeting was the first to deal with just political issues Top officials from Serbia and Kosovo have held a six–hour meeting in Vienna for the first time in two years.

Kosovo is waiting for a UN report by special envoy Kai Eide expected to give the green light to crucial talks on its final status.
>>>

      Don Brash is promising closer ties with the United States The people of New Zealand have begun voting for their next goverment in what is expected to be a close–run election.

Labour Prime Minister Helen Clark is seeking a third term in office but she faces a strong challenge from the National Party&lsquo >>>

      England Northern Ireland Scotland Wales Business Politics Health Education Science/Nature Technology Entertainment –––––––––––––––––

Have Your Say Magazine In Pictures Week at a Glance Country Profiles In Dept >>>

      Germany goes to the polls on 18 September in elections a year ahead of schedule.

Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, whose Social Democratic Party (SPD) has ruled with the Greens since 1''8, looks likely to lose his job to Angela Merkel, head of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). The BBC News website look >>>

      Schwarzenegger: "I‘m a follow–through guy" Former Hollywood actor Arnold Schwarzenegger has confirmed he will run for a second term as governor of the US state of California.

He told a rally in San Diego that he would "finish the job" he started and seek re–election next y >>>

      By Imogen Foulkes BBC News, Geneva Women are often lured to EU countries to work as prostitutes A new report on trafficking in south–eastern Europe says the trade in human beings – both adults and children – is reaching alarming proportions.

The study from the International Organisation for M >>>

      PM CHICAGO –– Gov. Rod Blagojevich insisted Friday that he is not connected to corruption at a teachers pension fund and that he does not tolerate misconduct by anyone who works for him.

"I have no involvement whatsoever in anything surrounding the alleged corruption at the teachers retirement >>>

      INDIANAPOLIS –– Indiana‘s decision this year to observe daylight–saving time statewide was supposed to end 30 years of clock–changing confusion.

Instead, it sparked a battle that could create a state time zone system as puzzling as a Rubik‘s Cube.

At least 1' co >>>

      ':23 PM NEW HAVEN, Conn. –– Arguing that a terrorism investigation could be jeopardized, federal prosecutors on Friday appealed a judge‘s decision to lift a gag order on librarians who received an FBI demand for records about library patrons under the Patriot Act.

U.S. District Court Judg >>>

      NEW YORK –– The widows of two National Guard officers allegedly killed in Iraq by a disgruntled American soldier are angry that the Army has turned down their request to watch the soldier‘s hearing in Iraq via satellite television.

So they have made another request to the military: Fly them t >>>

      5:51 PM President Bush today ruled out raising taxes to pay for a vast relief and reconstruction effort in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, but he said other programs would have to be cut and that economic growth must be maintained.

In a joint press briefing with the visiting Russian president, Vladimir Putin, B >>>

      WASHINGTON –– For the fourth consecutive year, the Bush administration has decided to withhold funding from the U.N. Population Fund, saying the agency contributes to China‘s "coercive abortion" program.

The administration decision was disclosed in a letter from Under Secretary of S >>>

      WASHINGTON –– The Justice Department is seeking information about whether lawsuits by environmental groups hindered efforts to improve New Orleans levees, an effort the Sierra Club and Democratic lawmakers say is aimed at shifting blame for the massive flooding.

The request to federal prosecutors, >>>

      PM WASHINGTON –– The leaders of the House Intelligence Committee want CIA Director Porter Goss to provide a public version of his agency‘s hard–hitting report on the failures leading up to Sept. 11, 2001.

In a letter made public Friday, Intelligence Chairman Peter Hoekstra, R–Mich >>>

      WASHINGTON –– How much it will cost to clear the debris, detoxify the water, house the homeless and rebuild New Orleans and the Gulf Coast after the Katrina catastrophe is still anyone‘s guess, but it‘s clear who‘s going to pay for most of it: Future generations.

The bill to the g >>>

      SAN DIEGO –– Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger confirmed an open secret Friday, telling supporters that he‘s running for re–election next year _ an early announcement designed to re–energize his sagging political momentum.

"I‘m going to follow through with this here. I‘m >>>

      PM ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia –– Former U.S. president Jimmy Carter has expressed qualified support for Ethiopia‘s parliamentary elections but said it was up to the opposition to decide if they accepted the results.

Opposition parties made strong gains in the June polls but continue to argue they >>>

      BEIRUT, Lebanon –– A powerful bomb went off in a Christian neighborhood of eastern Beirut late Friday, wounding at least three people and sending soldiers scrambling to the scene.

The blast detonated just before midnight near a bank, completely destroying a car. But it was not clear if the bomb was >>>

      PM BAGHDAD, Iraq –– A leading Sunni cleric called for religious and ethnic groups to take a stand against violence as Iraq endured a third consecutive day of sectarian killings _ the worst, a suicide car bombing at a Shiite mosque that killed at least 12 worshippers as they left Friday prayers.

The >>>

      WELLINGTON (Reuters) – New Zealanders were voting on Saturday in a tight election which opinion polls suggested was too close to call after a rough and tumble campaign.

New Zealand‘s 2.' million voters have a choice of 1' parties ranging from Prime Minister Helen Clark‘s Labour and th >>>

      Do you know your vote bundles from your early day motions? Brush up on your parliamentary language with our exclusive guide Tuesday October 30, 2001 Adjournment debate – usually a half–hour debate introduced by a backbencher at the end of business for the day. The subjects raised are often local or personal >>>

      Saturday September 17, 2005 1:01 AM AP Photo WHCD102 By ANNE GEARAN AP Diplomatic Writer WASHINGTON (AP) – President Bush predicted Friday that Iran will be called to account before the United Nations Security Council over what the United States claims is a rogue nuclear program, but he acknowledged that step may >>>

      Saturday September 17, 2005 12:46 AM By KEVIN FREKING Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) – Senior citizens and the disabled will have to pay a monthly Medicare premium of $88.50 next year for doctor‘s visits and other services, a $10.30 boost in the fee.

The 13.2 percent increase in premiums f >>>

      Saturday September 17, 2005 1:01 AM AP Photo LARS101 By DOUG SIMPSON Associated Press Writers GRETNA, La. (AP) – A 73–year–old woman who was jailed for more than two weeks after authorities accused her of looting was released Friday evening.

Merlene Maten said the first thing she wanted to do >>>

      Saturday September 17, 2005 1:01 AM AP Photo WIMG103 By ROBERT IMRIE Associated Press Writer HAYWARD, Wis. (AP) – A jury on Friday convicted an immigrant truck driver of first–degree murder in the shooting deaths of six deer hunters during a confrontation over trespassing, rejecting his claims that he fired >>>

      Saturday September 17, 2005 12:46 AM AP Photo NAP110 ROME (AP) – Police have captured a reputed mob boss involved in a Naples turf war that claimed more than 50 lives, dealing a serious blow to organized crime in Italy, officials said Friday.

Paolo Di Lauro, 52, an alleged leader of the Camorra crime syd >>>

      Saturday September 17, 2005 12:46 AM By The Associated Press Major developments in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina:

– President Bush ruled out raising taxes to pay for Gulf Coast reconstruction, saying other government spending must be cut instead. His advisers warned that Hurricane Katrina relief and >>>

      Saturday September 17, 2005 1:01 AM By HEATHER CLARK Associated Press Writer ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) – New Mexico‘s state treasurer and his predecessor were charged Friday with racketeering, accused of taking about $700,000 in kickbacks from investment advisers.

An indictment stemming from a two&nda >>>

      Saturday September 17, 2005 12:46 AM By DEBORAH SEWARD and SAM F. GHATTAS Associated Press Writers NEW YORK (AP) – Saudi Arabia‘s Crown Prince Sultan said Friday that Israel should withdraw from more conquered Arab lands after Gaza, indicating there can be no change in the collective Arab stand on Israel un >>>

      Saturday September 17, 2005 1:01 AM AP Photo AT106 AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – The youngest son of Florida Gov. Jeb Bush was arrested early Friday and charged with public intoxication and resisting arrest, law enforcement officials said.

John Ellis Bush, 21, was arrested by agents of the Texas Alcoholic Beverag >>>

      Saturday September 17, 2005 12:46 AM By WILLIAM C. MANN Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) – In a spirited attack, the State Department‘s spokesman on Friday accused Syria of making trouble not only for Iraq, by allowing foreign fighters to infiltrate the country, but also for Lebanon and the Palestini >>>

      Haben Habteslasie Friday September 16, 2005 Admiral Lord Nelson, who lost his life in the battle of Trafalgar 200 years ago, was given an extraordinary sendoff by tens of thousands of mourners at a lavish ceremony on the banks of the Thames on January 8 1806.

The ceremony was re–enacted today as part of >>>

      Cosmetics firm targets UK market Lack of regulation puts users at risk Ian Cobain and Adam Luck Tuesday September 13, 2005 The Guardian A Chinese cosmetics company is using skin harvested from the corpses of executed convicts to develop beauty products for sale in Europe, an investigation by the Guardian has discovered >>>

      What is RSS? David Blunkett has denied new charges that he abused his position as a Cabinet minister.

Mr Blunkett did not get an official to find out whether his son was caught up in an A–level marking fiasco while Education Secretary, a spokesman insisted. However, the journalist who made the claim stoo >>>

      What is RSS? Paul McGinley will meet Angel Cabrera after crushing Luke Donald '&8 in the quarter–finals of the HSBC World Match Play championship.

The 38–year–old Dubliner has to face second seed Cabrera, the big–hitting Argentinian who pushed him into second place at the BMW Ch >>>

      What is RSS? Jose Mourinho has chosen to ignore the latest tale of alleged unrest from inside the Chelsea camp chiefly because it has arrived via a third party and not directly from the lips of England midfielder Joe Cole.

The Portuguese coach found it more than amusing that Cole‘s supposed desire to qui >>>

      What is RSS? The 43 police forces in England and Wales could be merged into massive "super–forces" under official new proposals.

A startling report by Her Majesty‘s Inspectorate of Constabulary concluded that the current police set–up was unfit for the 21st century, and that smaller >>>

      What is RSS? Police are searching properties in the city where two of the July 7 suicide bombers lived.

Officers from West Yorkshire and the Metropolitan Police forces were carrying out the searches in Leeds as part of their investigation into the London bombings, which killed 52 innocent people.

A Sc >>>

      What is RSS? Arsenal striker Robin van Persie will serve a one–match Champions League ban for his dismissal against FC Thun, UEFA have confirmed.

UEFA‘s control and disciplinary committee had the power to extend the suspension to two or three games, although that would have been likely to spark an >>>

      By ASSOCIATED PRESS BEIRUT, Lebanon A bomb exploded in Beirut residential neighborhood late Friday, killing at least one person and wounding 23, police said, in the latest in a string of blasts in the Lebanese capital.

The blast, which went off just before midnight, caused heavy damage to a street in predomina >>>

      By RACHEL BERMAN Despite no longer being a state owned company, El Al Israel Airlines still enjoys the benefits that come with being a flag carrying airline. As its association for being "the Israeli airline" lingers in the mind–set of the consumer, the newly privatized El Al is able to capitalize on th >>>

      By YEHOSHUA SISKIN It has been said that every passage in the Torah is like an enormous jewel with 70 facets. This is explained, in part, by the fact that each Hebrew word has multiple associations and layers of meaning. Almost any Hebrew word, in fact, has the power to evoke the emotions and the memories, the struggle >>>

      By MAX STERN Trustworthy is a word that Doron Solomon, the new musical director and conductor of the Israel Sinfonietta Beersheba, uses frequently. As music director his idea translates into dependability, accountability and reliability in all aspects of music making, programming, administration and promotion.

>>>

      About Us/Help | Feedback | Subscribe | Archive | Print Edition | Site Map | RSS | Special Projects | Corrections Contact Us | Privacy Policy | Rights & Permissions | Advertise With Us | Today‘s Article on Christian Science | Web Directory www.csmonitor.com | Copyright © 2005 The Ch >>>

      Islamabad—In occupied Kashmir, the Indian troops in their ongoing state terrorism, martyred eleven Kashmiris, at various places.

Of those martyred five were shot dead at Machil area in Kupwara district. Two youth were similarly martyred in Handwara and another at Gudtral in Islamabad district. Two more Kashmir >>>

      Baghdad—A suicide car bomber struck as worshippers were leaving a Shiite mosque in a northern Iraqi town Friday, killing at least 10 people. Twelve other people were killed elsewhere by militants as the Sunni–dominated insurgency pressed its «all–out war» against the government.

The 22 >>>

      Says no confrontation with opposition PML united under Shujaat’s leadership NFC award soon Islamabad—Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has said that the democratic system in the country is working well and there is no confrontation between the treasury and the opposition on any issue.

Addressing a press conference a >>>

      Anwar Rajani Karachi—On demand by Engro, Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) has agreed in principle to allocate 100mmcft gas to one fertilizer plant located near Dharki, Sindh.

The government is however yet to decide about Fauji or Engro as both have expressed interest in setting up a new urea plant.
>>>

      Muzaffar Ali Lahore—Punjab Chief Minister Ch Pervaiz Elahi has said Friday that the largest industrial estate of the country is being set up at Faisalabad, over an area of 4000 acres. This project would be completed within five years where investment of seven billion US dollars would be made. Similarly, a value additio >>>

      Shalom also meets Indonesian counterpart United Nations—Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom held talks here Thursday with his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabr al–Thani in what were described as the first official contacts between the two countries, an Israeli official said.

The two >>>

      CommentSyed Mazhar Ali Shah The tribal belt continues to simmer. Of the seven tribal agencies, Waziristan, both South and North has been turbulent for almost two years now and there are as yet no signs of any let up despite a string of military operations carried out in the region. The recent seizure by the Army of the >>>

      Tariq Saeed Peshawar—The security forces at the Pak–Afghan border were reinforced Friday with sole intention to further tighten the border ahead of the first Afghan parliamentary elections scheduled for Sunday April 18. Additional contingents of Pakistan Army Friday took positions to seal western border.

>>>

      Aroosa Alam New York—As part of Pak–istan’s policy decision to involve Kashmiris in the dialogue process with India, President General Pervez Musharraf will be holding a very important meeting with the APHC delegation led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Saturday on the margins of the UNGA.

President Musharraf >>>

      Karachi—Over 700 residents of Awami Colony (Union Council– '), Landhi Town reported with cholera like symptoms at Korangi Government Hospital following consumption of contaminated water.

Landhi Town administration in a press release issued here Friday said these people brought to the hospital with re >>>

      Observer Report Islamabad—The Pak–Algeria Joint Ministerial Commission will hold its first session in Islamabad on Monday, Tuesday next. Algerian Minister of Small and Medium Enterprises and Handicraft Mr Mustapha Benbada and Pakistan’s Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources, Mr Amanullah Khan Jadoon will c >>>

      Terrorists’ sanctuaries smashed; Economic indicators are positive Aroosa Alam New York—President General Pervez Musharraf has vowed to remove the obstacles of obscurantism and extremism and initiating a process of Islamic renaissance in Pakistan to make it a source of light.

He was addressing Pakistani America >>>

      Tahir Rashid Rawalpindi—Pakistan Railways is trying to introduce City Railway System in eight big cities of the country and Railway network would be installed in these cities soon.

This move is aimed at reducing traffic pressure on roads, besides providing better communication facilities to people, said a high >>>

      Faisalabad—The tribunal established for investigating the facts about Sonia Naz case has presented its enquiry report to Interior Secretary Punjab.

The inquiry which was started on September 5, continued for one whole week. The head of tribunal, District and Session Judge Faisalabad Abdul Waheed Khan recorded >>>

      Comment/Dr Ishtiaq Ahmad Following the Istanbul meeting between Pakistani and Israeli foreign ministers, Indonesia, the Muslim world’s largest country, has followed suit. On Wednesday, Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda met his Israeli counterpart Silvan Shalom in New York City, on the sidelines of the UN summ >>>

      By Jill Sherman, Whitehall Editor GOVERNMENT plans to reform council tax were in disarray last night after it emerged that Tony Blair has decided to postpone the revaluation of property bands due in 2007.

John Prescott will announce next week that Sir Michael Lyonss report into local government finance is also >>>

      By Nigel Hawkes, Health Editor A TECHNIQUE that corrects short sight as you sleep could give millions of people 20/20 vision without the need for spectacles.

Orthokeratology, now becoming widely available in Britain, uses contact lenses worn at night to correct the curvature of the eye. When you wake up in the >>>

      By Will Pavia THE supermodel Kate Moss has apologised to one of her important employers for taking drugs after she was caught on camera snorting cocaine.

Hennes & Mauritz said last night that it would use Moss as the face of its forthcoming clothing range, after she expressed regret for her actions and pro >>>

      From Lisa Armstrong, Fashion Editor in New York THE paparazzi lurking outside the red–brick faade of the Mercer Hotel in Manhattans Soho yesterday offered a neat illustration of the rigid hierarchy that operates in fashion which allows so much to be known, and yet not quite known.

Kate Mosss party lifest >>>

      By Dr Thomas Stuttaford HOW can Kate Moss manage to appear so relatively healthy, despite her clubbing and other habits? She looks thin, as if her appetite might be suppressed, as it certainly would be by cocaine. She is already developing a drawn, skinny and slightly haggard look.

Cocaine is short acting. It >>>

      By Richard Ford, Home Correspondent MANY police forces are unfit to deal with the problems of the 21st century, according to a damning report which says that organised crime is flourishing and drug abuse more widespread than commonly acknowledged.

The report, by Her Majestys Inspectorate of Constabulary, will >>>

      Robert Skidelsky THERE ARE TWO competing visions of international relations. On the one side is the Blair–Bush new doctrine, which links world security to the spread of Western values. On the other side is the traditional doctrine of national sovereignty, which precludes intervention in the domestic affairs of so >>>

      Janice Turner The sculpture of a disabled woman in Trafalgar Square sits comfortably among the buttoned–up generals SEE THE STATUE Alison Lapper Pregnant for yourself, if you can. Because in situ the effect is quite different to what news photographs or the fabulous two–year furore have led you to expect. W >>>

      The survival of the fishiest provides a healthier diet for our children Barramundi and chips to carry out, anyone? A barramundi fish farm has opened in the New Forest. The fingerlings (fry) are imported from Australia. They are grown to plate size indoors, in order to prevent them from becoming immigrants or asylum&nda >>>

      From Mr Peter Higginson Sir, It is perfectly possible for a societys values to be democratic and for military units to be isolated and barbaric in the field (Comment, September 13). One thinks of My Lai, the British concentration camps of the Boer War and the dubious treatment of German civilians post–Normandy.>>>

      Compiled by Bess Twiston Davies Israels chief rabbis have invited Pope Benedict XVI to visit Jerusalem.

Shlomo Moshe Amar and Yona Metzger issued the invitation during a private audience with the Pope in Rome this week.

The leader of Canadas largest province has banned the introduction of Sharia law t >>>

      November 5, 1'13 – September 15, 2005 Cinematographer and director who won Britain‘s first Oscar for camerawork on Great Expectations GUY GREEN was one of the outstanding film cameramen of the 1'40s and 1'50s, and the first from Britain to win an Oscar, awarded for his striking black and white p >>>

      The al–Zarqawi offensive means that only one strategy is ethical or practical Three years ago, as the political party conference season opened, one issue, Iraq and whether Britain should support a probable US–led intervention, dominated proceedings. The House of Commons was recalled for a debate in the midd >>>

      Credo by Roderick Strange IN THE popular imagination, religion and science are often assumed to be at odds. While science is characterised as pressing on bravely, exploring the origins of existence and pioneering benefits for the wellbeing of the human race, religion is viewed as negative, uttering its dour no to every >>>

      Julie Burchill THE FREEFALL of Marks & Spencer from sublime to ridiculous continues, with the seventh consecutive quarter fall in sales reported in July. The first womenswear TV advertising campaign in five years, featuring a giggling gaggle of supermodels, will be gracing our screens for the next four weeks.
< >>>

      May 26, 1'11 – August 30, 2005 Indefatigable Bond Street jeweller whose shop was the haunt of aristocrats, royalty and rock stars THE dinner held last October in the Plaza Athene in New York to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the National Antique & Art Dealers Association of America, was notable, among >>>

      Giles Coren THURSDAY NIGHT saw the world premiere in Toronto of a film called Beowulf and Grendel, based, obviously, on the Old English epic we have tended to call Beowulf, even though, as we all know, Old English poems, from The Battle of Maldon to The Dream of the Rood, did not have names at all until glory–hun >>>

      From Mr William Wyndham Sir, Lawyers never sleep; politicians are awake only to events. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) no less than the US Supreme Court will legislate outside parliaments unless they are vigilant and effective. Professor Alan Dashwood (letter, September 13) suggests that EU Council legislative deb >>>

      Elementary lessons on how to put the success into the succession Welcome, Prime Minister, to the first day of the rest of your Downing Street tenure. This was not quite how Tony Blair was introduced on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme yesterday morning, but it might as well have been. There were some opening pleasantrie >>>

      Celebrity effect of the week We have been improving our menus for the last four years, quietly and without a fuss. Meal numbers were going steadily up. Then along came Jamie Oliver The Local Authority Catering Association says school meal take–up has dropped ' per cent since the TV chef started his campaign N >>>

      Matthew Parris LIKE A DODGY auctioneer offloading family furniture in a distress sale, Charles Clarke fingers his hammer and moves from pile to pile of once–cherished items.

Lot number 47: Ancient Liberties. Now what am I bid? Suspension of Habeas Corpus three months? Will anyone give me three months det >>>

      Anthony Howard WHEN EARLIER this week David Davis proclaimed himself a One Nation Tory he was putting down a deliberate marker. The phrase always identified with, although never used by Disraeli has traditionally been associated with a particular brand of caring, compassionate Conservatism. For that reason during the 1 >>>

      Wild Notebook by Simon Barnes I WAS CLEANING out a stable ready for winter. This involves a fair bit of noise, bashing brooms into corners, belting away at cobwebs, swearing and so forth. Enough to drive any living thing away. Except, of course, a robin. A young one, from the unfinished look of the plumage.

An >>>

      From Richard Lloyd Parry in Tokyo BRITISH, Japanese and Chilean archaeologists have discovered the spot where Alexander Selkirk, the model for the castaway Robinson Crusoe, survived in solitude for four years and four months.

After a 13–year search, the team, led by Daisuke Takahashi, a Japanese explorer >>>

      By Jeremy Whittle LANCE ARMSTRONG has ended speculation of a Tour de France comeback next July with a stinging rebuke of the French establishment and of Dick Pound, the president of the World Anti–Doping Agency (Wada). Ive got my kids, my fiance, my work. Why should I come back and deal with crooks and criminals >>>

      By Philip Webster and John Goodbody THE Football Association has won backing from Gordon Brown for an attempt to stage the 2018 World Cup in England for the first time since 1'66.

FA officials have met the Chancellor privately to seek confirmation that there would be support from the Treasury and, if Mr Br >>>

      By Chris Ayres An unusual romance runs its course in Los Angeles as Rene Zellweger moves to end her marriage FANS of Rene Zellweger yesterday filled online message boards with speculation over the real reason for the request to annul her four–month–old marriage to Kenny Chesney, an American country music si >>>

      Gang jailed over 33m Heathrow bullion raid By Michael Horsnell A GANG whose plan to mount one of the biggest robberies in British criminal history was foiled by a police sting were jailed yesterday.

With the help of an insider yet to be brought to justice, the eight men took part in an audacious gold, diamond >>>

      By Roger Boyes Too comfortable to face its failings, the country is incapable of electing a strong and radical leader THE Times office is situated in the best–swept road in Berlin. You could eat an egg off the pavement.

The reason is that the orange cleaning trucks with their huge rotating bristles are o >>>

      Pakistani activists, politicians and protesters condemned President Musharraf after he told The Washington Post that rape in Pakistan was a money–making concern for women, with some seeing it as a ticket out of the impoverished country.

In the southern port of Karachi, almost 100 women demonstrated outsi >>>

      By Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent THE Anglican Church in Nigeria has deleted all reference to Canterbury, the mother church of the Anglican Communion, from its constitution.

This rejection of Canterbury is the latest action in the Anglican Communions dispute over homosexuals and is the closest the Churc >>>

      By Oliver Kay SIR Alex Ferguson yesterday bemoaned the media circus that follows Wayne Rooney, comparing it with that which he holds partly responsible for destroying his relationship with David Beckham and the careers of George Best and Paul Gascoigne, but English footballs latest showbiz icon simply cannot keep himse >>>

      From Catherine Philp in Kabul THE election candidate was relaxing at home after his last day of campaigning in the southern Helmand province of Afghanistan when masked men appeared at his door, dragged him outside and shot him through the head.

In an American military hospital hundreds of miles to the north, a >>>

      By Valerie Elliott Fish farmers are challenging traditional British tastes with imported stocks of exotic species EXOTIC fish species such as barramundi and tilapia are being farmed in Britain as an alternative to threatened stocks such as cod.

The fish are popular in Australia and the US, and industy analysts >>>

      From Jane Macartney in Beijing THE richest woman in Asia won a long–running legal battle yesterday when the highest court in Hong Kong ruled that she, and not her father–in–law, should inherit her late husbands business empire.

Nina Wang, 68, known for her frugality and trademark pigtails, wa >>>

      From Tim Reid in Washington THE poverty and racial injustice laid bare by Hurricane Katrina must be wiped out as New Orleans and the Gulf coast region are rebuilt, President Bush said yesterday.

Hours after announcing the largest domestic reconstruction effort in US history, Mr Bush said during a service at th >>>

      By Matthew Pinsent Our correspondent finds the Italian motorcycling genius still undecided whether to turn his talent to cars and Formula One IT WAS quite a change to find someone who had not heard about the Ashes.

Valentino Rossi has been away from London all summer and, despite the procession that was taking >>>

      By Ian MacKinnon, Sean ONeill and David Charter Israeli leader snubs Blairs invitation after court issues warrant for general BRITAIN is desperate to avoid a diplomatic row with Israel after Ariel Sharon apparently snubbed an invitation from Tony Blair to visit London, claiming that he feared arrest.

The Israe >>>