French president Nicolas Sarkozy arrogantly snubbed Romanian president over Roma deportation issues The French-Romanian friendship on head of state level is not what it used to be. President Nicolas Sarkozy seems to have treated his Romanian counterpart Traian Basescu coldly, even impolitely, at the group photo with all NATO state leaders at the Lisbon summit. Basescu tried to stop his French counterpart... 

As America has been moving left, Europe is taking the opposite course. Social-Democratic parties have lost some of their dominance. These two maps plot political power. For countries with coalition governments, the holder of the Prime Minister or being the largest party in the coalition is used. Purple is where the Prime Minister and President are from different blocks (for countries where the President... 

Some 30 million Poles are eligible to vote in the elections Voting stations across Poland opened Sunday for municipal elections in which 48,000 regional leaders were to be elected. The elections are regarded as a political barometer ahead of parliamentary elections in 2011. Local elections in Poland have opened across the country, in a key test for the government ahead of parliamentary elections next... 

For 18 minutes in April, China’s state-controlled telecommunications company hijacked 15 percent of the world’s Internet traffic, including data from U.S. military, civilian organizations and those of other U.S. allies. This massive redirection of data has received scant attention in the mainstream media because the mechanics of how the hijacking was carried out and the implications of the incident... 

Last week, you probably saw the report about Cody Alicea, the boy in California who was told to take the American flag off his bicycle by obtuse school administrators. Well, yesterday some members of Cody’s community in California decided they would help escort him to class: The school has since apologized.  Read More »

The story of one intrepid Soviet scientist, his quest to dam the Bering Strait, melt the Arctic and bring prosperity to the Frozen North. Aside from the massive, man-made global warming, what could possibly go wrong? The idea of melting the Arctic ice cap dates at least to the 1870s, when Harvard geologist Nathaniel Shaler suggested channeling more of the warm Kuroshio Current through the Bering Strait: Whenever... 

Israeli helicopter gunships fired missiles at a building near Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on Thursday, targeting suspected militants, the military said. Witnesses said the strikes hit a multi-storey building and that tanks also opened fire shortly afterwards. Palestinian medical sources said there were no casualties and that a group of people inside the building was able to escape. Israeli... 

President Barack Obama on Thursday demanded North Korea cease provocations on the divided peninsula, but held out the prospect of economic aid and respect if it abandons its nuclear arms program. Obama also urged Chinese President Hu Jintao to use his influence over Pyongyang to convince the reclusive state to refrain from provocative acts against the South. Tensions on the peninsula sank to their... 

Iran’s Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki flew to Nigeria on Thursday to discuss an arms shipment seized in the West African state last month which diplomats have said could put Tehran in breach of United Nations sanctions. Nigerian Foreign Minister Odein Ajumogobia said his Iranian counterpart had pledged Tehran’s cooperation with investigations into the shipment, intercepted by Nigeria’s... 

Tough day for Obama: Trade deal unfinished, backlash on money policy, president tested anew. Humbled by elections at home, President Barack Obama on Thursday endured a sobering test of his power abroad as well, unable to close a trade deal with South Korea and thrown on the defensive about America’s approach to global economic worries. From halfway around the world, he admonished both friends... 

Uninvited guest: A Chinese Song Class submarine, like the one that surfaced by the U.S.S. Kitty Hawk When the U.S. Navy deploys a battle fleet on exercises, it takes the security of its aircraft carriers very seriously indeed. At least a dozen warships provide a physical guard while the technical wizardry of the world’s only military superpower offers an invisible shield to detect and deter any... 

Police officers detain Piotr Davrishadze (2nd r.), who is accused of spying for Russia, in Batumi, in a still image taken from undated video released Nov. 5. Georgia said on Friday it had dismantled a Russian spy ring, arresting four Russian citizens and nine Georgians two years after the ex-Soviet neighbors fought a brief war. Georgia on Friday accused 13 people, including four Russians, of spying... 

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton gestures during a news conference with Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd on Saturday, Nov. 6, 2010 in Melbourne, Australia. The United States and Australia pledged Saturday to tighten security ties and work together to influence the behavior of an increasingly assertive China. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Australian Foreign Minister... 

Arizona Voters Reject Health care Mandates November 2nd was set to be an important day for Arizona voters, and they spoke loud and clear when they rejected healthcare mandates by passing Proposition 106. This amends the Arizona Constitution to protect the “right of Arizonans not to participate in any health care system or plan.” It will also protect Arizonan’s “right to spend their own money... 

Note to national Republicans: beware the Tea Party in 2012. That’s the message from the Tea Party Patriots, one of the movement’s largest groups, as it celebrates early wins during Tuesday’s midterm elections. Members and supporters of the group watched election returns from a Capitol Hill hotel. “It’s primarily important that we hold Republicans accountable,” Patriots...