Goodbye to France's 35-Hour Week

The conservative government ends the Socialists' once-celebrated attempt to put more people to work for shorter hours

A New Cold War in the Caribbean?

Analysis: Russia, China and even Iran are asserting their presence in a region once considered America's "backyard." Are we headed back to the days of the Cuban missile crisis?

Libya Flips Over Swiss Detention

Gaddafi shuts off the oil after his son and daughter-in-law are questioned for beating servants

• The Weird, Wired World of Colonel Ghaddafi

Executions Rise in Iran, Saudi Arabia

Executions jumped by a third in Iran and quadrupled in Saudi Arabia last year, causing the total number of executions around the world to rise yet again in 2007

Iraqi Teams Banned from Olympics

The International Olympic Committee has upheld a ban on Iraqi teams at the Beijing Games, saying Thursday the government missed the deadline to address accusations of political interference

The Middle East Blog

Two Lebanons

On Thursday when I returned to Lebanon, I caught the tail end of the celebrations for the prisoner exchange between Hizballah and Israel, rushing down to the coast to watch marching bands welcome coffins containing the remains of martyred Arab fighters.

The China Blog

How Do You Say Pressure in Chinese?

Think the Chinese hoops team is feeling it these days? Check out this comment from 7-ft. forward Yi Jianlian's blog.

Preah Vihear: A Rumble in the Jungle?

This is not about politics, it's about people who are poor, who are in need and want to be helped by government.

• JACOB ZUMA,
• head of South Africa's governing African National Congress, expressing shock about white poverty in the country