Let's put President Bush's decision in context: no U.S. President has ever attended Olympic Games held outside of the United States. Ever.

Feministe.us: It's like a perfect storm of right-wing policies: The War on Drugs, women's liberation by way of imperialism, and "freedom" at the barrel of a gun. The vast majority of the world's opiates originate in Afghanistan. To fight drug production,

India's Ganges river at the city of Allahabad has been flushed with fresh water from upstream to improve bathing for millions at a key Hindu festival. Some holy men, or sadhus, had threatened to boycott bathing in waters they considered too polluted.

There is a large majority of Americans who are terrified by our governments inability to hear our voices. We do not want war. Not with you, not with anyone.

When people realized what was going on, they started to throw stones at the [Israeli]soldiers. These responded by shooting wildly in all directions. Four bystanders were killed, more than 30 wounded...A "routine" action...almost daily...

Three more skulls have been found near the home of an Indian businessman and servant arrested for alleged multiple rape and murder, Indian media say. The discovery could bring the number of bodies found in Noida, a suburb of the capital Delhi, to 20.

THE WAR IN IRAQ HAS PRODUCED VENDETTAS..... JOIN END HONOUR KILLINGS ON CARE2

The US has begun moving some terror suspects detained at Guantanamo Bay's Camp Delta into a new $37m (£19m) maximum-security prison - Camp Six

The United Nations has launched an appeal to raise $450m (£229m) in humanitarian relief funds for the Palestinian territories next year

Scores of families face a bleak run-up to Christmas after a tornado wrecked their north-west London homes, forcing them to be rehoused