As US involvement winds down in Iraq, with troops staying on predominantly in training and advisory roles, President Obama has warned that America remains a far cry from "mission accomplished."
In the midst of our post-election political circus Australians are turning a blind eye to ever worsening crises unfolding internationally - including the "time bomb" of North Korea and mounting tension between Israel and Iran, writes Peter Hartcher.
One billion citizens of the world are currently suffering chronic hunger, and the fires of Russia, floods of Pakistan and political wars aren't helping. Yet there is no long-term strategy to deal with world hunger.
Go back to a land of colourful pants, patterned dresses and the building of the Trans-Siberian railway. Yes, it's rare photos of pre-revolution Russia, Uzbekistan and Turkey, taken in full colour at the turn of the century.
Despite the presence of guns, Tel Aviv feels peaceful, like most cosmopolitan cities although some reminders of danger exist -- bags are searched before entering shopping centres and train stations, writes Ben Iaquinto.
A massive UN report, detailing war crimes in the Congo between 1993-2003, has finally been leaked to the press. The most controversial claim: that the massacres and attacks by Rwandan and Congolese troops against Hutus were an act of genocide.
Yesterday insurgents in Iraq launched a devastating string of coordinated attacks in 13 separate locations across the country. This new wave of violence arrives in the midst of America's resolve to scale back its involvement and, by next year, end combat operations.
Legendary conservative firebrand P.J. O'Rourke spent 72 chaotic hours in Afghanistan establishing everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask - including lessons about lamb chops, the fashion preferences of suicide bombers and the ins and outs of ethnocentric politics.
Opposition to the Afghanistan war is no longer just a liberal issue in the US. As US troops leave Iraq, will the Afghanistan conflict be ended shortly as well?
The two Australian soldiers killed on the weekend take Australia's death toll in Afghanistan to 20. The Greens -- who are likely to hold the balance of power -- are now calling for a parliamentary debate into Australia's involvement in the war.
