The good news is that Afghanistan's once record opium production has dropped substantially in the past year.
The China Post > John Metzler

Barack Obama, whose campaign theme is "change we can believe in," promised Thursday to "spell out exactly what that change would mean."
AP

The world may have only seven years to start reducing the annual buildup in greenhouse gas emissions that otherwise threatens global catastrophe within several decades.
Washington Post

When it comes to action over Georgia, Russia has the European Union over a barrel. In fact, 1.2 million barrels.
AP

This coming Saturday will mark the first 100 days of President Ma Ying-jeou's administration.
Letters

A hundred countries are meeting in Accra this week in negotiations for a new climate change agreement after the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012.
The China Post > Special to The China Post

Barack Obama achieved a historic breakthrough with his nomination for president, but you wouldn't know it by tracking the official events of the Democratic convention's first three days.
AP

A vanquished guest at another's coronation, Hillary Rodham Clinton proved this week she is still a political force -- in the short term and for the future.
AP

The Kremlin's decision to recognize the independence of two breakaway regions of neighboring Georgia has prompted some people inside Russia's own borders to ask: Why can we not have independence too?
Reuters

China's banking sector, once considered the weakest link in the nation's economy, has had a spectacular first half, with one lender now touting itself as the most profitable bank in the world.
AFP