France packs up before Afghan pullout

It's by far the largest military pullout the French army has ever carried out. As France withdraws its remaining 2,000 combat troops from Afghanistan, all the equipment shipped in over the past last 11 years also has to be repatriated. 900 vehicles, 14 helicopters, three fighter jets, two planes and over 1400 containers will be sent home and before long, the French soldiers will be too.

FOCUS

MALAYSIA

Woman sentenced to caning for drinking beer

Our Focus programme looks at the case of Kartika Sari Dewa Shukarn, a Malaysian model who pleaded guilty to drinking beer in public and has been sentenced to caning after the Muslim holy month of Ramadan comes to an end.

USA

Obama's healthcare reforms under pressure

President Barack Obama’s ambitious healthcare reforms are under pressure. Republicans have staged a highly effective campaign to block what they view as a “socialist” policy, leading to heated scenes in town halls all over the USA.

AFGHANISTAN

The day after the election, rumours of fraud abound

The day after the Afghan election, and as both incumbent Hamid Karzai and his main rival Abdullah Abdullah claim victory, rumours of fraud are gathering steam. But the international community insists the election is credible...

21/08/2009 - GLOBAL CRISIS

Eastern Europe's economic woes

The financial crisis is taking a heavy toll in central and Eastern Europe, where the downturn brought an economic boom to a grinding and painful halt. Focus investigates how Romania is cutting costs to battle the effects of the global recession.

AFGHANISTAN

The fight against opium

Opium and heroin trafficking in Afghanistan is a considerable source of revenue for the Taliban, but they are not the only ones who profit from it. In the meantime, the United States have radically changed their strategy in the war on drugs...