BRITAIN, EUROPE, RUSSIA and CENTRAL ASIA ARCHIVE :

Please note : Most publications move older stories into their archives which may require a fee to view the full story. Some stories listed below may no longer be available online.

Christian Science Monitor, 09 Feb 10, by Jonathan Adams
France agrees to arm Russia with assault ships
'France's agreement to sell amphibious assault ships to Russia raises concerns from the US and former Soviet satellites, including Georgia.'

Christian Science Monitor, 09 Feb 10, by Fred Weir
Ukraine heads back into the arms of Mother Russia
'Yanukovich might permanently shelve Ukraine's application to join NATO, slow down Mr. Yushchenko's plans to deepen economic cooperation with the European Union, and forget about the demands of Ukrainian nationalists to evict the Russian Navy from its historic Black Sea headquarters in Crimea.'

Christian Science Monitor, 08 Feb 10, by Robert Marquand
NATO officials mull Taliban talks but rule out direct contact
'At a security conference in Munich, US and NATO officials says that an Afghanistan plan to negotiate with the Taliban won't include 'direct contact' between the US and the insurgents.'

New York Times, 04 Feb 10, by Nicholas Kulish and Ellen Barry
Romanians Accept Plan for Basing of Missiles
'While the participation of Poland and the Czech Republic in the missile shield had been well known, the possibility that Romania would join them was not.'

Christian Science Monitor, 29 Jan 10, by Fred Weir
Russia flexes military power with 'futuristic' fighter jet
'Russia returned to the global stage Friday as a first-rank military and technological power by launching a 'fifth generation' fighter plane, with futuristic characteristics of stealth, sustained supersonic cruise, and integrated weapons.'

New York Times/Reuters, 27 Jan 10
Russia Says U.S. Arms Treaty Could Be Ready In Weeks
'Productive meetings between top U.S. officials and their Russian counterparts in Moscow last week have brought the sides close to agreement on a successor to the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I) ...'

Washington Post, 27 Jan 10, by Craig Whitlock
NATO struggling to fulfill commitments for more troops in Afghanistan
'NATO is struggling to make good on commitments to deploy extra forces to Afghanistan, one month after the Obama administration said it was counting on the alliance to send as many as 10,000 more troops to serve alongside U.S. soldiers.'

Christian Science Monitor, 27 Jan 10, by David Montero
Afghanistan war: Why US disappointed by Germany troop levels
'Germany announced it would to send up to 850 troops, to Afghanistan, one day after French President Sarkozy said he would send no more troops. The US had hoped for a much larger commitment.'

Christian Science Monitor, 27 Jan 10, by Caryle Murphy
Can the US exploit divide between Taliban and Al Qaeda?
'New details have emerged about the tense relationship between Osama bin Laden, the leader of Al Qaeda, and Mullah Omar, the head of the Taliban, in the days before 9/11. In Afghanistan, the US aims to exploit that divide.'

Washington Post, 27 Jan 10, by Colum Lynch
Russia won't block removal of former Taliban members from U.N. terrorism list
'A U.N. Security Council committee announced Tuesday that it has lifted sanctions against five former Taliban officials, bolstering Afghan and U.N. efforts to pursue peace talks with the group, Security Council diplomats said. The decision came after Russia agreed to stop blocking a U.S.-backed proposal to delist the men.'

The Guardian, 28 Jan 10, by Andy Beckett
The Iraq war inquiry: will it call Blair to account?
'The Chilcot inquiry will question Tony Blair about the Iraq war. So might we see the real truth emerge at last?'

New York Times, 20 Jan 10, by John F. Burns
Britain Tightens Antiterror Measures on Air Travel
'Acting on intelligence failures exposed by the attempted bombing of a Detroit-bound airliner on Dec. 25, Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced a major tightening of British aviation security measures on Wednesday, including the creation of a new no-flight list of terrorist suspects similar to one maintained by the United States.'

BBC, 13 Jan 10
Defence cuts 'will shrink UK armed forces'
'The British armed forces could be forced to shrink by up to a fifth because of a lack of money, a military think tank has predicted.'

2009 Britain, Europe, Russia and Central Asia archive
2008 Britain, Europe, Russia and Central Asia archive
2007 Europe archive

"Hunt for the Somali Pirates" airs soon on the National Geographic Channel.
When Somali pirates hijack the Maersk Alabama -- and international headlines -- Navy SEALs launch a sneak attack to rescue the ship's American captain. Pirate Hunters recounts the harrowing five days from hijack to final fatal shots, and reveals sophisticated Navy SEAL training methods that prepare the world's most elite reconnaissance teams for daring missions with no second chances.