Serbs struggle with Kosovo's independence
Policymakers in Washington and Brussels may have underestimated the Serbian bond to Kosovo.
- Serbs expand protests over Kosovo across Europe

In Putin's Russia, there's only room for one party
Even in far-flung areas of Russia, President Vladimir Putin's tactics to stifle the opposition have been heavy-handed.

For the New York Philharmonic, a landmark trip to North Korea
The first lesson given to the players by a Western diplomat? Wear warm shoes - the floor of Pyongyang Airport is freezing.
- In Shanghai, New York Philharmonic musicians become coaches

High oil prices take a toll on the middle class in the Middle East
Inflation propelled by booming oil prices is squeezing the Gulf's middle class and setting off strikes, demonstrations and occasional riots.

Elections in Germany confirm leftward shift
The results, which followed a similar outcome in two state elections in January, come amid an increasingly sharp conflict in Germany about whether the Left Party, as it is known, would be a viable partner if no major political party can assemble a stable governing majority.

Ra??l Castro becomes Cuban president
Castro's election Sunday by the National Assembly ended his brother Fidel's 49-year rule, as well as speculation that a younger generation would take power.

Ralph Nader announces third-party run for president
The consumer advocate Ralph Nader said Sunday that he would run for president as a third-party candidate, criticizing the top White House contenders as too close to big business.

Scores dead as Turkey battles rebels in Iraq
Turkish troops and Kurdish rebels fought close battles in northern Iraq on Sunday, leaving scores dead on the fourth day of a major ground offensive that Baghdad and Washington fear could further destabilize Iraq.
- Bomber strikes Shiite pilgrimage, killing 40 in Iraq

Building Kazakhstan, one film at a time
"Mongol," one of five films that was vying Sunday night for the Oscar for best foreign-language film, illustrates this oil-rich nation's new-found skill at using propaganda to portray a society's glories (or, more to the point, to create them).

Palestinians prepare protest on Israeli border
The Israeli Army beefed up its forces on the Israeli side of the border with the Gaza Strip on Sunday after Palestinian advocates there called on residents to form a human chain Monday along the Gaza side of the border fence.

Communist becomes Cypriot president
Demetris Christofias won the Cypriot presidential election Sunday after pledging to revive talks to reunite the Greek Cypriot south side of the island with the breakaway Turkish Cypriot north.

Thousands continue protest of Armenian vote
As thousands of opposition supporters rallied for a fifth straight day in Yerevan on Sunday, demanding a rerun of the presidential election, a tough warning from the departing president raised concerns that the police could try to disperse the demonstrators.

Mannequins a change for Amsterdam sex district
The city is using window displays in an effort to deter crime and attract upscale businesses to the area.

A.O. Scott: Are Oscars worth all this fuss?
I found myself hoping that the strike would shut the Academy Awards down; that for once, in a year of such cinematic bounty and variety, appreciation for the best movies could be liberated from the pomp and tedium of Hollywood spectacle.
- Complete list of winners and nominees for the 2007 Academy Awards
- At Oscars, documentaries finally claim a spotlight
- At Berlinale, a lingering d??j? vu as it focuses on a U.S. war
- Vanity Fair cancels its Oscars party
- 'Juno,' 'No Country for Old Men' take top honors at Writers Guild of America Awards
- Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard take acting honors at British Academy Awards
- Complete list of Oscar nominations