Your ancestors lived a very different life from how we live today; it is important to examine how your liberty compares with theirs. "To stop the tyranny of the few, we need an economy managed collectively by the people themselves."

What does the political party have to offer you? It will attract you because it offers you an opportunity to change the world in the way you like. But the problem is, it will make you also change it in ways you dislike. "You're trying to get enough people to vote for a candidate who supports your platform. If you can get enough voters, why not encourage those people to fulfill your platform instead?"

The first thing a person should do about terrorism is to learn to respect it. Terrorism is real and it is very dangerous. When I say respect terrorism, I don't mean that you have to educate yourself on every faction and extremist organization that exists today. What I'm saying is that you must learn to respect the threat and the problem.

To respect terrorism, you simply must learn to pay attention.

Leaders of the 27 countries of the European Union are gathered in Brussels right now to hammer out a new treaty for the enlarged union. The grander idea of a constitution has been dropped, following rejection of a draft two years ago by French and Dutch voters, and because of deep scepticism about it in the United Kingdom and Czechoslovakia.

With trappings of unity such as a flag (blue with 12 gold stars) and an anthem (Beethoven's 'Ode to Joy') shelved; with the idea of an EU foreign "minister" dropped and even the proposed charter of fundamental rights downgraded, the business of the meeting revolves around a new voting system - hotly contested by Poland.

And so Paul Wolfowitz has resigned as head of the World Bank. The resignation was pretty much inevitable- Wolfowitz was dripping blood politically and it was only a question of when he would decide to fall on his sword rather than take another and another blow. Originally the reason for his resignation lay in the fact that his girlfriend, Shaha Riza, had been employed by the Bank and was than transferred lucratively to the state department. Questions were asked about the President's role in her transfer and particularly in her salary deals- and those questions prompted some to suggest that Wolfowitz himself was guilty of corruption.

This came as a significant blow to a President of the Bank who had from the moment he took office prioritised the battle against corruption- the scandal involving Miss Riza looked to be exactly the type of scandal that Mr Wolfowitz would penalise a third world regime for- and therefore the argument that he had to go was strengthened.

MOSCOW, April 25 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's first post-Soviet leader Boris Yeltsin dreamed of making life in Russia decent, and the country's leadership will continue working to achieve this goal, President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday.

"Boris Nikolayevich, however difficult it was for him and whatever difficulties the country was going through, always believed in Russia's revival and transformation, respected the talent and power of the Russian nation," Putin said at a mourning reception in St. George's Hall, the biggest and most solemn hall of the Kremlin palace.

"He sincerely tried to do everything possible to make the life of millions of Russians worthy of such a proud title," the Russian leader said, adding that this was Yeltsin's dream. "We will walk toward this goal." .................

ANKARA, Turkey - The United States and other world powers are willing to consider an Iranian proposal that would allow the country to keep some of its uranium enrichment program intact instead of dismantling it completely, foreign government officials said Tuesday.

On the eve of talks between top Iranian envoy Ali Larijani and Javier Solana, the European Union's foreign policy chief, the officials — some of them diplomats, others based in their capitals — said the discussions were key because for the first time they could try to sidestep the deadlock over enrichment by trying to agree on a new definition of the term.

The officials were familiar with the negotiations with Iran or specialized in non-proliferation issues......

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The State Department's no. 2 official accused Sudan's government on Monday of a campaign of intimidation against aid workers and said time was running out to accept a hybrid force in Darfur or face new sanctions.

PARIS - The drive from La Courneuve to the 17th arrondissement of Paris takes eight minutes. In those eight minutes, you travel a thousand light-years.

In both places yesterday, polling stations had been set up in primary schools. In both places, the voters chose from piles of slips of paper pre-printed with the 12 candidates' names.

In both places, the electors retired behind the same kind of flimsy, grey curtains in the same kind of portable voting booths. They placed the name of their chosen candidate in the same sky-blue envelopes, marked "Republique Francaise"....

Robert Mukombozi And Ignatius Suuna
Kigali

Barely days after the government of Sudan agreed on the deployment of United Nations troops in the war-torn Darfur region, President Paul Kagame has called for a quick transfer of the mandate. Addressing a press conference at Village Urugwiro last week, Kagame observed that the current situation demands for a prompt transfer the mandate of the peace keeping mission from the African Union to United Nations to facilitate the successful lobbying process of both troops and logistics.

"It is true that the Sudan government has allowed the deployment of UN troops in Darfur.

However, if the process is to become more proactive and effective, the parties need to sit and agree on how the mandate of overseeing the peace mission can be transferred from AU to UN," he said, adding that if the dialogue to make such a fundamental shift in the Darfur peace mission comes in time it would undoubtedly give a speedy platform for the mobilisation of troops and financial resources from UN contributing member countries.

BUCHAREST (AFP) - The Romanian parliament voted Thursday to suspend President Traian Basescu in a first step to impeaching him, throwing the country into turmoil less than four months after it joined the EU.

Prime Minister Calin Tariceanu, who has been in a long-running feud with the president, said: "I ask Traian Basescu to honour his own decision to resign and cut all ties with the presidency."

The president has said he would resign if parliament voted to suspend him. This would force a new presidential election in which he would stand.

Basescu was accused of 19 constitutional violations, including "controlling through those close to him all state institutions, of interfering in the law and protecting the interests of the mafia in the Romanian economy."

Opposition members also blame him for the country's political crisis, especially through his criticism of Tariceanu and his threats to call legislative elections.

The 55-year-old, who remains a popular figure in Romania and could win back his post, struck a combative note telling thousands of his supporters who had gathered in front of the university: "We will see each other at the polls."

His supporters in turn shouted "Do not resign," and "We love you."

The embattled president said: "I assure you that after my return I will continue to speak openly and tell the truth about the government."

Basescu's close collaborators have said he would announce his resignation after his suspension has been made official, which should occur within 48 hours of the vote.

The leader of the opposition Social Democrats who spearheaded the move against Basescu, Mircea Geoana, said the vote was "a victory for Romanian democracy even if it is a difficult moment."

Opposition members, led by the Social Democrats, say Basescu violated the constitution by acting in a partisan way.

Basescu's impeachment must be approved in a referendum, which must be held within 30 days of Thursday's vote.

A total of 322 members of Romania's 469-seat parliament voted for his suspension, while 108 voted against and 10 abstained. The motion needed the backing of 235 MPs to be adopted.

The three opposition parties that filed the motion against Basescu and which hold 228 parliamentary seats, said they would vote for his impeachment.

MPs from Tariceanu's National Liberal Party and its coalition partner in the minority government also supported the motion after their leaders told them Wednesday to vote as they chose.

Basescu's Democrats, who have 71 seats in parliament, have opposed the impeachment request since it was launched.

Basescu, in power since 2004, has been in a long-running feud with the prime minister who sacked ministers from the president's Democrat party in a government reshuffle several weeks ago.

But the conflict seems to have escalated since Romania joined the

European Union on January 1.

The political crisis has not improved the country's image abroad. EU experts are set to visit next week to assess the country's progress in implementing reforms, especially in the judicial area.

Basescu is the first Romanian president to be suspended since the fall of communism in 1989. In 1994, Ion Iliescu avoided suspension following accusations that he had involved himself in judicial matters.

The Social Democrat head of the senate, Nicolar Vacaroiu, will take over presidential duties until a referendum is held. In the event Basescu resigns, Vacaroiu would fulfil his functions until presidential elections are held in three months' time.

CAIRO, April 19 (UPI) -- Representatives of the Interior and Justice ministries of Arab League nations completed anti-corruption discussions Thursday in Cairo.

Kuwaiti Attorney General Bader Abdullah Al-Musead, who was elected chairman of the meeting, said representatives agreed on a comprehensive anti-corruption draft law that will be sent to Arab Justice and Interior ministries for inspection, KUNA, the Kuwait News Agency, reported Thursday.

Al-Musead said the meeting was aimed at helping Arab countries ensure their anti-corruption measures line up with the U.N. charter on anti-corruption. He said the anti-corruption concerns of Arab nations include stopping the financing of terrorism, money laundering and organized crime.

The political crisis in Kiev is a matter of great concern to those who welcome the political progress made since the Orange Revolution. It is vital that this situation is resolved in line with the rule of law and democratic principles consistent with European values, and above all in accordance with the democratically expressed wishes of the Ukrainian people.

We have to accept that the European Union has not done enough to prevent this crisis from developing. Whereas other European countries that made the transition from Soviet rule to democracy benefited from substantial political and material support, Ukraine has been asked to overcome a very difficult political legacy largely on its own.

Because of the Union's internal preoccupations, adequate attention has not been devoted to the task of nurturing and encouraging Ukraine's democratic gains. It is now time for Europe to engage in a more committed and consistent manner.

European leaders must understand and acknowledge the context in which the crisis has arisen. President Viktor Yushchenko acted responsibly by agreeing to share power with his former rival, Viktor Yanukovych, after last year's parliamentary elections produced a stalemate. Unfortunately, Yanukovych has since used the office of prime minister to initiate a self-serving political power grab and has upset the delicate political balance of Ukrainian society.

There is therefore little utility in calling for Ukraine's leaders to reach a sensible internal settlement when one side is unwilling to share power and normal constitutional mechanisms have fallen into disrepair.