Rich nations `Trip' the poor to hijack talks
Too much work, too little time, too few people, and too scarce modern intellectual resources. That's the story of many developing and poor nations at the WTO meet in Seattle lost in the turbulent sea of trade talks.



Macau festive as handover nears
Normally sleepy Macau is buzzing with activity as it prepares for the end of 442 years of Portuguese administration and its return to China on December 20.



Civilians desert Grozny as Russians surround militants
With Russian forces intensifying their artillery and aerial barrage to flush out terrorists from Grozny, the city has become a virtual ghost-town with almost no civilians left, except a large number of elderly and infirm.



Other headlines
Self-rule returns to N Ireland; spotlight on IRA
Gas explosion buries fourteen in Austria
Sharif to be indicted for attempt to murder
Periscope on Pakistan