I went back to Maranhao, one of many cities that had been devastated by floods last month, to survey the progress after the damage.

Swine flu -- it's all over the media. What is it? What can I do? And how worried should I be? These are the questions I ask myself, especially as a mother. At some level, we all know that becoming riddled with fear doesn't help. So let's take action where we can. Be cautious where necessary and get the relevant information we need.

Weird but true, France is being threatened with a €17 million penalty if it doesn’t clean up its act and come up with a strategy to save the European hamster, one of the continent’s most threatened species Last week the European Commission, the executive branch of the 27-member European Union, gave France a two-month deadline or else it would have to cough up the whopping fine for failing to comply with the Habitats Directive (yes we’re in Eurobabbleland here) to prevent the rodent’s extinction

People of a certain generation remember when a neighbor whispered a hot tip into the Graduate's ear, "Plastics" That was a reflection of the 1960's excitement over the material that promised to revolutionize manufacturing, industry and household living

One of France’s top news anchors, Patrick Poivre d'Arvor, will bid farewell to viewers this summer and be replaced by the darling of the French media, Laurence Ferrari PPDA as he is more affectionately known has been a familiar face on prime time news for more than three decades

Gun powder also called black powder, is made of pyrotechnic composition which is an explosive combination of potassium nitrate, charcoal and sulfur that flames quickly and can produce a number of hot solids and gases that can be used as a propellant in fireworks as well as fire arms Black powder guns are guns that are loaded with black powder

When HBO decided to produce a series based in Rome in 50BC, they got together a number of prominent historians to recreate an authentic look city on the film set. Whether they got it right is a moot point...we'll simply never know!

Many of the ice structures like glaciers, ice in mountain areas, and the Arctic icecap are melting Most of these structures will no longer be in existence by 2025

She might have been absent from national politics for the past eight years, but now a one-time leading light of the Socialist party, Martine Aubry, appears to be back in favour Aubry is being touted – not least by herself – as a figure behind which activists could unite in the tussle for the leadership of the party due in November

The French capital is to get just what it needs to set it apart from the rest of the globe’s major cities - a new 300-metre skyscraper set to challenge the world-famous Eiffel tower’s domination of the city’s skyline France’s very own Jean Nouvel fought off competition from four other world class architects to be awarded the commission to construct the new Signal tower

What a start to the day for the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy He was up and about before dawned cracked rubbing shoulders and pressing flesh with the hoi polloi at Rungis, France’s largest wholesale food and flower market just south of Paris

The average family in the United States spends around $1,300 a year on bills to provide energy to the home, most of that energy is wasted by the home Millions of $’s are wasted every year through appliances being unnecessarily left on and conditioned or heated air is just rushing out of buildings

For some it will be a date to note in their diaries and one on which they will undoubtedly rush out in anticipation to the record stores For others it will quite possibly be time to clap their hands over their ears in an attempt to protect their hearing

The big guns within the Socialist party here in France are warming up for battle ahead of an election to choose a new leader even though that’s still over six months away Segolene Royal officially announced her intention to stand last Friday

What is more inspiring than a dark night filled with sparkling stars There’s just something magical about looking into the dark sky and seeing a sky packed with dazzeling stars, it is certainly breath taking

Human Rights Watch and other rights groups recently accused Zimbabwe’s army and President Robert Mugabe of unleashing “terror and violence” on dissenters of his 28-year regime According to the Associated Press, Zimbabwe’s opposition party and its presidential candidate Morgan Tsvangirai have linked the recent surge in violence after last months presidential election to the security forces and “war veterans” that are loyal to Robert Mugabe

This is the rather muddled tale of the public holiday that disappeared from the French calendar four years ago when it became a quasi-working day But lo and behold, and hallelujah, everything’s back to normal at last and lundi Pentecôte, or Whit Monday, is once again a day off

It has not been made official yet but it’s already doing the rounds of the media both here in France and across the channel in Britain The French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, is apparently not going to back former British prime minister, Tony Blair, as a candidate to become the first president of the European Union

In this essay, I outline Five futures for Pakistan: (1) the Pendulum continues forever, (2) Collapse, (3) Joining Chindia, (4) the Great Game, and (5) a South Asian Confederation The most familiar and likely are based on the pendulum of rule by the military and rule by landlord/politicians

The two major greenhouse gases are the carbon dioxide that contributes to the greenhouse effect to a height of 60% and methane While methane has only a weak life span in the atmosphere, the carbon dioxide there remains for more than a century