"Abdullah tried all these tricks, he resigned and this and that to come into power, " the onion trader said.

CNN: Afghans divided amid political limbo

She quickly backpedalled saying the French test would only apply to people coming to Quebec after her party would come into power.

FORBES: Plan Nord: Quebec First Nations Groups Left In The Shadows During Provincial Elections

But a new EU-wide directive that could come into force at the end of this year will give regulators the power to impose penalties of up to 2% of a multinational's global annual turnover.

CNN: EU watchdogs need 'teeth' to clamp down on privacy breaches

So, it's okay to burn two units of natural gas in Qatar to make one appear in Texas, or to put 5 BTUs of coal into a power plant and have only 2 BTUs of electricity come out the other end.

FORBES: Moonshine on Capitol Hill

First, it does not always work: the Kremlin has come badly unstuck several times when it has stepped into regional elections, only to find itself outmanoeuvred by local power-brokers.

ECONOMIST: Russia has changed since Soviet days, but not nearly enough

Barring last-minute problems with ratification in some member nations, the new Lisbon treaty is expected to come into force around the end of this year, triggering big and unpredictable shifts in the institutional balance of power in Europe.

ECONOMIST: Charlemagne