A report to the US Congress accuses Beijing of increasing online espionage, the Prime Minister of Belgium has been appointed President of the European Council, the Bangladesh Supreme Court has condemned the assassins of the country’s first Prime Minister to death. All this and more, in today’s update.

“Is it working?” is the question most commonly asked of aid. In response, aid agencies feed the public a diet of overwhelmingly “good news stories” to convince them that it is working. This diverts attention from the central question: how to reduce the major gap between what aid currently does and what it could achieve. How donors provide aid is a major cause of aid’s current ineffectiveness.

The UK government wants to give itself dangerous new powers to protect copyright

Obama demands cooperation from Iran and North Korea at South Korean summit. Karzai sworn in as president. Peshawar faces further bombing. Yemeni forces claim scalps in battle with Houthi rebels. South African mercenaries training pro-government militia in Guinea. All this and more in today's update.

A significant shift is required if international statebuilding and peacebuilding projects around the world are to contribute to peace and lead to reconciliation while also engaging with international standards for democracy and human rights.

International Alert supports a series of small post-conflict initiatives in Burundi. And some of the values that motivate these are also dear to the liberal hearts of the international community. A reply to Oliver Richmond’s ‘Liberal Peace Transitions’.

Global preoccupation with fragile environments is on the rise. Can south-south and triangular co-operation help? Brazil thinks so. A reply to Oliver Richmond.

The current UK Parliament is one of the most rebellious in history - but this isn't a sign of democratic health.

A new history of the Workers' Party inspires Robin Wilson to reflect on a movement that helped to change the face of modern Ireland

The Queen's Speech offered Brown what will likely be his last chance to deliver on the new politics he has repeatedly promised.

Iraqi vice-president’s veto threatens Iraqi elections. Seven out of ten Afghans blame poverty and corruption for continued instability. Israel plans to expand settlement in East Jerusalem. Six suspected Muslim separatists killed in South Thailand. Five Iranian protestors sentenced to death. All this and more in today’s security briefing.

Twenty years after reunification, democracy in eastern Germany is still far from solid

Aid commitments should be met not despite but because of the current financial crisis, and aid allocations prioritised for the poorest, and most vulnerable countries - are among the recommendations in this reply to Phil Vernon.

In Bhutan, a Himalayan country famed for its focus on Gross National Happiness, the Nepalese minority has been forced out. Anna Husarska traveled to their refugee camps to document their plight

In a recent article for Foreign Policy, "Take me Back to Constantinople", Edward Luttwak suggested that America should adopt a 'Byzantine' approach to modern foreign policy. Judith Herrin welcomes this change in tone towards the much-maligned medieval power, but feels that it is perhaps too late to adopt their methods of diplomacy and intrigue

As part of his TUC touchstone report "Unfair to Middling: How Middle Income Britain's Shrinking Wages Fuelled the Crash and Threaten Recovery", Stewart Lansley argues that a long term wage sqeeze on lower and middle income groups has had a serious effect on the global financial crisis, and may threaten any 'green shoots' of recovery in the future

Afghan government reveals new unit to tackle corruption. UN inspectors warn of more hidden nuclear sites in Iran. Thirteen Iraqi villagers killed by gunmen. China and US remain divided on Iran. All this and much more, in today’s security briefing.