Foreign affairs 

Slovenia starts work on EU diplomatic corps

Further work delayed by Irish referendum; major decision to be taken during the French presidency.

US, EU begin fresh ‘open skies' talks

Second phase of liberalisation talks focuses on mergers and aligning rules governing the US and EU aviation markets.

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People 

Head of hardship

A man people hire if they need someone who can get results under taxing conditions.

Hammering home the facts

All work and no play makes Janez a dull minister.

Foreign affairs 

EU chief visits Afghanistan

Javier Solana makes his first visit to Afghanistan since 2004, en route to a high-profile meeting in Pakistan.

EU and US lead charm offensive

Last-ditch talks to seal deal ahead of US election Effort to win backing of emerging economies

An angel and the devil in hell on earth

Timur's first memory was the sound of Russian bombs smashing Grozny. At age one his father, a Chechen resistance fighter, was killed in a rocket attack. At age three his mother died. At age five, when the second Chechen war started, he and his grandparents lived in a cellar for months to hide from the bombardment. At age seven he was sent back to Grozny to live with an uncle, where he and a long-lost half-sister were savagely abused and forced to beg on the streets. At age 11 Timur ran away to live in a rubbish dump, strangling pigeons for food. Eventually he was taken in by Hadijat, a local woman who with her husband runs an unofficial home for Chechnya's lost children. Locals know her simply as “the angel of Grozny”.

Business 

Spain facing court over Endesa case

European Commission threatening to take Madrid to the European Court of Justice.

Do manufacturers lack drive for greener cars?

A UK expert on greener vehicles has no sympathy for foot-dragging carmakers.

Commission calls a halt to noisy tyres

Tyre firms say targets are 'technically unfeasible"; proposal will also cover braking systems.