Otto von Habsburg was the eldest son of Austria-Hungary's last emperor and former heir to the imperial throne. He witnessed the dismantling of the empire his family had ruled for centuries, but emerged to carve out a career in politics and became a strong proponent of a united and democratic Europe.

French politicians of all colours were claiming the advance of the Libyan rebels as a national coup yesterday, with leaders from across the political spectrum issuing patriotic statements as the battle reached Muammar Gaddafi's compound.

Burma's Aung San Suu Kyi met the country's President, Thein Sein, yesterday, the first meeting between the two and the latest olive branch from the army-backed regime that came to power this year after five decades of direct military rule, a government source said.

City analysts warned that the Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation (ENRC) had become a "no-go" for investors worried about corporate governance issues yesterday as the Kazakh miner sought to reassure the market by saying that its widely-watched boardroom review was "well under way".

Thousands of well-wishers lined roadsides in Burma to welcome opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi yesterday as she tested the limits of her freedom by taking her first political trip into the countryside since being released from house arrest.

Jerome Taylor tests the temperature in the streets of the north London district where this week's riots began

Burma's government urged the pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi to officially register her National League for Democracy as a party yesterday, a step that would imply its acceptance of the government's legitimacy and also allow it legally to take part in politics.

The mystery over a Dutch stamp dealer who went missing while travelling in North Korea deepened this week after he appeared in a state-run newspaper praising the country's democratic traditions.

A presidential bid by former first lady Sandra Torres has been derailed by a Guatemalan court, which ruled that her divorce from President Alvaro Colom was a political ploy rather than a genuine separation.

UN Peacekeepers have been seen as a vital force for good for more than 60 years and are preparing for possible action in Libya.

Matthew Collins is a leading anti-fascist campaigner - but in his youth he was at the heart of the National Front and the BNP. As his account of life in the far right is published, he talks to Ros Wynne-Jones about racism, rehabilitation and the Norway massacre

The idea that subjects will be debated in Parliament if more than 100,000 members of the public sign an online petition was paraded yesterday as a way to revitalise public engagement in politics. Ignoring strong public support for a measure damages democracy, said the Leader of Commons, Sir George Young.

Economic View