Reuters Interactive Timeline & Factbox Archive

Soldiers with the U.S. Army's 6-4 Cavalry walk to the village of Kamu, near Combat Outpost Lowell in eastern Afghanistan, January 8, 2009. REUTERS/Bob Strong
Troops in Afghanistan

U.S. President Barack Obama faces key decisions on Afghanistan, where insurgent violence has reached its highest level since the Taliban was ousted from power in 2001.  Factbox 

 
England captain Andrew Strauss tosses the coin watched by Australia's Ricky Ponting before the first Ashes cricket test against Australia in Cardiff, Wales July 2009.  REUTERS/Philip Brown
The Ashes cricket test matches

Australia start their Ashes cricket series defence on July 8. The Australians won the last series in Australia in 2007 by five test matches to zero after losing the 2005 Ashes by two matches to one in England in 2005.  Factbox 

 
Bottles of drinking water. REUTERS/Darren Staples
Global Water Supply - The facts

Water scarcity affects one in three people on every continent and is getting worse as water needs rise with population growth and increased usage by households and industry.  Factbox 

 
Bank of England is seen in the City of London. REUTERS/Toby Melville
How Britain plans to reduce it's debt

Government and opposition are under pressure to spell out a credible debt-reduction strategy ahead of a parliamentary election that must be held by June 2010.  Factbox 

 
The hardline Al Shabaab Islamist rebel group patrol a street in southern Mogadishu
Conflict in Somalia

Western nations and Somalia's neighbours are worried that
if Islamist insurgents succeed in toppling the fragile government, the country will become a safe haven for al Qaeda training camps and hardline Islamists who will destabilise the region.  Factbox 

 
Burning motorcycles in the northern city of Maiduguri following a religious uprising
Poverty and anger in Nigeria

Mismanagement and graft over decades have imperilled Nigeria's development, deterred investment, undermined democracy and deepened conflicts both economic and religious..  Factbox 

 
Parthenon temple in Athens
Snap elections in Greece

Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis launched a difficult election campaign on Sept. 3 after calling an early parliamentary vote for Oct. 4 to seek a new mandate and deal with a sharp economic crisis.  Factbox 

 
A demonstrator pounds away the Berlin Wall/REUTERS/David Brauchli
Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall

The 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall will be commemorated on Nov 9. The wall had split the city since it was put up by East German leader Walter Ulbricht in the summer of 1961.  Timeline 

 
Elinor Ostrom and Oliver Williamson of the U.S. as the winners of the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel
THE 2009 NOBEL PRIZES

The 2009 Nobel season ended with Elinor Ostrom and Oliver Williamson winning the prize for Economics for their work in economic governance. Barack Obama won the Peace Prize and said he would accept the award as a "call to action".  Factbox 

 
Posters of Afghan president Hamid Karzai. REUTERS/Ahmad Masood
Hamid Karzai becomes Afghan president

Taliban militants killed six U.N. foreign staff in an attack on an international guest-house in Kabul, deepening concerns about security for a presidential election run-off due on November 7.  Timeline