When the prime minister calls

London seniors Joyce and Ted Hawkes were quite surprised when Downing Street called in 1997 to ask whether Britain’s new prime minister Tony Blair and his wife could come by for a cup of tea. They relived the moment with the host of the BBC’s PM program, Eddie Mair.

• Listen to the interview on the PM page

Fallujah doctors report rise in birth defects

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• BBC online story with video

Nelson Mandela’s long walk to freedom

It has been 20 years since the South African authorities agreed to free Nelson Mandela – the man who would lead the struggle to end the country’s policy of racial segregation, and create a multi-racial democracy. In this audio slideshow, using the BBC archives, you can see how he left behind his cell of 27 years, to become South Africa’s first black president.

• BBC Audio slideshow: Long walk to freedom
• Archive video: Nelson Mandela freed after 27 years in prison

Nuclear Standoff with Iran

President Barack Obama has said the US and its allies are developing a “significant regime of sanctions” against Iran for its nuclear program. He said the international community was unified over Iran’s “misbehavior”. Speaking in Washington, he said despite Tehran’s denials, it was clear Iran was working to build nuclear weapons. His remarks came after Iranian state media reported that Iran had started the process of enriching uranium to 20% for use in a medical research reactor.

Taliban insurgency

Afghan forces will begin taking control of security in some of the country’s provinces by the end of 2010, a key summit on its future has pledged. In a statement at the end of the one-day meeting in London, delegates said the process would be complete within five years. In December, President Obama announced he was sending an additional 30,000 troops to help battle the Taliban insurgency.

Mexican Mennonites

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• Illustrated transcript
• Lorne Matalon’s pictures of Chihuahuan Mennonites
• Lorne Matalon’s Mexico stories

Lorne Matalon’s Mexico Stories

Lorne Matalon has been reporting from Mexico for The World since November 2007. He has covered the Mexican ‘war on drugs’ from the frontlines, going on patrol with the Mexican armed forces. Lorne also covered immigration and economic stories from south of the border. He has also reported from Venezuela for The World.

North Korea’s strategic arsenal

North Korea says it will continue to co-operate with the United States on ending its nuclear program and agrees that stalled talks need to resume. The country’s foreign ministry said Pyongyang would work with Washington to “narrow remaining differences”. In June, the UN Security Council voted to impose tougher sanctions on communist North Korea, following a nuclear test carried by the North Koreans in defiance of previous UN resolutions.

India’s Muslim community

One year ago, 10 militants arrived from Pakistan in Mumbai, India. They fanned out across the city to attack hotels and other targets. It took almost three days for the Indian authorities to end the violence. The Muslim community was terrified of a backlash, fortunately it never came. Miranda Kennedy reports on the lives of India’s Muslims in a three part series.

Gaza conflict

The UN Human Rights Council has backed a report into the Israeli offensive in Gaza that accuses both Israel and Palestinian militants of war crimes. The report by Richard Goldstone calls for credible investigations by Israel and Hamas, and suggests international war crimes prosecutions if they do not. The United States and Israel opposed official endorsement of the report, saying it would set back Middle East peace hopes.

Created in China: part III

Innovation comes not just from infrastructure and investment – it comes from a culture that encourages originality and creativity, rewards risk-taking and tolerates failure. In the People’s Republic of China, that is still a work in progress. Today, we continue our series “Created in China” with a look at the roots of innovation, at how Chinese children are or are not encouraged to be creative, and how that’s evolving as the government makes innovation more of a priority. The World’s Mary Kay Magistad reports from Beijing.

Created in China: Part II

China’s ruling Communist Party wants to build a more innovative economy. But it’s used to governing through fiats and five-year plans, and that’s kind of how it’s proceeding here. Over the past decade, it’s spent billions of dollars creating science parks and research labs, and giving researchers tight deadlines to come up with new ideas. Not surprisingly, results in the state sector have been a bit lackluster. Since this push started a decade ago, China has yet to release a new killer app, an invention or innovation so compelling that those outside of China can’t wait to use it. Some say – give it time; China’s come quite far, quite fast. Others say, there are still structural roadblocks on China’s path to innovation, and the government would do well to remove them, if it really wants innovation to take off. In the second part of our series, “Created in China,” The World’s Mary Kay Magistad reports from Beijing.

Created in China: Part I

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• Read the transcript and see photos

Created in China

China invented paper, printing, the compass and the seismograph. China was among the first to harness fossil fuels, and map the stars. And then, about 500 years ago, it lost its innovative edge. Now China hopes once again to lead the world in creativity. In this five-part series, The World’s Asia Correspondent Mary Kay Magistad examines the history of Chinese innovation.

German elections

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has outlined plans to form a swift coalition with the Free Democrats after a major win in the general election. Merkel said the result was a great vote of trust, and that a government would be formed by November. Voters were concerned about Germany’s involvement in Afghanistan and the bad economy.