A commonly held view in Mexico City is that using a street postbox is about as effective as throwing your letter in a bin.

It's 70 years since the death of Atatuerk, founder of the Turkish Republic.

The Games may have gone off without a hitch, but it will take a lot more to turn around China's less than shiny image.

In one municipality there's a hotline to call if you spot a café with French rather than Dutch menus.

It has the most UNESCO-protected sites in the world and it's home to the finest textile, footwear and furniture makers, but Italy is still in the dark ages where business is concerned, says a leading writer on the Italian state.

Britain scores high in the life expectancy, education and GDP stakes but it's also a country beset by failing schools, Europe's highest rates of teenage pregnancy and festering community relations.