The RAF (Royal Air Force) is to use a Russian base in the transfer of military hardware from Afghanistan as British soldiers pull out, reported The Times.

The military hardware, estimated to cost billions of UK pounds and including 3000 vehicles, aircraft parts, rocket launchers, engines for Tornado bombers and body army, will be transported via cargo planes from Helmand province to the Russian base in Ulyanovsk on the Volga.

The Eurozone's austerity measures came under scrunity this weekend as markets reacted to elections in France and Greece.

In France, the socialist François Hollande who campaigned pledging to re-negotiate the austerity measures and stimulate economic growth, was elected to succeed Nicholas Sarkozy. Following his victory, Hollande said, “Austerity need not be Europe’s fate.”

Germany's chancellor Angela Merkel responded promptly, insisting that the fiscal pact, endorsed by out-going President Sarkozy was "not negotiable".

Vladimir Putin was inaugurated as President of Russia for the third time on Monday, as anti-Putin protesters took to the streets of Moscow.

Riot police arrested anyone wearing white ribbons, a symbol of anti-Putin activists, as they raided nearby cafes and restaurants in search of protesters.

On Sunday a large scale protest march, dubbed the "March of the Millions", ended in violence as riot police used tear gas and baton police to curtail protesters.

The leader of the far-right Golden Dawn party, Nikolaos Michaloliakos, warned that the movement would spread across Europe after his party won 21 seats in the Greek parliament.

Addressing reporters after the vote, who were forced to stand to welcome his presence, Michaloliakos shouted,

"Greece is only the beginning."

“Veni, Vidi, Vici,” [I came, I saw, I conquered]

The Chinese newspaper, The Beijing News, appeared to offer an apology for its editorial which criticised the US and the Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng, after widespread outcry by the Chinese public. 

In a move seen to be in line with pro-government newspapers, The Beijing News, launched an attack on Guangecheng in its editorial on Friday, along side the US ambassador Gary Locke, with whom the activist had sought sanctuary at the US embassy for six days.

A United Nations human rights investigator has called on the US to do more to heal the wounds of Native Americans, caused by over a century of oppression.

Chinese dissidents Chen Guangcheng is expected to be allowed to leave China, according to US officials.

China earlier said in a statement released by its foreign ministry that Chen could apply to study abroad like other citizens.

"Chen Guangcheng is currently being treated in hospital," a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, Liu Weimin, said on Friday.

"If he wants to study abroad, he can apply through normal channels to the relevant departments in accordance with the law, just like any other Chinese citizen."

The governments of Austria and The Netherlands announced that ministers would be boycotting the Euro 2012 football tournament, being co-hosted by Ukraine and Poland, due to Ukraine's treatment of the imprisoned former prime minister, Yuliya Tymoshenko.

Austria said the decision was a "mark of solidarity" with Tymoshenko.

Welcoming the decisions, Tymoshenko urged other European states to follow.

Tymoshenko said,

Prosecutors have urged the Special Court for Sierra Leone to sentence former Liberian president Charles Taylor to 80 years imprisonment.

In the Prosecution Sentencing Brief, the prosecution team said that the "extreme magnitude" of the crimes warranted the lengthy jail term.