Although he is a prominent figure, Mikheil Kavelashvili occupies a symbolic role as the country moves away from the West and closer to Russia and China.
In a year marked by war, extreme weather and general evil, many dispatches took on a decidedly dark tone. But as our correspondents crisscrossed the globe, they also found pockets of light.
Small genetic alterations could help the avian influenza virus enter cells in the upper respiratory tract, the CDC said. But there is no sign that the mutations are widespread in nature.