World Today, The

Pakistan

Luck Running Out?

The militants' violent campaign of armed attacks and suicide bombings in Afghanistan and Kashmir, it is believed, not only risks the regional stability but also endangers the security of Europe and America through the recruitment of young Muslim radicals trained in the lawless border regions of Pakistan.

Sapphire Mining: Madagascar

Taking the Shine Off

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has branded mining one of the 'worst forms of child labour', and Unicef estimates 32 percent of Madagascan children work, meaning the country has one of the world's highest rates of child labour. Taking a lead from the pioneering Kimberley Agreement, a triumvirate of interested parties: industry, governments along the supply chain and the final customer, needs to develop new strategies to alleviate the hardship of some of the world's poorest people.

Somalia And Ethiopia

Caught in a Quagmire

Western governments, as well as many major media outlets, have failed to address publicly the human rights dimensions of the crisis, while many Somali journalists, who brave shells and shrapnel to continue reporting, have received death threats.

Food Production In Malawi

Wheel of Fortune

Despite its success, helped by two good years of rain, the scheme has been beset with problems, ranging from late government purchase of seeds and fertiliser, irregularities in the distribution and redemption of coupons, fertiliser shortages, the crowding out and near collapse of the network of rural private sector dealers, poor communications and too much politically damaging rumour.

Review: Portraits From Angola

Painting Peace

Last year, British artist John Keane visited, commissioned by Christian Aid and the Wolverhampton City Art Gallery, to paint post-conflict Angola.

The Kurdish Question

Raising the Stakes

Sabres have also been rattled against Massoud Barzani and Jalal Talabani - the leaders of the two main Kurdish parties in Iraq, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). If the relationship between Ankara and its own Kurds is much improved, and if Turkey very clearly has a 'big-brother' relationship with any independent Kurdish state that may emerge from the ashes of Iraq.\n Turkey has recently implemented some cultural and linguistic reforms to improve...

Arms Control

Missile Madness

A particular irritant to Putin, parallel to the arguments about conventional forces in Europe, is the US proposal - a pet project of former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld - to deploy ten ground-based interceptor missiles in Poland and a 360 degree X-band radar in the Czech Republic.

Private Security Companies In Iraq

Mercenaries, Misfits or Misunderstood?

The private security company world mushroomed with little control until the situation was recognised by the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) which sought to sanction and facilitate their existence through its Order 17 which gave guidelines for operations and ensured they were exempt from Iraqi law. In Baghdad they formed the Security Companies Association in Iraq which meets regularly, exchanges information and can present a collective view.\n' In practical terms this means reviewing ru...

South Africa: Anc Leadership

Party or the People?

THE African National Congress (ANC), the former liberation movement turned ruling party, is about to attempt its first competitive leadership succession at its national conference this month. The leadership of the ANC's left, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) and the South African Communist Party (SACP) strongly back Zuma's presidential candidacy on the understanding that if he wins, he will adopt their policies.

Bali Climate Conference: Forests

Trees Count

In theory, the proposal offers a sustainable development win-win solution; potentially making a major contribution to slowing climate change and loss of tropical forests, while channelling funds to developing countries. The biologist Thomas Lovejoy, writing in the International Herald Tribune on September 25, argues that this is the time for 'a great global bargain about forests' and that the urgency of avoiding as much further climate change as possible requires moving aggressively on both ...