Global Agenda articles from February 2008

Global Agenda archives from February 2008

The treatment; Kawthoolei diary; The barely walking wounded of Myanmar.(Diary entry)
February 1, 2008... The barely walking wounded of Myanmar Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday Friday I AM at the Mae Tao medical clinic in the Thai border town of Mae Sot, and I am growing increasingly alarmed. At my feet lies a boy of...

Malaria and how to beat it; Giving away bed nets is a smart way to fight malaria; Why giving, rather than selling, bed nets may be the best way to beat malaria.
February 1, 2008... A remarkable study on fighting malaria "FREE goods are worth what you pay for them" is the cynic's approach to the world, shared by hard-headed poverty-busters. Charging even a nominal price for things such as mosquito nets and condoms...

Sharper image; Tech.view; Who needs Blu-ray or HD DVD anyway?
February 1, 2008... Who needs Blu-ray or HD DVD anyway? WITH Warner Brothers' defection last month to the Blu-ray camp, Sony would appear to have won the battle with Toshiba over which format--Blu-ray or HD DVD--is to become the ultimate high-definition...

A strike against al-Qaeda; The killing of an al-Qaeda leader is a propaganda coup; The death of an al-Qaeda boss.
February 1, 2008... The killing of Abu Laith al-Libi HE WAS not Osama bin Laden or Ayman al-Zawahiri, the most famous of al-Qaeda's leaders. But to the devotees of global jihad on the internet, Abu Laith al-Libi, was an increasingly well-known figure. His...

A roaring economy; The roaring economy in the Philippines; Boom time in the Philippines.
February 1, 2008... Growth hits a 31-year high in the Philippines Despite the dark clouds gathering over the global economy, the Philippines has put in its best economic performance in over three decades. New data show that the economy grew by 7.4% year on...

A $45 billion bet; Microsoft's huge bid for Yahoo! Microsoft's $45 billion bid for Yahoo!
February 1, 2008... Microsoft's bid for Yahoo! is the latest effort to take on Google IT IS a potential deal that has been talked about for years, but has suddenly become a real possibility. On Friday February 1st Microsoft, the world's biggest software...

Rioting colour; Art.view; The rehabilitation of German Expressionism.
February 2, 2008... The rehabilitation of German Expressionism SALES dedicated to German and Austrian art began only 15 years ago at Christie's. Sotheby's jumped on the bandwagon soon after. Back then, a sale did well to attract 40 lots, a smattering of...

A $45 billion bet; Microsoft's huge bid for Yahoo! Microsoft's $45 billion bid for Yahoo!
February 2, 2008... Microsoft's bid for Yahoo! IT IS a potential deal that has been talked about for years, but has suddenly become a real possibility. On Friday February 1st Microsoft, the world's biggest software company, made a $44.6 billion offer for...

Worried about your job? Rotten jobs figures suggest recession may be on the way; America's bad jobs figures.
February 2, 2008... America's gloomy payroll data A RECESSION in America is a worry that the latest data on American employment will do much to deepen. January's non-farm payroll numbers showed a surprise drop of 17,000, the first decline since August 2003,...

A weak breeze of change; The lot of women in the Middle East; Is the lot of women improving in the Middle East?
February 3, 2008... Are matters improving slightly? MUST try a lot harder. That is the message of a UN report on the elimination of discrimination against women in Saudi Arabia, published on Friday February 1st. The authors spent three weeks reviewing...

The week ahead; Super Tuesday and other big news stories of the coming week; What may make the headlines this week.(Calendar)
February 4, 2008... Super Tuesday and other news * THE bearded British billionaire, Richard Branson, who has dabbled in the music industry, airlines, trains and more, has said that his Virgin group will bid, on Monday February 4th, for the troubled British...

Peckham visions; Peckham diary; Angels in the trees, blood in the streets.
February 4, 2008... Angels in the trees, blood in the streets IN 1767 (or thereabouts), on Peckham Rye common, a young William Blake experienced a vision: "A tree filled with angels, bright angelic wings bespangling every bough like stars". His vision lives...

Chemical blessings; Green.view; What Rousseau got wrong.
February 4, 2008... What Rousseau got wrong ADVERTISING tobacco is not easy. According to the World Health Organisation, smoking is responsible for 25% of all male deaths in the developed world (the figure for women is around 10%). Thanks to decades of...

Setting a Westward course; Serbia's presidential election; Boris Tadic, the pro-Western incumbent, wins Serbia's presidency.
February 4, 2008... A victory for Boris Tadic A LONG night had been expected. Opinion polls had shown that the gap between Boris Tadic, the pro-Western incumbent, and his challenger for the presidency, Tomislav Nikolic, was slender. So in that sense the...

Super for whom? The Democrats look towards Super Tuesday; Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama go head-to-head on Super Tuesday.
February 4, 2008... Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama NOTHING like it has been seen before in American electoral history. In 22 states across America, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama will duke it out on Tuesday February 5th on what has variously been called...

Looking for a knock-out; John McCain tightens his grip over Mitt Romney for the Republican nomination.
February 4, 2008... John McCain tightens his grip over Mitt Romney for the Republican nomination COULD John McCain land a knock-out blow to Mitt Romney on Tuesday February 5th? National opinion polls show a groundswell of support for the senator from Arizona...

Inflation plague; An inflationary surge in the Middle East; Prices are going up across the Middle East.
February 4, 2008... Prices are rising in the Middle East Inflationary pressures are rising in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, partly owing to exogenous factors such as high global commodity prices, but also fuelled by the predominance of...

Friary's delight; Peckham diary; A short history of Northfield House.(Diary entry)
February 5, 2008... A short history of Northfield House Monday | Tuesday Tuesday "PECKHAM" and "sink estate" are synonymous. Cue stock picture of a graffiti-smeared walkway or burnt-out joyridden vehicle, preferably in grainy black-and-white, taken...

Super for whom? The Democrats look towards Super Tuesday; Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama go head-to-head on Super Tuesday.
February 5, 2008... Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama NOTHING like it has been seen before in American electoral history. In 22 states across America, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama will duke it out on Tuesday February 5th on what has variously been called...

Looking for a knock-out.(John McCain)
February 5, 2008... John McCain tightens his grip COULD John McCain land a knock-out blow to Mitt Romney on Tuesday February 5th? National opinion polls show a groundswell of support for the senator from Arizona after his victory in the Florida primary last...

The Microhoo! hoo-hah; Business.view; Microsoft's controversial bid for Yahoo!
February 5, 2008... Microsoft's controversial bid for Yahoo! THE "last day at work" video circulated by Bill Gates is trying to be funny, but for unintentional laugh-till-you-cry comedy, there is no beating the legendary effort by Mr Gates's chief executive,...

Freeing foreign investment; India's latest round of liberalisation; Despite liberalisation barriers remain to foreign investment remain high in crucial sectors.
February 5, 2008... India relaxes some of the rules for outside investors On January 30th the government approved a slew of long-delayed changes to FDI rules. Although the cabinet took two years to sign off on the changes and postponed them six times, the new...

War without borders.
February 5, 2008... Chad is engulfed by a spreading conflict in central Africa BODIES lay in ditches and on the streets; the injured nursed their gunshot wounds at home, too terrified to venture to hospital. Abandoned cars and burned-out tanks were scatted on...

The belly of the beast; Peckham diary; The culinary delights of Peckham.
February 6, 2008... The culinary delights of Peckham Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday Wednesday IN 2002, The Economist wrote about British "food deserts"-- neighbourhoods with limited or no access to fresh, healthy food. With their plethora of takeaway...

War without borders.
February 6, 2008... A spreading conflict in central Africa BODIES lay in ditches and on the streets; the injured nursed their gunshot wounds at home, too terrified to venture to hospital. Abandoned cars and burned-out tanks were scatted on the roadways. Phone...

Speaking in tongues; Asia.view; South-East Asia's language wars continue.
February 6, 2008... South-East Asia's language wars continue HAD he been president of Indonesia, not France, Charles de Gaulle might have modified his famous saying about cheeses and asked how to govern a nation with over 700 different languages. The answer,...

The day after "Super Tuesday"; The outcome of "Super Tuesday"; Muddle for the Democrats; John McCain closes on the Republican nomination.
February 6, 2008... Muddle for the Democrats, but John McCain pushes close to the Republican nomination OF ALL places, John McCain went to Massachusetts to campaign just before the clutch of primaries on February 5th known as "Super Tuesday" in America's...

Truncated honeymoon; Argentina's new president has a tough start; Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner's honeymoon period doesn't last long.
February 6, 2008... Argentina's new president has a difficult start The first weeks in office of Argentina's new president, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, have been far from the kind of honeymoon period that a new administration usually enjoys. She has been...

Speaker silenced; The Philippines loses its lower-house speaker; An ally of the president has been removed from his position as lower-house speaker.
February 6, 2008... An ally of the Philippines' president has been ousted On February 5th Jose de Venecia was ousted as speaker of the Philippines' House of Representatives (the lower house of the legislature). Mr de Venecia was a long-time ally of the...

There goes the neighbourhood; Peckham diary; Upwardly mobile Peckham.
February 7, 2008... Upwardly mobile Peckham Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday Thursday JACQUI SMITH is not the only government minister to have had her picture snapped in Peckham. In late 2005, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown took a casual morning...

The day after "Super Tuesday"; The outcome of "Super Tuesday"; Muddle for the Democrats; John McCain closes on the Republican nomination.
February 7, 2008... What is, and is not, resolved OF ALL places, John McCain went to Massachusetts to campaign just before the clutch of primaries on February 5th known as "Super Tuesday" in America's presidential election campaign. This looked cheeky....

In denial; Europe.view; Russia revives a vicious lie.
February 7, 2008... Russia revives a vicious lie IMAGINE Nazi rule in Germany surviving for decades, with Hitler undefeated in war and succeeded on his death in the early 1950s by a series of lacklustre party hacks who more or less disowned his "excesses"....

Where the sniping has to stop; NATO's squabbles over Afghanistan; Infighting in NATO is not helping Afghanistan.(North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
February 7, 2008... Infighting is not helping Afghanistan MIGHT Afghanistan's "forgotten war" yet defeat the most successful military alliance in history? Last year saw NATO-led troops engage in their deadliest fighting yet in support of the government of...

The rogue rebuttal; SocGen's rogue trader surfaces; The ongoing saga of Societe Generale.
February 7, 2008... Not only Jerome Kerviel is pointing an accusing finger at Societe Generale DAY by day the French have been watching the unfolding saga at Societe Generale with a mix of horror and intrigue. This week has brought several twists to the tale...

Mitt Romney throws in the towel; How it went wrong for Mitt Romney; Why Mitt Romney has given up.
February 7, 2008... Where it went wrong for Mitt Romney--and right for John McCain HE FOUGHT hard, and subsidised his campaign with millions of his own dollars, but in the end Mitt Romney simply could not generate enough "Mitt-mentum", as his detractors...

War in Chad; Chad's instability continues; Chad's ongoing conflict.
February 7, 2008... But calm is restored in the capital city Troops loyal to Chad's president, Idriss Deby Itno, have re-established a precarious grip on N'Djamena after four days of intermittent, intense fighting in the Chadian capital. The battles will...

On the Tiger trail; Peckham diary; Why I love Peckham.(Diary entry)
February 8, 2008... Why I love Peckham Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday Friday WALKING home from Peckham town centre, I often detour down the tree-lined walkway along the old Grand Surrey Canal. Completed in 1811, it was intended to...

Mitt Romney throws in the towel; How it went wrong for Mitt Romney; Why Mitt Romney has given up.
February 8, 2008... Where it went wrong for Mitt Romney--and right for John McCain HE FOUGHT hard, and subsidised his campaign with millions of his own dollars, but in the end Mitt Romney simply could not generate enough "Mitt-mentum", as his detractors...

Green computing; Tech.view; It's about saving money, not the environment.
February 8, 2008... It's about saving money, not the environment IF YOU have children, willingly or not you'll sooner or later become a member of the Flickr-iTunes-YouTube generation. Gazillabytes of video clips, television episodes, music tracks and digital...

Reformers are blocked in Iran; Reformists are barred in Iran; In Iran many opposition candidates are told they cannot stand in an election.
February 8, 2008... The parliamentary elections in March will not be free The Iranian authorities are taking elaborate precautions to snuff out any possibility of a reformist revival in the Majlis (parliament) election that is scheduled to take place on March...

Mitt Romney throws in the towel; How it went wrong for Mitt Romney; Why Mitt Romney has given up.
February 9, 2008... Where it went wrong for Mitt Romney HE FOUGHT hard, and subsidised his campaign with millions of his own dollars, but in the end Mitt Romney simply could not generate enough "Mitt-mentum", as his detractors sneeringly called it, to beat a...

The devil is in the detail; Art.view; Sugaring the pill at this week's auctions.
February 9, 2008... Sugaring the pill at this week's auctions AUCTIONEERS are as good as politicians, if not better, at putting a jolly spin on stories. The week just ended was one of the busiest of the year, and both Sotheby's and Christie's were keen for it...

The week ahead; What may be in the headlines this week; News of the coming week.(Brief article)
February 10, 2008... More American primaries, and other news of the coming week * THE Mobile World Congress gets under way in Barcelona, Spain, on Monday February 11th. It serves as a showcase for firms eager to promote their latest handheld devices and new...

The thing with feathers; Market.view; The tempting perils of inconsistency.
February 10, 2008... The tempting perils of inconsistency "IT'S not the despair. I can handle the despair. It's the hope I can't stand." So said John Cleese in the 1986 movie "Clockwise". That sums up how many investors must be feeling at the moment. The...

What role for sharia in the West? Sharia and the West; A row over the place of sharia in the West.
February 11, 2008... A row in Britain spreads STEEPED in a culture of emollience, gentility and the avoidance of hard arguments, England's established Church has little knowledge of how to handle public opinion when it suddenly finds itself in the eye of a...

Flash point; Kenya diary; Flying over, and into, Naivasha.
February 11, 2008... Flying over, and into, Naivasha Monday Dawn, my garden, Nairobi IT IS far too early. A German spy has recommended me to Peter Szapary, an Austrian count turned Kenyan flower-farmer who is flying his plane up to Lake Naivasha this...

That healthy glow; Green.view; How much radiation is safe?
February 11, 2008... How much radiation is safe? "TAKE baths in liquid sunshine. It is radio-active, germicidal and purifies your blood by destroying disease germs, thereby revivifying, rejuvenating and increasing your Vital Force and circulation." So runs an...

Obama has the momentum; Barack Obama enjoys a run of victories; The momentum is with Barack Obama.
February 11, 2008... Barack Obama piles up victories; Hillary Clinton drops her campaign manager AFTER fighting Hillary Clinton to a draw on Super Tuesday, Barack Obama might now feel that he is on a roll. Over the weekend he racked up four more states--to Mrs...

Storks of war; Kenya diary; The sickness of foreign correspondents.
February 12, 2008... The sickness of foreign correspondents Monday | Tuesday Tuesday Night, "Shalimar Lounge": fifth floor, Imperial Hotel, Kisumu THERE is a sweeping view from up here. In the background, Lake Victoria is black and moonlit. In...

Obama has the momentum; Barack Obama enjoys a run of victories; The momentum is with Barack Obama.(Survey)
February 12, 2008... Barack Obama piles up victories AFTER fighting Hillary Clinton to a draw on Super Tuesday, Barack Obama might now feel that he is on a roll. Over the weekend he racked up four more states--to Mrs Clinton's none--and he looks set to pick up...

A big oil discovery; Brazilian oil wealth; Newly discovered oil means Brazil may become a big energy producer.
February 12, 2008... Brazil could become a sizeable energy producer Brazil's role as a global energy producer is likely to increase dramatically over the next ten years. The country is already a relatively important oil producer, and following recent...

Seeking the death penalty; Six inmates of Guantanamo Bay face prosecution for murder; A decision to try six inmates of Guantanamo Bay for murder.
February 12, 2008... Behind a decision to try six inmates at Guantanamo Bay THE charges are long overdue. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has been in American custody since his capture in 2003. He has described himself during a military hearing as an al-Qaeda leader and...

The show will resume; An end to the Hollywood writers' strike; Hollywood's writers are ready to pick up their pens.
February 12, 2008... Striking writers go back to their desks LAST week, everything was in jeopardy. A three-month strike by Hollywood's writers looked set to ruin the Oscars award ceremony late in February: actors were unwilling to cross writers' picket lines,...

The war on corpocracy; Business.view; Two losses in the fight for corporate governance.
February 12, 2008... Two losses in the fight for good governance THE battle to make company bosses accountable to shareholders lost a hero this month with the death on February 2nd of Alistair Ross Goobey. Did it lose another this week, with the two-year prison...

Death in Bao; Kenya diary; John Donne by the lakeside.
February 13, 2008... John Donne by the lakeside Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday Wednesday Afternoon, a beach, Bao village A BEGGAR who wanted money to pay for medicine stopped me this morning. His hand was reptilian (there's no other word): eight...

Seeking the death penalty; Six inmates of Guantanamo Bay face prosecution for murder; A decision to try six inmates of Guantanamo Bay for murder.
February 13, 2008... A decision to try six Guantanamo inmates THE charges are long overdue. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has been in American custody since his capture in 2003. He has described himself during a military hearing as an al-Qaeda leader and friend of...

American forces in Japan; Asia.view; Oversexed and over here, for better or for worse.
February 13, 2008... Oversexed and over here, for better or for worse THE alliance forged after the second world war between the United States and Japan--the linchpin of Asia's security--has swivelled to face shifting threats. First came the Soviet Union,...

Obama the front-runner; Barack Obama wins the Potomac primaries convincingly; Barack Obama is now the front-runner in the Democratic race.
February 13, 2008... Barack Obama wins more primaries and appeals to a wide range of voters; Hillary Clinton is on the back foot ADD Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia to the list. Barack Obama has swept on without a loss since fighting Hillary...

Trouble for Turkey? Tension between Turkey and the EU; Lagging political reform in Turkey may hold up its EU membership.
February 13, 2008... Lagging political reform may delay EU membership Recent controversial plans to ease restrictions on the wearing of Islamic headscarves have been portrayed by the government as a step towards greater civil and religious freedom. However, the...

Ways of escape; Kenya diary; A king and some very errant knights.(Travel narrative)
February 14, 2008... A king and some very errant knights Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday Thursday Afternoon, a bridge over a river, near Kabondo I SEE an overturned lorry and a telephone pole. Wires are stretched across the bridge, glass...

Obama the front-runner; Barack Obama wins the Potomac primaries convincingly; Barack Obama is now the front-runner in the Democratic race.
February 14, 2008... Barack Obama's momentum ADD Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia to the list. Barack Obama has swept on without a loss since fighting Hillary Clinton to a draw in last week's "Super Tuesday" voting for the Democratic...

What is it for? Europe.view; Cutting out the middleman in Ukraine.
February 14, 2008... Cutting out the middleman in Ukraine TO CONNOISSEURS of financial euphemism, the RosUkrEnergo website is without peer. A company that appears to own no reserves or pipelines made a stonking $785m in the gas business in 2006 (the last year...

High hurdles; A row over Darfur and the Olympics; The Olympics and Darfur.
February 14, 2008... Darfur's shadow over the Beijing games LOFTY words are always a hostage to fortune. The Olympic movement boasts that the Games "have always brought people together in peace to respect universal moral principles." Yet history suggests...

Death of a terrorist; The killing of a Hizbullah chief; Imad Mughniya, a Hizbullah chief, is killed.
February 14, 2008... After one of its leaders is killed, Hizbullah threatens open war against Israel TO MOST of the world he was a vicious killer. To devotees of Hizbullah, Lebanon's Shia party-cum-militia, to their Iranian backers, and especially to those who...

Gas Victor? Ukraine gets gas deal; Russia backs Ukraine in ousting gas-trade intermediaries.
February 14, 2008... Russia backs Ukraine in ousting gas-trade intermediaries Ukraine's president has made a surprise breakthrough, by gaining Russian agreement to oust gas-trade intermediary RosUkrEnergo in favour of direct sales at the current price, which is...

History catches up; Kenya diary; Looking forward, looking back.
February 15, 2008... Looking forward, looking back Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday Friday Morning, Professor Alan Ogot's office, Kisumu ALAN Ogot (pictured below), one of Kenya's leading historians, is the chancellor of Moi...

Death of a terrorist; The killing of a Hizbullah chief; Imad Mughniya, a Hizbullah chief, is killed.
February 15, 2008... Hizbullah threatens open war on Israel TO MOST of the world he was a vicious killer. To devotees of Hizbullah, Lebanon's Shia party-cum-militia, to their Iranian backers, and especially to those who came of age in the 1980s, during what...

Some relief in Africa; George Bush in Africa; The fight against AIDS in Africa.
February 15, 2008... George Bush's travels to Africa--marking America's help in the fight against AIDS AS GEORGE BUSH contemplates the remainder of his last year in office, he is well aware that American is unpopular in much of the world. But on Friday...

Malaysia's snap election.(Barisan Nasional)(Abdullah Badawi)
February 15, 2008... Malaysia's government is likely, just, to win next month Following Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi's decision to dissolve parliament on February 13th, Malaysia's Election Commission has called a general election for March 8th. Although Mr...

Some relief in Africa; George Bush in Africa; The fight against AIDS in Africa.
February 16, 2008... George Bush's travels to Africa AS GEORGE BUSH contemplates the remainder of his last year in office, he is well aware that American is unpopular in much of the world. But on Friday February 15th he travels to one region where people still...

Best of British; Art.view; Rock-and-roll mixes with Arts and Crafts.
February 16, 2008... Rock-and-roll mixes with Arts and Crafts ROCK-AND-ROLLERS and hippies have long had a soft spot for the decorative appeal of William Morris's Gothic Revival, with its fair-haired maidens in flowing robes and its air of medieval mysticism....

The week ahead; What may be in the headlines this week; News of the coming week.(Calendar)
February 17, 2008... Pakistan's elections and other news * PAKISTAN votes on Monday February 18th to elect a new parliament that is supposed to mark a transition from military to civilian rule. Tension is high as the previous poll was postponed after the...

Turn that noise off; The use and misuse of noise; How sound may be deployed offensively.
February 17, 2008... The use and misuse of sound MUSIC has the power to delight the listener, improve well-being and uplift the soul. But sounds have more malign uses too. The beauty of the music produced by the Sirens of ancient Greek legend drew unwary...

Independence day; Kosovo declares independence from Serbia; Kosovo's declaration of independence.
February 17, 2008... Kosovo declares its secession from Serbia ON SUNDAY February 17th Kosovo declared that it had become the seventh state to emerge from the wreckage of the former Yugoslavia. According to a plan worked out by Kosovo's leaders with foreign...

Still here; Market.view; The credit crunch isn't going anywhere.
February 17, 2008... The credit crunch isn't going anywhere THE credit crunch is simply not going away. Every week another arcane area of the bond market seems to be dragged into the crisis. Late last month, it was tender option bonds, short-term securities...

Of ice and men; South Pole diary; Bundling up, avoiding boomerangs.
February 18, 2008... Bundling up, avoiding boomerangs SOMEWHERE above the icy Southern Ocean, I start to fidget in my seat. Pulling out my earplugs and shouting to be heard above the roar of the jet engines, I ask a burly New York Air Guardsman if we've...

Ballots and bombs in Pakistan; Pakistan holds general elections amid fears of terrorist attacks; Anxiety as Pakistan goes to the polls.
February 18, 2008... Voters turn out after a bloody campaign AMID heavy policing and fear of terrorist attacks, Pakistan's general elections began slowly on Monday February 18th. As predicted, many registered voters appeared to be deterred by the threat of...

Beakers' delight; South Pole diary; What do people do in Antarctica?
February 19, 2008... What do people do in Antarctica? Monday | Tuesday Tuesday FOR veteran "Polies", a stopover at McMurdo Station (pictured below) is like passing through Heathrow: an uncomfortable, often prolonged, but necessary evil. McMurdo, the...

Grabbing the bank; The nationalisation of Northern Rock; The nationalisation of Northern Rock.
February 19, 2008... At last a decision to nationalise IT SHOULD have happened months ago, but the decision, when it came at last, was a humiliating one for what was once one of Britain's highest-flying banks. On Sunday February 17th Alistair Darling, the...

The comandante retires--sort of; Fidel Castro announces his retirement; Fidel Castro retires--sort of.
February 19, 2008... Fidel Castro steps down, but change will be slow FEW Cubans could quite bring themselves to believe that the day would ever come when Fidel Castro was no longer in charge. But after almost half a century in which he imposed communism on his...

Out with the president's men; Pakistan's voters deal a blow to Pervez Musharraf; A blow to the president in Pakistan's elections.
February 19, 2008... Supporters of Pervez Musharraf suffer a humiliating electoral defeat BRAVING suicide bombers, and some unappetising political choices, Pakistani voters dealt a heavy blow to President Pervez Musharraf, their ex-military ruler, on Monday...

Buy Africa; Africa's prospering economies; Many African economies are doing well but politics remains crucial.
February 19, 2008... Economies are prospering but political stability is fragile Some hedge funds, brokerages and offshore investors believe that the time is ripe to "buy Africa". It is certainly the case that price-earnings ratios for many African stockmarkets...

The N-word; Business.view; The return of nationalisation.
February 19, 2008... The return of nationalisation "A DISASTER for the taxpayer, a disaster for this government and a disaster for our country." David Cameron, the leader of Britain's opposition Conservative Party, did not mince his words in condemning the...

Coming into the country; South Pole diary; Arriving at the South Pole.
February 20, 2008... Arriving at the South Pole Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday Wednesday A SLOW, bumpy ride on a contraption known as "Ivan the Terra Bus" brings a group of us from McMurdo to several LC-130 Hercules cargo planes parked on the sea-ice...