Still on the brink of war
After a slow start, a flurry of Western diplomatic activity appears to have decreased the chances that war erupts between India and Pakistan, reports Iffat Malik from Islamabad

Apartheid déjà-vu
Miriam Mahlow from Johannesburg examines how South Africa's past shapes reactions towards the Palestinian suffering

No comedy of errors
The communication breakdown between the CIA and FBI before the 11 September attacks suggests incompetence or, worse, a sinister conspiracy. Anayat Durrani reports from Washington

France turns right
French voters delivered the Left a massive defeat at last week's parliamentary elections and opened the door to five years of right-wing government, writes David Tresilian from Paris

Breadbasket to basket case
The introduction of Western farming methods in southern Africa during colonial times ruined local farming systems. And now the chickens have really come home to roost, writes Sam Page

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Afghan men look at a newspaper reporting on the Loya Jirga grand assembly of tribal elders in the Afghan capital Kabul..

Feed the famished
The devastating famine in southern Africa
highlights the region's contentious land question,
reports Gamal Nkrumah