The World From Berlin
After a controversial election, Afghan President Hamid Karzai was finally sworn in for his second term this week. The high-ranking Western diplomats who attended the inauguration said it was a decisive moment for the strife-torn land. But German commentators are not impressed with Karzai's promises. more...
More than 'Just a Game'
It's not often that sport becomes the stuff of diplomatic disputes. But two highly controversial World Cup qualifying matches have pushed football into the global headlines this week. Algeria and Egypt find themselves embroiled in a serious spat while the Irish government complained to Paris. By Siobhán Dowling more...
Gender and Climate Change
With the world struggling to come up with an agreement ahead of December's Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen, one important fact has been overlooked: Women are hit hardest by the extreme weather shifts, according to a new UN report. more...
PR Writ Large
China's image in the world hasn't been the best lately. Now, Beijing is pumping billions of dollars into a global media campaign in an effort to reverse that trend. Chinese television may be coming soon to a TV near you. By Wieland Wagner more...
Pirate Season Underway
A dead captain, soldiers onboard civilian freighters, record ransoms and shoot-outs almost daily: After two months of relative calm, pirate season off the coast of Somalia has resumed. The stakes are higher than ever. By Horand Knaup more...
Stagnating Temperatures
Global warming appears to have stalled. Climatologists are puzzled as to why average global temperatures have stopped rising over the last 10 years. Some attribute the trend to a lack of sunspots, while others explain it through ocean currents. By Gerald Traufetter more...
Inauguration Day in Afghanistan
Afghan President Hamid Karzai was sworn in on Thursday for his second term in office with a number of Western diplomats in attendance. Under intense pressure from the West, he promised to step up the fight against rampant corruption in his country. German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, who was in Kabul for the ceremony, said that now is the time for action. more...
Getting Serious about Tackling Corruption
Just one day before Afghan President Hamid Karzai is sworn in for his second term, the country's attorney general has announced that he has prepared indictments against five top politicians on charges of corruption. It's now up to Karzai to take action. NATO has also said it is willing to help in the fight against graft. By Matthias Gebauer in Kabul more...
The Sisyphus from Nairobi
Achim Steiner heads up the UN Environment Program, a traditionally weak agency with an annual budget of just 200 million dollars. But Steiner is doing his best to transform the position into a soapbox for the environment -- and is having some success. By Horand Knaup and Christian Schwägerl more...
World Hunger
In Rome this week, the UN is discussing the fate of 1 billion people in the world who do not have enough to eat. But the industrialized world tends to forget that the food crisis is still very real for people in places like Ivory Coast. more...
Atrocities in the Democratic Republic of Congo
The Hutu militia FDLR is responsible for much of the violence in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where murder, massacres, rape and kidnapping are widespread. The FDLR's leaders have lived untouched in Germany for years. Now the authorities have reacted -- far too late. By Horand Knaup in Nairobi more...
