News headlines in September 2011, page 7

The United States consolidated its domination of a shrinking global arms market in 2010, signing 21.3 billion dollars in new weapons orders with foreign countries, according to the latest edition of an annual report on conventional weapons transfers by the Congressional Research Service (CRS).

The image endures of the death penalty in force across the Arab world because it is considered somehow Islamic, and because most regimes are undeniably autocratic. But campaigners on the ground say the death penalty might just be in place because the people want it. Which would make it in essence a democratic institution.

In the seemingly lawless global free-for-all to lay claim to reserves of the world's most precious remaining natural resources, experts warn that 'cowboy mining companies' are plundering the earth's riches and leaving little left for the rest.

Government policies are seldom lauded, yet Rwanda's forest policy has resulted in a 37-percent increase in forest cover on a continent better known for deforestation and desertification.

An international coalition of NGOs is pushing for countries that regularly violate human rights to be barred from U.N. agencies including the U.N. Human Rights Council (UNHCR) and U.N. Women.

At a meeting in the suburb of Carthage, just outside of Tunis on Nov. 18, 2008, the former head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Dominique Strauss-Kahn applauded the economic efforts of the now deposed Tunisian dictator Abidine Ben Ali, calling his policies 'sound, the best model for emerging countries'.

In the seemingly lawless global free-for-all to lay claim to reserves of the world's most precious remaining natural resources, experts warn that 'cowboy mining companies' are plundering the earth's riches and leaving little left for the rest.

Taxing large landholdings in Central America could help curb the heavy concentration of land ownership that characterises the region, and contribute to rural development, experts say.

Last night, Wangari Maathai, the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, died. Most people think of Ms. Maathai as an environmentalist, planting trees. In reality, her environmental activism was part of a holistic approach to empowering women, advocating for democracy, and protecting the earth.

Two weeks ago, an announcement appeared on a French website, calling for 'militants with military experience' to participate in a solidarity trip to Israel between Sep. 19 and 25.