There are social and economic connections between the Naxalite assault in Chhattisgarh and the unresolved problem of human trafficking of sex slaves to Mumbai. Is globalisation a common contributory factor?
Adaptation angst in The Gambia
The Gambia may be small country but its National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) includes some interesting perspectives on climate change. Is adaptation really any different from poverty reduction?
Innospec verdict rumbles BAE pact
Lord Justice Thomas has delivered a body blow to the strategy of the UK Serious Fraud Office for dealing with corporate corruption. Higher standards of prosecution in the UK could strengthen the credibility of our aid conditions imposed on developing countries.
McKibben can revive moody Monbiot
George Monbiot sounds very depressed at recent events. Bill McKibben of 350.org seems inspired. Perhaps the two should compare notes.
Europe searches for democracy in Google algorithm
Google may be in trouble with the European Commission for airbrushing its competitors from search results. What matters more for ordinary people is the quality of the results themselves.
Do-it-yourself climate forecasting
Climate change scientists may be adopting new tactics in the fightback against scepticism. The weather is already changing so rapidly that we don’t need those complicated predictions of the future.
Europeans fish for biofuels in Senegal
Egged on by European energy companies, Senegal has ambitious plans for producing biodiesel from jatropha. The country also targets self-sufficiency in food. Is there a contradiction here?
Connecting rural India then and now
The closure of the Redcar blast furnace in Teesside is an ironic reversal of colonial power relations between Britain and India. But India’s industrialists cannot rest easy until their wealth stimulates the rural economy.
The shock doctrine of climate activism
Never let a good crisis go to waste is the inspiration of the Robin Hood Tax campaign. Does this imply that climate change campaigners must bide their time until the next Hurricane Katrina?
Zuma stirs the HIV hornets
2010 is a year of reckoning in the fight against HIV and AIDS. The personal affairs of President Zuma of South Africa continue to provoke controversy.