Central Africa is in conflict once again. Since August 2008, the 10,000-strong rebel force of General Laurent Nkunda, known as the CNDP (National Congress for the Defence of the Nation) is battling the Congolese national army. This battle rages in the east of Congo, near the city of Goma, in the North Kivu province. The UN estimates that since September, approximately 250,000 civilians have been displaced by the fighting. The casualty figures are not clear yet but Human Rights Watch says that 100 civilians have been killed so far and more than 200 others have been injured.

Dear Mr. Obama,
I would like to begin this letter by congratulating you on your victory. I think I can comfortably speak for much of the youth in my country, that as a generation of people in our 20's, we are glad that you will usher in a change in the coming decade.

There are currently three main obstacles in the way of an Israel-Palestine roadmap to peace A factional split within the Palestinian administration, the instability currently plaguing Israeli politics and the uncertainty of the future U.S. administration's stance on what many consider to be the central tenet of Mid-East peace. The last few weeks have witnessed some disappointing developments in all three of these areas, leading to a rather moribund picture of future peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian entity.

India's education system is like a naturally talented, malnourished child capable of great things if given the proper support. India's natural advantage is its pool of manpower. But with masses of children crammed into classrooms where unmotivated and under-trained teachers greet them, if any teacher at all, the potential of this manpower is stunted. Especially at the primary and secondary school levels, India's education system is plagued with teacher absenteeism, extremely high student-teacher ratios, and an over-emphasis on rote learning. India needs both more teachers and a different approach to learning.

After the dust has settled from what seems to be overwhelming joy at the victory of the Senator from Illinois, The United States, and probably other countries too, will sit down to take a long hard look at what exactly made Senator Barack Obama into President-elect Barack Obama.

As the United States financial crisis looms large over international markets and threatens to engulf global economies into a downward spiral of recession and uncertainty, there is a stark reminder of how globalization and inter-dependence between nations exposes the frailties and vulnerabilities of the international system.