Olympic regrets?

Will the Chinese government regret having the Olympics in their country?
But will it be good for China?

Democracy in Africa

Here’s an interesting piece I came across in this morning’s Independent newspaper.

 William Gumede looks ahead to the presedential election in Zimbabwe this weekend, and says that African leaders must overcome their obsession of a divine right to rule forever.

Where do you draw the line in scientific research?

A change to embryo laws in the UK has sparked a furious debate.

Over the Easter period a number of Catholic Church leaders in Britain called for MPs to vote against a change in the current Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act, which would allow the creation of animal-human embryos for research.

Come fly with me

London’s Heathrow airport has unveiled its brand spanking new terminal today.

Terminal five doesn’t open to passengers until later this month, but when it does the nine billion dollar building will be the new home of British Airways.

Talking to Dani and Semma

We’ve just spoken to Semma in Ramallah in the West Bank and Dani in Jaffa in Israel. They’ll be posting here later with their thoughts on their conversation, and you’re welcome to post yours.

Can you ever rid a society of racism?

The furore over a video showing the racist treatment of black university campus workers in South Africa refuses to die down.

Do celebrities get off too lightly for taking drugs?

The UN’s International Narcotics Control Board published its annual report today. One of the issues highlighted in this year’s wide-ranging report is the danger of young people being influenced by famous people who are caught taking drugs.

The report says that celebrities are all too often dealt with leniently, which in turn is sending out the wrong message to young people. Is that true?

Do sanctions work?

On Monday, the United Nations Security Council voted to impose tougher sanctions on Iran because of its refusal to suspend uranium enrichment. The resolution imposes a freeze on certain Iranian assets held abroad, bans travel by five Iranian officials and bars the sale of equipment that could have a military use.

How far should you go to make a point?

Japan says environmental protesters have thrown containers of a mild acid onto one of its whaling ships in waters off Antarctica. Japanese officials say the attack by activists from the Sea Shepherd group slightly injured several crew members.

The acid — made from rancid butter — stings the eyes. The Japanese government has condemned the attack, calling it illegal.

Can power sharing work in Kenya?

We’ve just heard the news that the international mediator Kofi Annan has said that a deal has been reached on power-sharing in Kenya. Mr Annan was speaking after talks between President Mwai Kibaki and the opposition leader Raila Odinga to end the crisis over the disputed presidential elections.