End hunger ? stop having children….

The agriculture minister in Bangladesh has no doubt what causes hunger in her country : over-population.

The director of the UN’s  organisation for food and agriculture (the FAO) says that’s a myth.

Iran doubles up

Iran has told the United Nations nuclear watchdog that it’s building a second uranium enrichment plant.

It says the plant is not yet operational, and is intended only to produce electricity.

Already the leaders of the U.S, the U.K and France have called for inspectors to be allowed to visit the second plant.

On air: Is shared power better than a superpower?

The dynamics of world power appear to be changing. President Obama is about to speak at the UN and he’s going to call for other countries to take more responsibility for tackling the world’s problems.

On air: Is it acceptable to intervene in another country’s affairs?

The international calls for Robert Mugabe to leave power are becoming almost deafening. French President Nicolas Sarkozy is the latest leader to say he must stand down.

Talking Points 30th October

Good morning/afternoon/evening – while the US and Pakistan authorities consider talking to the Taleban, they strike again. The Taliban’s spokesman says dialogue is “worthless…(as long as) foreign troops are in our country”. Fears for personal safety is now the highest concern for many Afghans so is it time to talk to the Taleban?  

On air: Is it ever justified to kill civilians?

There has been a sharp increase in the number of civilian casualties in Afghanistan this year, according to new figures released by the United Nations. Last week Human Rights Watch said civilian deaths in Afghanistan from US and Nato air strikes have nearly tripled over the past year, with the onslaught continuing in 2008 and fuelling a public backlash

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has said today that the U.S. military needs to do more to prevent the killing of ordinary Afghans caught up in military operations.

On air: Is the UN impotent?

The outgoing head of UN peacekeeping has said that the UN has “reached the outer limits of its ability to police world trouble spots”. They say they’ll never be able to put together a force for Somalia and the one for Darfur is struggling.