Topic: The World Bank Group

The Monitor's View: Price shock in global food

Riots over grain prices call for a rethink of global stability based on better farming.

Opinion: Fight violence with nonviolence

Unarmed civilian peacekeepers are saving lives today.

Terrorism & Security
Afghanistan aid delivery shortfall a security risk

An international agency's report says 40 percent of aid destined for Afghans is spent on overhead costs.

Opinion: The risks of fighting poverty too well

China's example raises tough questions about the real-world consequences of getting it right.

Opinion: What it takes to open a door for the poor

Big levers are within reach, but tend to be overlooked or controversial.

Opinion: Why so much aid for the poor has made so little difference

Is poverty cultural or technical? Such debates shouldn't impede progress.

Opinion: A first step for the global poor – shatter six myths

Abject poverty takes a terrible toll. We can stop it. But we must start by separating fact from fiction.

Letters to the Editor

Readers write about national healthcare, forgiving debt, aid workers in Ethiopia, and UN sanctions against Iran.

Vigilante justice rocks once quiet Mozambique

Lynchings of suspected thieves – and riots over lack of police protection – have shaken the southern African donor darling.

The Monitor's View: Russia's less-than-sure thing

There's no surprise in Russia's newly elected president – or is there?

World

Putin generation: Opportunity – and corruption – test a young entrepreneur

Yulia Barabasheva puts in long hours at her beauty salon, which she opened last April.

Chávez set to take Castro's mantle

Venezuela's fiery president gears up to become Latin America's next leftist icon.

Opinion: Bush's peace opportunity in Congo

A large diplomatic presence there is key to peace.

Etc.

World

Anonymous donor gives $130 million for Bangladesh cyclone recovery

The money will help build schools and storms shelters, three months after Cyclone Sidr killed more than 3,000 and left millions homeless.

As dollar falls, migrants feel pinch

Their earnings don't stretch as far for family overseas, so many are working extra hours.

Can the crown jewel of world's coral reefs be saved?

Scientists and politicians are moving to protect the enormous biodiversity in the Coral Triangle – a critical marine nursery for tuna and other species.

Terrorism & Security
Gordon Brown calls for greater voice for India in international organizations

The British prime minister wants India to join the Financial Action Task Force, which targets terrorist financing. He also backed a permanent seat on an expanded UN Security Council.

As tourism booms, a push for new models

Two Turkish villages illustrate the impact of radically different approaches to development.

Freedom takes a hit worldwide

A new report by Washington watchdog group Freedom House says a clampdown on political rights made 43 countries 'not free' in 2007.

In India, new rat trap boosts low-caste tribe

The new device has enabled the Irula people to quadruple their daily catch. Once ridiculed, they're now called 'saviors' by farmers.

Oprah's academy: Why educating girls pays off more