David Blair's Blog, page 142

Civil war warning over Sudan poll

Sudan faces a new civil war with "disastrous" consequences for East Africa if a referendum on independence for the south is thwarted or delayed, according to one of the country's most prominent church leaders.

Zanzibar's island idyll under threat

Developers could destroy the charm of Zanzibar's coastline, says David Blair.

Hayward admits 'lack of rigour' in gulf spill

Tony Hayward, BP 's outgoing chief executive, admitted a "lack of rigour" in overseeing contractors on the Deepwater Horizon rig during a contrite performance before a UK parliamentary committee.

Threat of war across region is unspoken realisation

What if it all goes wrong? The US and its allies have spent months painstakingly assembling a coalition behind imposing tougher sanctions on Iran to contain its nuclear ambitions.

Zimbabwe's first black PM

Bishop Abel Muzorewa, who has died aged 84, became the first black prime minister of the country now known as Zimbabwe without winning a place in the roll call of anti-colonial icons. Instead, he was dogged by a reputation for being a puppet of those more politically astute than himself.

Caribbean: French lessons by the beach in St Martin

David Blair finds the ideal place to learn French is by a Caribbean beach.

City exodus adds to fears for Haiti crops

A few miles from the pulverised buildings of Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, placid fields and scattered mango trees nestle beside mountain ranges.

Proud Haitians fear dependency

In the heart of Port-au-Prince stands a statue of Toussaint L'Ouverture, the guerrilla leader who drove the French out of Haiti two centuries ago and became the founding father of the anti-imperial struggle.

Haiti's homeless haunted by werewolf fears

The corpse of a young man, bloodied by bullet wounds, lay on Boulevard Truman in the centre of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital, a few hundred yards from a rag-tag camp for the homeless.

Haiti homeless at risk of further tragedy

Shelter seekers: residents of a Port-au-Prince encampment await food distributions