Land deals in Africa have led to a wild west – bring on the sheriff, says FAO
Food and Agriculture Organisation chief José Graziano da Silva demands high noon on land grabs that jeopardise food security
Amid warnings that land deals are undermining food security, the head of the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has compared "land grabs" in Africa to the "wild west", saying a "sheriff" is needed to restore the rule of law.
José Graziano da Silva, the FAO's director general, conceded it was not possible to stop large investors buying land, but said deals in poor countries needed to be brought under control.
"I don't see that it's possible to stop it. They are private investors," said Graziano da Silva in a telephone interview. "We do not have the tools and instruments to stop big companies buying land. Land acquisitions are a reality. We can't wish them away, but we have to find a proper way of limiting them. It appears to be like the wild west and we need a sheriff and law in place."
Whichever of Obama or Romney wins, US dealings with the Arab world will change
The Long View: Every reader of this article will be dead or of old age before the Arab "revolution" is completeCIVIL RIGHTS
Brazil's indigenous fight for their land
In an open letter, the indigenous Guarani-Kaiowa tribe of Brazil has asked for their collective death in order to avoid expulsion from their land. They are up against the agriculture lobby and facing an uphill battle.
Members of the Guarani-Kaiowa, Brazil's second largest indigenous group, wrote an to the government, stating they would rather be killed and buried with their ancestors than expelled from ancestral lands.
"We ask of the government and federal justice system not to make an order for our eviction, but instead we request that they decree our mass death and to bury all of us here," members wrote.
The agricultural industry has claimed right to the territory of the Guarani-Kaiowa's ancestral lands and the letter was written in response to a preliminary injunction by the courts calling for the indigenous community to leave the territory until the ownership question is settled. The injunctions calls for fines of some 500 real (200 euros, $259) per day if the Guarani-Kaiowa stay.
Human Rights Watch and other NGOs says Israel has turned back dozens of African asylum seekers, mostly Eritreans, trying to enter from Egypt.
"Since June, Israeli forces patrolling Israel's newly constructed ... border fence with Egypt's Sinai region have denied entry to dozens of Africans, mostly Eritreans," HRW and Israeli NGOs the Hotline for Migrant Workers and Physicians for Human Rights said in a joint statement.
"Thousands of [Eritrean asylum seekers] flee persecution in their country every year.
"In forcing asylum seekers and refugees to remain in Egypt and in deporting others, Israel is putting them at risk of prolonged detention in Egyptian prisons and police stations where they cannot claim asylum," it added.
Yemen's 'Death to America' rebels bring calm to northern Yemen
The Houthis, a Shiite rebel group that battled the government in northern Yemen for years, has brought stability and investment to its territory. Its rise could threaten US-Yemen cooperation.
By Adam Baron, Correspondent / October 28, 2012
Barely a decade ago, the Old City of Saada was tentatively placed on the list to become aUNESCO World Heritage Site. Once an impeccably preserved relic of medieval Arabia, the ancient settlement is now largely in ruins. Centuries-old homes lie wrecked, their mud brick construction crumbling. Bullet holes pock-mark the walls of ancient mosques.
For many here, the irreplaceable loss of one ofYemen’s most prominent historical sites exemplifies the senseless destruction wrought upon the region during years of clashes between government forces and the Houthis, a Zaydi Shi’a rebel group that has battled Yemeni troops and allied tribal fighters since 2004.
While a tentative calm has been restored in recent months, the violence continues to cast a pall over this rugged mountain town, which now lies under the effective control of the rebels.
29 October 2012 Last updated at 00:11 GMT
Kandahar: Assassination capital of Afghanistan
The southern Afghan city of Kandahar is accustomed to violence. It is, after all, the birthplace of the Taliban. But a recent wave of assassinations targeting the city's political elite has stunned even the most hardened observers.
History shows that whoever secures Kandahar, Afghanistan's historic capital, controls the rest of the country.
It is the home province of Afghan President Hamid Karzai and most of the Taliban leadership, including Mullah Mohamad Omar, is from southern Afghanistan. It is seen as the heart of Pashtun civilisation.
But southern Afghanistan is also the country's main theatre of war, where the Taliban insurgency has been at its fiercest.
Generation eliminated
In Kandahar, more than 500 killings of high profile political leaders and influential tribal elders have taken place over the past 10 years, according to figures from various sources including the author's own records.
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