Half a year into the global economic crisis, an economist tells WIDE ANGLE “there have been positive developments in the past ten years that should help African countries weather the storm.”

A roundup of links to local stories of global importance from around the world.

The project -- known as Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD) -- will be launched in Democratic Republic of Congo, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Tanzania and Vietnam.

A round-up of how nations around the globe are dealing with the economic downturn: bailouts, I.M.F. loans, and schadenfreude.

In August 1998, a truck bomb struck the U.S. Embassy in Dar es-Salaam.