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/ 22 September 2007
They needed to be hired fast after the 2003 invasion of Iraq. With too few United States soldiers on the ground, demand for private security guards was at a level not seen since the mercenary heyday of Congo in the 1960s. But the Iraq boom for private security firms is coming to an end, even without the Blackwater shooting row.
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/ 21 September 2007
Developed countries are not living up to the promise to help alleviate poverty, hunger and under-development elsewhere, President Thabo Mbeki said on Friday. For example, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) estimates that only 13 countries are likely to halve extreme poverty and hunger by 2015.
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/ 13 September 2007
Al-Qaeda has revived, extended its influence, and has the capacity to carry out a spectacular strike similar to the September 11 attacks on the United States, one of the world’s leading security think tanks warned on Wednesday. There is increasing evidence ”that ‘core’ al-Qaeda is proving adaptable and resilient, and has retained an ability to plan and coordinate large-scale attacks.
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/ 12 September 2007
Oil prices slipped on Wednesday after finishing at a record close in the previous session on worries about tight supplies. Light, sweet crude for October delivery fell six cents to ,17 a barrel in Asian electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange by late afternoon in Singapore.
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/ 10 September 2007
European stocks fell by midday on Monday in a choppy session as gains in commodity stocks were overshadowed by mounting concern that the United States economy could be headed for recession after Friday’s dismal jobs report. Oil and gas shares were the top performers on the broader European market in spite of a fall in crude oil futures.
United States President George Bush will outline reforms on Friday to help struggling subprime mortgage borrowers and his central bank chief will deliver a speech which will be pored over for hints of a looming rate cut. Federal Reserve chairperson Ben Bernanke speaks on ”Housing and Monetary Policy” at around 2pm GMT.