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Availability of weapons fuels violence against soldiers
Ivory Coast has been celebrating the anniversary of independence from France. Life there has been calmer since the violent tug-of-war over the presidency between Laurence Gbagbo loyalists and Alessane Ouattara supporters. Yet weapons are too easily available in the country, meaning that potential attacks are never too far away.
The warming of ties between Brazilian leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, in Brazil for the country's independence day, could mean France securing a lucrative contract to supply Brazil with 36 modern fighter jets.
After a serious blunder from NATO on Friday that saw civilians killed, the question of local support for the Western coalition in Afghanistan seems more tricky than ever, since the US considers this support central to its new strategy.
More former Khmer Rouge leaders could face charges before a UN-backed tribunal after the court agreed to extend investigations to additional suspects, a decision that could put it on a collision course with the government.
Two months after his death, Michael Jackson's funeral is to be a low-key affair but his legacy - both artistic and business - is thriving. Some 16 million albums have been sold since his death, set to net the late singer millions in record sales.
Oil exploration has become huge in many sub-Saharan African countries, with foreign companies coming in to take their fill. But even major discoveries, such as in Uganda, rarely result in the oil wealth trickling down to the local inhabitants.
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