1India goes to the polls on December 24 in elections that are bound to be coloured by the assassination of Indira Gandhi.The Opposition has accused her son and successor, Rajiv Gandhi of using his mother's death as a campaign platform for his Congress Party.

2In Ethiopia, the tragedy of famine has come full-circle. In 1973 television images of starving Ethiopians shocked the developed world into sending food and money. At the time, aid agencies and governments around the world said such a thing should never happen again. However, ten years later it has. A look at the course of famine and starvation in Ethiopia from 1973 until today, and the effectiveness of international aid.

3As winter grips the United Kingdom, the outlook for Arthur Scargill and his National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) appears to be bleak. The recent death of a taxi driver, allegedly at the hands of two miners, has swung public opinion against the striking miners. Meanwhile, a receiver was appointed to assume control of the NUM's funds, leaving the union short of funds. Nevertheless, most miners seem content to continue the strike.