Articles by Josephine Whitaker

Riots in Mapuso highlight emerging food price crisis. Middle east peace talks kick off despite Hamas attacks. Shia festival hit by bombings in Lahore. Nato air strike blamed for ten fatalities in northern Afghanistan. All this and more in today’s security briefing.

The UN mission in the DRC is failing to protect civilians, as it emerges that 200 women were raped in a systematic attack in North Kivu earlier month. A US official alleges that Taliban forces have threatened foreign aid workers in Pakistan. A wave of attacks across Iraq raise questions about Iraqi stability. Human rights groups allege that state anti-terrorism drive violates human rights in Yemen. All this and more in today’s briefing...

UN calls for more aid to Pakistan flood victims, as giving remains highly politicised. Blast leaves seven dead in Xinjiang in a suspected ethnically-motivated attack. France begins Roma deportation. As last combat brigades depart Iraq, questions remain about its future. India accuses Pakistani soldiers of violating ceasefire in Kashmir.

Grenade attack rocks Kigali just two days after Kagame re-elected as president, while opposition groups urge international community to reject result. The Lord’s Resistance Army is violently abducting recruits in central Africa, according to a recent report from Human Rights Watch. A top Iraqi general insists Iraq not ready for troop withdrawal, but comments brushed off by US and Iraqi officials. Car bomb rocks Bogota in first security test for Santos. All this and more in today’s briefing...

Sudan is woefully unprepared for a crucial referendum scheduled for January, according to a new report. Riots continue in Belfast as police and politicians insist on their unity. Indo-Pak talks are touted as progress but overshadowed by accusations that Pak security forces masterminded the Mumbai attacks. A Rwandan opposition politician found dead as another independent is arrested. All this and more in today’s briefing.

New rumours of xenophobic reprisals after the World Cup send foreign migrants fleeing in South Africa. A new Amnesty International report slams endemic sexual violence in Kenyan slums. A Sri Lankan government minister begins hunger strike to protest UN inquiry into war crimes. Fresh bombings kill more Shia pilgrims in Baghdad. Defeated candidates and supporters protest over ‘rigged’ presidential elections in Guinea. New Australian PM Gillard backtracks on Timor-Leste refugee processing centre. All this and more in today’s briefing...

Congress blocks Afghan aid as Petraeus steps up. Recent elections in Burundi are slammed by opposition politicians as unfree and unfair. Both Russia and the US scramble to play down spy arrests in a bid to maintain good relations. 17 combatants left dead in clashes between Turkish security forces and Kurdish rebels. All this and more in today’s briefing...

Curfew extended in Bangkok after Red Shirts dispersed. International investigation reports South Korean Cheonan sunk by North Korean torpedo. State of emergency imposed in southern Kygyzstan. Pakistan prepares for offensive in North Waziristan. Maoist attacks prompt strategy rethink in India. All this and more in today's briefing.

African Union warns of bomb attacks in Somalia. Nigerian President Yar’Adua dies. Greek austerity protests turn deadly. Darfur’s largest rebel group pulls out of Doha peace talks. Mumbai gunman sentenced to death. All this and more in today’s briefing.

South and North Sudan at risk of violence after election results contested. Niger food crisis worsens. Soldier killed in Thai protests. Sarkozy pushes for Chinese support of sanctions against Iran. All this and more in today's update.

Rockets intended for Israel hit Jordan. Sudan poll results delayed amid fraud allegations. Blasts shake tense Thai capital. All this and more in today's briefing.

US and Russia sign historic nuclear deal. Sudan elections in doubt as more opposition parties boycott. Kyrgyz opposition sets up ‘peoples’ government’. Al-Qaeda officials move from Yemen into Somalia. All this and much more in today’s security briefing.

NLD boycott of Burmese elections draws strong criticism. Suspected coup attempt in Guinea Bissau. Sudan opposition pullout throws elections into doubt. ICC to probe Kenya post-election violence. Bangladesh to commence trial of 1971 war crimes. All this and more in today's update.

Eritrea rejects findings of UN report. Obama denies crisis in relations with Israel. Jonathan dissolves Nigerian cabinet. Thai protestors vow to remain in Bangok. Khartoum signs second deal with rebel alliance. All this and more in today's briefing.

UN discusses withdrawal of peacekeepers from DRC. Burma-North Korea ties create new headache for US. Rise in birth defects in Fallujah may be linked to US weapons. German court jails bomb plotters for foiled attacks. Nigerian rebel group claims attack on Italian oil facility. All this and more in today's security briefing.

Chittagong Hill Tracts shaken by riots and arson. India and Pakistan take steps to rebuild their relationship. Niger leaders rule themselves out of elections. Darfur rebels contradict president’s claim that the war is over. All this and more in today’s briefing.

Bangladesh accused of crackdown on Burmese refugees. Obama meets the Dalai Lama despite Chinese criticism; Maoists kills ten in Bihar. Protests rock Ivory Coast as president dissolves the government. Taliban running low on ammo in sixth day of Operation Moshtarak. Rumours of a coup attempt in Niger. All this and much more in today’s briefing.

Nigerian Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan named acting president in bid to resolve crisis. Claims emerge of deliberate army assault on civilians in Congo. Al-Shabaab preempts crackdown with assault on capital. Tymoshenko refuses to admit defeat in dangerous show of defiance. All this and more in today's update.

Kenya tightens security on its north-eastern border with Somalia. Troops deployed as violence intensifies in Karachi. Clinton denies rumours of US-Iran prisoner swap. Rwandan opposition candidate attacked by mob in Kigali. Curfew declared in Srinagar, Kashmir, after days of violent protests. All this and more in today's briefing.

World leaders debate the future of Afghanistan at London summit. Bangladesh executes independence leader’s killers. Honduras’ Zelaya goes into exile. The international community unites to tackle al-Qaeda in Yemen. All this and more in today’s security briefing.