‘ Berbers are free people’, explains the Algerian singer Idir. By this choice of words, he is translating the name Berbers give themselves, the Amazigh. 'It is high time, for us to claim all of our rights.’

There is no escaping it: the debate about the headscarf is everywhere. But it is mainly white man voicing their opinions and concers, while Mulsim women are neglected. Not because they don't have an opinion, writes Samira Bendadi.

The United Arab Emirates have one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Hence their rising need for foreign workers, mainly in construction. Over three quarters of the inhabitants of the UAE are foreigners. They make up ninety per cent of the working population in the private sector.

Poor and rich countries gathered in Accra, Ghana in the beginning of September to come to an agreement about a better organisation of worldwide development aid. Less dissipation, better coordination, more control exercised by developing countries on projects, programs and investment: nobody is against. Then why do things change so slowly?

Together with Ingrid Betancourt and Shakira, Juan Asteban Aristizábal Vásquez (35) alias Juanes is part of the select club Colombians with a worldwide reputation. The singer recently received twelve Latin Grammy and nine MTV Awards, sold more than 10 million C.D.s worldwide and was number one in 32 countries. MO* talked to the likable Latino star a ...

South America is in the midst of developing itself as an autonomous region and refuses to be treated as the US backyard any longer. Washington follows this evolution with suspicion. After almost sixty years of inactivity, the Fourth Fleet, the American marine controlling Latin-American waters, is active again since this summer.

Is financial speculation leading to murder nowadays? It's plausible. The growing interest for raw materials of the financial world is contributing to the increasing prices for energy and food. Belgian big-banks are playing along this game. The World Bank calculated that the price crisis forced one hundred million people into extreme poverty ove ...

We were very sceptical when in December 2007 we received the first papers for a conference which was to be held in Goma on the subject of the Kivus.

Not too much, not too little. That’s about the closest one can get when trying to translate the Swedish word lagom.

The American elections are this fall’s hottest news item. And in the centre of global attention is Barack Obama. Time for a conversation with one of the most respected African-American intellectuals: Cornel West. He supports Obama ‘because McCain is merely a continuation of the disastrous Bush policies’, but he does have some doubts concerning Obam ...

At the beginning of August, the Romanian department of Radio Free Europe closed the books. After almost sixty years, the station had become superfluous.

The resettlement of Iraqi refugees needs to become a greater priority on the European humanitarian agenda.