EDITORIAL:

The St Petersburg paradox, Mark II

IAN BEALES
The last time Vladimir Putin hosted a summit in St Petersburg, it was to support efforts to save the tiger from extinction. At the upcoming G20 summit, he will be herding cats of another kind, but the differences don’t end there. First, the G20 is not yet officially an endangered...
GLOBAL INSIGHT: G20

Abe – ‘The revival of the Japanese economy will lead to development of the global economy’

SHINZO ABE
In an exclusive interview with Global ahead of the G20 summit in St Petersburg, Japanese...

G20 Special

RAYMOND WHITAKER
The fragile unity of the St Petersburg powerhouse will be tested at G20, as Russia...

A summit past its peak?

PRABHU GUPTARA
G20, having missed its key targets on financial reform, can only succeed by transforming itself...
GLOBAL INSIGHT: MAKING MONEY MOVE

Welcome to the worldwide wallet

DR NEIL ALEXANDER FORD
From mobile money to virtual currencies, the digital revolution is reshaping the way we do...

Making Money Move

DILIP RATHA
India typically receives three times as much in remittances – cash sent home to family...

Mobile money: a quick guide

JAMILLAH KNOWLES
Mobile wallet A method of payment performed over a mobile device, such as a smartphone...

Why software isn’t about to replace hard cash…yet

DAVID WOLMAN
Physical money is one of humanity’s most brilliant inventions ever. But has its time finally...

Does M-Money spell the end of the financial system? Don’t bank on it

RICHARD WALKER
Mobile banking is expected to be worth US$223 billion worldwide this year. But it does...
SPOTLIGHT: GHANA

Ghana: The limping lion

ANVER VERSI
The world’s second largest producer of cocoa – and rich in natural resources, including gold...

Adding fuel to the fire: seven difficult months for Mahama

BAFFOUR ANKOMAH
Seven months ago, John Dramani Mahama came into office as a president in his own...

A lavish feast for the senses

JULIET HIGHET
Ghana’s cultural heritage, dating back thousands of years, is still very much part of its...
SPOTLIGHT: SINGAPORE

Singapore: SEA’s economic miracle

ANVER VERSI
When impoverished, disease-ridden Singapore became independent in 1965, the nation’s leader – Lee Kuan Yew...

Linger more, Singapore

JULIET HIGHET
The island nation is in danger of being lost in transit. Many international travellers use...

Smooth operators

ANVER VERSI
Singapore’s People’s Action Party has ruled the island state continuously since independence 50 years ago,...

Subtle censorship

JACQUES HUMAN
Singapore’s cultural diversity comes with a political catch. The government of Singapore censors political, racial...

No smoke without fire

KATE BYSTROVA
Indonesian palm oil companies are suspected to be behind what environment minister Vivian Balakrishnan has...
GLOBAL ARENA: TALKING POINTS

Third time lucky for Sharif?

OWEN BENNETT-JONES
Inadequate power supplies, civil war with the Taliban and the aftermath of a border skirmish...

Global Arena: Himalayas

KAMAL BAWA AND SANDESH KADUR
Hidden wonders of the Himalayas are being lost, even before they are all discovered, due...

Lessons of Dhaka: the united action plan that could prevent sweatshop disasters

ARON CRAMER
The factory collapse at Rana Plaza in Dhaka, which claimed 1,127 lives, has refocused the...

Deadly conditions of Asia’s clothing factories

JACQUES HUMAN
Bangladesh is the world’s biggest exporter of garment products after China. The country earns about...

Dutch renaissance

SIMON CALDER
It’s overdue and over budget, but the reborn Rijksmuseum leaves its admirers overjoyed ‘And about...

Books – recent titles reviewed

A love letter to Lagos Lagos: A Cultural and Literary History Kaye Whiteman, Signal Books,...
IN FOCUS: BAHAMAS

The Bahamas: playing to win

SHERELLE JACOBS
The Bahamas, a collection of bejewelled islands off the American Atlantic coast, is one of...

400 years after Blackbeard, who shares the spoils on the treasure isles?

ANVER VERSI
In the 40 years since its independence, The Bahamas has gained a robust political system,...

Behind the masks, the real dramas of The Bahamas

JULIET HIGHET
The Bahamas has more to it than palm-fringed beaches and luxurious yachts rocking gently under...
COMMONWEALTH NETWORK: COMMONWEALTH IN ACTION

From the Commonwealth Secretary-General

KAMALESH SHARMA
Development, together with democracy, has been one of the twin pillars of the Commonwealth. Since...

‘We want people to be aware of exactly how precious our heritage is’

DEAN BARROW
Belize is one of the Commonwealth’s 13 member countries in the Americas. Prime Minister Dean...

‘Working with Zimbabwe was never going to be easy’

DONALD MCKINNON
Former Secretary-General Don McKinnon revolutionised Marlborough House during his tenure, increasing the turnover of senior...

Zimbabwe’s Commonwealth eclipse

STUART MOLE
When Robert Mugabe was elected as president of Zimbabwe in 1980, there were celebrations in...

Seminar reviews empire’s contribution to the modern world

DR SUE ONSLOW
A conference on the British Empire’s legacy heard speaker Lord Carrington give a robust defence...

Celebrating good deeds

The 2013 Nexus Commonwealth Awards saw key organisations and individuals recognised for their contributions to...

Health professionals challenge governments to update mental health legislation

ROSAMUND WEST
One in five Commonwealth member states has mental health legislation that was enacted before 1960,...

Key events and meetings

IANA SEALES
Young people should be prioritised ‘at the highest levels’ The eighth Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting...

Ahead of the crowd?

VERITY SHARP
Research by the Royal Commonwealth Society explores whether there is a Commonwealth ‘X factor’, giving...

Animal theme dominates writers’ awards

An all-female winners’ list for the 2013 Commonwealth Book and Short Story Prizes has championed...

Maasai consider trademarking their cultural ‘brand’

The Maasai of Kenya and Tanzania are looking into trademarking their culture to benefit from...

Malala in Wonderland

A Global diary Malala Yousafzai is to international diplomacy what Alice is to Wonderland. In...

Malema launches radical ‘freedom fighters’ party

South Africa’s former African National Congress Youth League leader, Julius Malema, is once again in...

The engineer of community enterprise

A specialist in youth and community issues, British civil servant, Colin Ball pioneered youth employment...

The Commonwealth Broadcasting Association

The rise of digital and social media has brought with it new challenges for CBA...

Baby Cambridge has ‘train drivers and miners’ among ancestors

Prince George Alexander Louis will be the first British monarch since William the Conqueror to...
Amnesty International