My Blog

Democratic Republic of Congo profile A vast country with immense economic resources, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) has been at the centre of what could be termed Africa's world war. This has left it in the grip of a humanitarian crisis. The five-year conflict pitted government forces, supported by Angola, Namibia and Zimbabwe, against rebels backed by Uganda and Rwanda. Despite a peace deal and the formation of a transitional government in 2003, people in the east of the country remain in terror of marauding militia and the army. The war claimed an estimated three million lives, either as a direct result of fighting or because of disease and malnutrition. It has been called possibly the worst emergency to unfold in Africa in recent decades. The war had an economic as well as a political side. Fighting was fuelled by the country's vast mineral wealth, with all sides taking advantage of the anar

Explore DR Congo in maps and graphs The Democratic Republic of Congo is a country of superlatives. It is vast and rich in minerals such as diamonds and gold, yet living standards are among the lowest in the world. Use these maps and graphics to explore this continent-sized country, which has known more than its fair share of misery, as it prepares for just its second general elections in four decades. Inside DR Congo  1. Size The Democratic Republic of Congo covers 2,344,858 square km of land in the centre of Africa, making it the 12th largest country in the world. 2. Minerals Wealth DR Congo has abundant mineral wealth. It has more than 70% of the world's coltan, used to make vital components of mobile phones, 30% of the planet's diamond reserves and vast deposits of cobalt, copper and bauxite. This wealth however has attracted looters and fuelled the country's civil war. 3. Transport

DR Congo election: Joseph Kabila 're-elected'   Joseph Kabila enjoys most of his support in eastern areas of the vast country President Joseph Kabila has won the Democratic Republic of Congo's election, provisional results show. He obtained 49% of the vote against 32% for veteran opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi, the election commission chief said. Mr Tshisekedi has rejected the results and declared himself president, raising fears of violent protests The announcement of results has been delayed since Tuesday, with election officials blaming logistical problems. DR Congo is rich in minerals such as gold, diamond and coltan, which is used in mobile phones. But years of conflict and mismanagement mean it recently came bottom of a survey of living standards around the world. Riot police are patrolling the streets of the capital, Kinshasa, seen as an opposition stronghold in this country which is still recovering from years of conflict in

Zimbabwe: The land of nervous laughter     Robert Mugabe appeared well as he arrived to deliver his speech in Bulawayo Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe moved to the podium with his trademark blend of languor and briskness - still looking reasonably sprightly for an 87-year-old in reportedly poor health. The crowd - perhaps 3,000-strong, seated, hot and mildly expectant after waiting for some nine hours for this moment - had just been warned not to "dare" to even talk to their neighbours during the president's speech. There had been a big build-up ahead of the keynote speech of Zanu-PF's annual party conference. And yet, there was a tangible sense that everyone in the pavilion in Bulawayo was going through the motions. President Mugabe launched - after a brief delay to rearrange his notes - into a long and familiar attack on western imperialism and past injustices. Within minutes, I counted four out of 10 people in the row behind me,

How damaging is our bonus culture?   By Peter Day Presenter, In Business, Radio 4 Is it possible to call time on the bonus culture? Bonuses were supposed to reward exceptional performance, but as the culture has spread from the City through big business to the public sector, how much damage do they cause? It seems obviously most "fair" to a lot of people if everyone shares equally in the world's wealth. It is the sort of idea that animated those forerunners of the Occupy movement , the Diggers encamped in 1649 on St George's Hill in Weybridge in Surrey. A product of the English Revolution , they were outraged by imbalances of wealth in a still land-based agricultural society. They sought justice by occupying and trying to cultivate the land they had squatted on. In a modern industrial society, fairness is more complicated. Some people make more, invent more, score more goals, give more pleasure, enable more

UK alone as EU agrees fiscal deal Nicolas Sarkozy said he would have preferred a treaty among all the members of the EU European leaders say 26 out of 27 EU member states have backed a tax and budget pact to tackle the eurozone debt crisis. Only the UK has said it will not join. Prime Minister David Cameron said he had to protect key British interests, including its financial markets. The 17 countries that use the euro have all agreed to the deal. Nine other countries have said they will sign up, some pending consultations with their parliaments. Hungary originally said it would also remain outside the deal but has now changed its stance. 'Stable euro' The UK effectively used its veto to block an attempt, led by the French and Germans, to get all 27 EU states to support changes to the union's treaties. Analysis Chris Morris