This issue`s top stories

Why Gulf states are worried about food security

The oil and gas states in the Gulf have an Achilles heel – they are heavily dependent on imported food. The world food price crisis in 2007 and 2008 painfully highlighted this vulnerability and prompted a series of new initiatives.

Security is a perennial issue in the Middle East. No sooner did the revolution in Libya slip a little further down the international agenda than Syria muscled its way into the headlines. For Middle Eastern countries, however, »security« is understood more broadly than in some other parts of the world. One of its many aspects is access to food, something countries in this region view as by no means guaranteed. They go to endless trouble to make sure that their prosperity is not »built on sandy ground« despite the desert sands around them. In the lead interview for this issue of zenith, the chairman of the Qatar National Food Security Programme describes the challenges involved.

Making business with the war wounded

The Libyan government spent millions on flying hundreds of victims of the civil war to Germany for hospital treatment. While it was a life-saving intervention for many patients, others found themselves in the midst of chaos, confusion and shady deals.

For many Libyans, the civil war has still not really ended. Worst affected are those who were injured in the fighting, but it is not just physical injuries that are making life a misery for many. Some of the wounded who were flown to a foreign country believing that they would get rapid access to professional medical care found themselves embroiled in an organisational shambles. In all the confusion, it is difficult to determine who profited from the arrangements and to what extent. A zenith reporter blazes a path through the jungle of accusations and denials surrounding a multi-million-dollar »industry«.

Battle for prepaid customers

Africa’s mobile telephony markets are still dominated by local providers – but only just.

Africa is the fastest-growing mobile telephony market in the world. Local and regional providers are still ahead of the competition – and whetting the interest of global players.