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Byline: KATE ADIE A famous First World War poster shows a thoughtful-looking mother taking her son's hand in hers. He is very young and wearing his newly-issued army uniform. From [...]

'You are going dangerous place?'' asked the Italian policeman in the airport. ''Why do you ask?'' I replied. He pointed to the flak jacket wedged in the security scanner. ''Oh,'' [...]

'If we get milk, we'll be happy - maybe even fat!'' Alan Juma Malombe pats his ribs, which show through a shredded green T-shirt on which the words 'Fit and [...]

The death of Diana, Princess of Wales, on Aug. 31, 1997, has not altered the way in which royal stories are covered on BBC television news, but has had a definite impact on press coverage. The deference once shown by the BBC towards the royal family had given way to a more realistic and less formal approach before Diana's death. However, whereas newspapers would once have had no qualms about publishing photographs of Princes William and Harry on holiday with their father or enjoying themselves with friends, such pictures are now deemed unsuitable. Press self-regulation has worked well.

The future of BBC World seems uncertain. Financial pressures mean that the staff of 50 in the newsroom will probably be reduced by 19, and the entire service could be taken over by BBC News 24. It is to be hoped that new BBC Director-General Greg Dyke will give immediate attention to protecting BBC World, which broadcasts to 145 million homes across the world, along with many hotel rooms. BBC World operates on a very limited budget, but has gained great respect for the depth of its coverage.

This is not a book for the fainthearted, nor for those who think that international aid is an organised hand-out of rice and a heart-warming picture of a large-eyed grateful child. It is, rather, a searing account of the realities of war and the struggle to bring some humanitarian values and practical help to violent places. And it is written with huge passion. If your idea of a humanitarian organisation is a bunch of woolly well intentioned do-gooders, then meet Medecins Sans Frontieres. In the huge army of aid workers, they could be described as the Special Forces. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

RETURNING to the house where you spent your earliest years is an odd feeling: how small it seems! Someone's stuck a conservatory on the side -- and the street looks, well, different. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]