Dashboard

CHITTAGONG, BANGLADESH Monsoons and mudslides kill more than 100

VENICE The Biennale opens

LONDON Bussell takes a final bow

KABUL U.S. troops mistakenly kill seven Afghan police

PARIS Nadal wins third French Open

FUSHE-KRUJA, ALBANIA Albanians give Bush a rare hero's welcome

SAMARRA, IRAQ Bombs shatter two minarets of Shi'ite shrine

THE MAP A Changing Drought

Get ready for a dry summer. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, half the continental U.S. is currently experiencing abnormal dryness or drought. Over the past four years, migrating drought patterns have spread toward the Eastern shores, crippling crops, shrinking lakes and drying up wells this month in eight Southern states, particularly Alabama. Meanwhile, the Northeast and much of the Midwest have been spared.

LEXICON

conflict cocoa

DEFINITION kon-flikt ko-ko n: Profits from the cocoa trade used to finance civil war in Africa's Ivory Coast

CONTEXT The Ivory Coast is the world's biggest producer of cocoa, the main ingredient in chocolate, but what fans of the sweet treat don't know is that both sides in the country's civil war are using cocoa revenues to buy weapons and fund militias. In its report "Hot Chocolate," the London-based group Global Witness is calling for international efforts to "break the links between the cocoa trade and the armed conflict."

USAGE Cocoa joins "blood diamonds" as a natural resource used to underwrite strife. Look for more groups to call attention to the bloodshed that First World countries and consumers may unwittingly finance.

HEALTH NOTE

A Diet Drug Hits the Shelves

Just in time for swimsuit season, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) launches ALLI (pronounced ally), the first weight-loss drug available without a prescription. Alli is the over-the-counter version of Xenical, a drug best known for its list of unpleasant side effects, which include "oily discharge" and loose stools. To fight the intense criticism that overzealous dieters--particularly younger ones--will abuse the drug, GSK's extensive education campaign includes a book of recipes and free pedometers to remind dieters that no pill works alone.

GLOBAL NOTE

A Brutal Fight for Equality

Zakia Zaki, 35, who ran the U.S.-funded Peace Radio in Afghanistan, was shot seven times while sleeping with her baby. Another Afghan woman, newscaster Shokiba Sanga Amaaj, 22, was murdered a week before. As violence against women in Afghanistan rises, especially targeting those who have embarked on careers, can the U.S. Congress help? It earmarked $45 million--twice the 2002 amount--for Afghan government groups and NGOs dedicated to empowering women and girls. The act came too late for Zaki: it passed June 6, the day she died.

THE BUSINESS OF CELEBRITY

The Diana Industry

Princess Diana had a pretty good idea of her own value. "You see yourself as a good product that sits on a shelf and sells well," she said in a confessional BBC TV interview in 1995. "And people make a lot of money out of you." Indeed. Tina Brown's new biography fetched a large advance. Pilgrims flock to $25 tours of Diana's family home and grave site. More than 100 governments will be issuing Diana stamps this year. More commemorative commerce:

1. DIANABILIA She graces everything from coins to coasters. The Franklin Mint's $195 "Elvis dress" Di doll is a best seller.

2. BOOKS No fewer than 15 Diana books will hit the market this year, including a $2,000 coffee-table book about her wedding dress that contains a swatch of the leftover silk.

3. PHOTOS They could fetch millions when she was alive, and even now reprint rights for the last photos of Diana and Dodi together on holiday go for hundreds of dollars.

4. CHARITY Her memorial fund has made $150 million in grants, focusing on issues like AIDS and land-mine eradication.