HARGEISA, (IRIN) – More and more children are missing out on childhood as conflict continues in war-torn Somalia. Families who fled the violence have been separated from their children and, as poverty bites due to drought and hyperinflation, many children have taken to the streets to fend for their families. Nasir Ahmed, 12, is one such child in Hargeisa, the capital of the self-declared republic of Somaliland.

Somali refugees living in Nepal have been demonstrating in the capital Kathmandu to gain official recognition by the government.

They say their lives are miserable because they are not allowed to work and are threatened with heavy fines if they try to leave the country.

Karl Marx is back in fashion, says one German publisher, who attributes his new popularity to the economic crisis.

Publisher Karl-Dietz said it sold 1,500 copies of Das Kapital this year – up from the 200 it usually sells annually.

The top U.S. official for human rights and democracy issues has met Ethiopia’s leaders to express concern about pending legislation that critics say would curtail political freedoms. VOA’s Peter Heinlein in Addis Ababa reports Ethiopian officials flatly reject the criticisms, arguing that the rights of citizens are being protected. More on US Says Draft Ethiopian NGO Law Would ‘Close Political Space’

WASHINGTON – With voters’ increased confidence in his ability to serve as commander in chief, as well as a majority who now believe he would do a good job as president, Barack Obama has opened up his biggest advantage over John McCain in the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll

(CNN) — Muslim-Americans say they are more interested than ever before in the political process, in part because their religion has been reduced to a talking point in the presidential campaign.