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Presents a profile of terrorist Osama bin Laden. Description of his manner and interests; His talent for orchestrating bombing operations; Family life; How he became interested in terrorism; Speculation that he is in hiding.

Reports on the assassination of Congolese president Laurent Kabila in January 2001, by one of his security guards named Rashidi. Succession of his son, Joseph; Details of his time in power, which included warfare; Outlook for the nation.

Profiles 29-year-old Queen Rania of Jordan, the world's youngest queen. Controversy among Arab conservatives surrounding Rania's non-traditional public behavior; Her views on the position of women in Arab society; Biographical details; Rania's efforts to support reform without offending traditionalists.

Focuses on the responsibility of the United Nations (UN) in peacekeeping in Africa, after the attack of rebels in Sierra Leone on UN peacekeeping forces. The leader of the rebels, Foday Sankoh; Disgust in the United States concerning past peacekeeping attempts in Africa, including Somalia; Difficulties facing UN peacekeeping forces in Sierra Leone.

Reports on the famine, disease and politics that are affecting Ethiopia. Food shortage due to the severe drought; Impact of the war between Ethiopia and Eritrea on food shortages; Deaths of children brought on by malnutrition; Food emergency in surrounding countries like Somalia.

Focuses on the custody fight for the 6-year-old Cuban exile Elian Gonzalez. The trip to the United States by his grandmothers, Mariela Quintana and Raquel Rodriguez, to return him to his father in Cuba; Efforts of anti-Castro relatives in Miami, Florida to keep the boy in the US; Reason that Elian's father did not come to the US.

Profiles Clive William Nicol, a famous foreign naturalist of contemporary Japan. Author's trek with Nicol through Afan Ar Goed or Valley of Woods near Mount Kurohime in Nagano Prefecture; Efforts to nurse 45 acres of damaged woodlands; Production of television documentaries; Nicol's decision to give up his British and Canadian passports to gain Japanese citizenship.

Reports on the opium industry in Afghanistan. How the country is the largest opium producer in the world; Social problems caused by the drug and its production; The role of the Taliban, which administers policy in much of Afghanistan; Why opium is so profitable and its production and trade so risk-free there; Anti-Western sentiment in the Taliban.

Offers information on the rescue of East Timor. Eurico Guterras, commander of the pro-Indonesian Aitarak (Thorn) mission; Vote by the East Timorese people for freedom from the occupation of the Indonesian army and its allied militia; Primary fear that the militiamen will snipe at foreign troops; Priorities of Interfet forces in East Timor; Disarming of militiamen in West Timor; Statistics on the international peacekeeping mission.

Focuses on the newly elected president of South Korea, Kim Dae Jung, as he takes control in 1998. Kim's experience and roots as a friend of labor; Biographical data; The attempts of General Park Chung Hee, who seized power in a coup in 1961, to kill Kim; Kim's persecution and house arrest; The person Kim chose as his running mate; Kim facing challenges as a leader of the 21st century. INSET: Kim: A life on the edge.

Focuses on the Asian economic crises. The rethinking of old political assumptions; The growing sense that democracy can help economic progress; The role of Michel Camdessus, head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF); The effect of Indonesia's President Suharto signing an agreement with IMF on his family's business empire; The expectation of leadership in South Korea with President-elect Kim Dae Jung. INSETS: The kingdom of the cronies;Who cares what Confucius said?;The hero and his hired brains.

Examines the food shortage in North Korea in 1997. Roots of the food shortage in the flooding of 1995 and 1996; Economic system; Why there is uncertainty as to the scope of the food shortages; Whether famine is close at hand; Comments from those within the United Nations (UN) Children's Fund and the UN's World Food Programme; How the problems in North Korea differ from famines in Africa; Impact of the impending famine on North Korea's communist government.

Discusses how more and more teenage girls in Japan are marketing their bodies for easy money. Japan's liberal views on sex; Cynicism among Japanese youth; Ways that older men pick up schoolgirls; Proliferation of pornography; Sexual violence; Growing number of married women having affairs.

Focuses on Japan's Prime Minister, Ryutaro Hashimoto. Reputation; Career history; Political views; Family background; Criticisms against Hashimoto; Background information on politics in Japan. INSET: The bureaucrat buster..

Reports on how the life of Japanese Crown Princess Masako Owada changed after marrying Crown Prince Naruhito. Owada's career and educational achievements before marrying to crown Prince Naruhito; Owada's respect for Japanese traditions; Press' attitude toward Owada. INSETS: The groupies who mind their manners.;A breed apart.;The changing fashions of an adaptable life..

Reports on the rise in prominence of Kim Jong Il as he becomes general secretary of the Workers Party of Korea. If Kim Jong Il has the power to turn North Korea around; Famine and other issues he must face; Possible reforms he may implement; Comments from journalist, Jiro Ishimaru; People encouraged to farm every spot of land available; Conflicts and negotiations with South Korea. INSETS: The dying fields, by Carroll Bogert.;A minute to midnight, by Don Oberdorfer..

Reports political violence in East Timor in the wake of the August 30, 1999 referendum on independence from Indonesia, and considers calls for United States intervention. Role of Indonesian Army-backed militias in terrorism against supporters of independence; Estimate of the number of refugees from violence; US interests in Indonesia; President B.J. Habibie's request for international peacekeeping forces.

Notes the growing separation between government and business in Japan. The fears in the early 1990s of Japanese economic dominance of the United States dissipating; Claims of some in Japan that government bureaucrats are hampering Japan's economic performance; Pledges to liberalize Japanese business; Why the rift between business and government happened.

Considers how copper trader Yasuo Hamanaka of Japan's Sumitomo Corp. could have lost his firm $1.8 billion in bad trades. The company's reputation for rigid, ultraconservative management at odds with its lack of supervision of the trader; Hamanaka's personal quiet demeanor, in contrast to Barings' futures trader Nicholas Leeson; Other controversy surrounding Hamanaka from his years with the company.

Reports on the sons-in-law of Saddam Hussein, Lieutenant General Hussein Kamel Hassan and Lieutenant Colonel Saddam Kamel Hassan, defecting from Iraq with Hussein's daughters. Their desire to change the regime in Iraq; The hole in Saddam Hussein's regime; Why the Clinton administration is pleased with the defections; Why President Bill Clinton credits sanctions for the defections; Clinton praising Jordan's King Hussein for granting them asylum.

Highlights the actions of Arabs and Israelis who are eyeing the profits of peace between their countries since the treaty signing. Arab businessmen who are slipping into Israel in record numbers; Regional economic summit conference of Arabs and Israelis in Casablanca; Tourism.

Focuses on a violent week in the Mideast that stained the Nobel Peace Prize and threatened peace talks. The Israeli raid on Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) kidnappers to rescue Nachshon Waxman; The deaths and injuries that ensued; The announcement on the same day that Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Foreign Minister Shimon Peres had won the Nobel Peace Prize; Details.

Examines the problems that lie ahead in the building of a Palestinian homeland. The three million expatriate Palestinians worldwide, many of whom want to return; Estimate of financial aid the occupied territories will require; The urgent need to create an independent economy for the territories; More. INSET: Dreaming up peace projects..

Discusses effects of Israel's attacks on Lebanon's Shiite Muslim heartland in retaliation for ambushes by Islamic fighters. Death of 130 Lebanese; Refugees; Hizbullah; Israel's strategy; Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin; US Secretary of State Warren Christopher; Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri; Israeli public reaction; Cease-fire.

An interview with U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau representative Elizabeth Warren is presented. Topics include the scheduled July 2011 opening of the agency, changes that U.S. consumers may expect in the administration of home mortgages, and prospects for enacting legislation to deal with mortgage documentation.

Discusses the troubling conditions in Somalia. Presence of Islamic radicals and Arab militants; View that Somalia is a 'mini-Afghanistan'; Past United States activity in Somalia, including the launch of Operation Restore Hope to save Somalis from starvation; Role of Osama bin Laden in the alleged 'humiliation' of American forces in Somalia; How Al Qaeda leaders apparently set up training camps in Somalia; Which fundamentalist groups are present; Outlook for U.S. involvement in Somalia.

Discusses Mullah Mohammed Omar, leader of the Islamic Taliban militia. Reasons Omar does not allow himself to be photographed; View that terrorists faced in battle by the United States will be an elusive enemy; Statement of U.S. President George W. Bush that the Taliban hand over terrorist Osama bin Laden and his comrades in Al Qaeda; Outlook for a war against terrorism.

Discusses the story of a family who lost loved ones when a plane carrying United States missionaries was shot down by a Peruvian Air Force jet. Reasons for the jet firing on the plane, which included intelligence information suggesting that the plane was carrying drugs; Discussion of the Air Bridge Denial Program in Latin America; Doubts of the U.S. drug-fighting strategies; How Jim Bowers lost a wife and child in the incident.

An interview with Valerie Jarrett, senior advisor and assistant to the U.S. president for public engagement and intergovernmental affairs, is presented. When asked how U.S. President Barack Obama's life has changed since becoming president, Jarrett responds that he will never be able to meet a random stranger and have a conversation. Jarrett comments on Obama's plan to have a regular date night with his wife, and Obama's decision regarding church attendance.

Discusses the terrorist attack on the United States Naval ship, the USS Cole, in Yemen. How Osama bin Laden is a suspect in the attack; Details on the attack which killed 17 U.S. sailors; Influence of the attack on the Middle East peace negotiations; Views of U.S. President Bill Clinton on the terrorist bombing.

Investigates the conditions surrounding human smuggling. Death of 58 Chinese aspiring illegal immigrants in Great Britain; Willingness of hopeful migrants to take the risk of death; Growth of the business of people trafficking around the world; Assistance provided by criminal gangs to migrants interested in evading immigration and police officials.

Focuses on languages that are nearly extinct as of June 2000. The Eyak language, spoken by Native Americans; Statistics compiled by Ethnologue, a catalogue of the world's languages, regarding the number of nearly-extinct languages; Argument of specialists on endangered languages that the death of language is a threat to the human species; Effect of technology and globalization on this trend. INSET: Where the Words Won't Be Heard.

Reports on Jordan's controversial Queen Rania and discusses her actions which sometimes offend courtiers, but meet with the approval of young, educated Jordanian women. Challenges Queen Rania faces because of her high profile in Jordan, where the traditional demands of women remain strong; Details of her upbringing, including her Western education; Support she receives from her husband, King Abdullah; Her political views, and how she works for reform for and empowerment of women.

Discusses the implications of Israel's withdrawal of its military forces from Lebanon. Reaction of Hizbullah guerillas to Israel's withdrawal; Details of still-unresolved disputes surrounding Lebanese territory; Outlook for the withdrawal's effect on Syrian forces stationed in Lebanon. INSET: `We Are Not Refugees,' by Joanna Chen et al.

Discusses dilemmas faced by Western Hemisphere nations relating to peacekeeping in Africa. Threats of civil war in Sierra Leone; Unsuccessful peace missions by the United Nations (UN); Security Council mission in Africa in May 2000 led by Richard Holbrooke, the United States Ambassador to the UN; US President Bill Clinton's concern over his administration's failure to prevent horrors in Africa. INSET: The Rise of the `Rego-Cops', by Michael Hirsh..

The article focuses on Daoud Hari, author of "The Translator," a book about his travels and experiences in Darfur, Sudan. While traveling through Sudan, Hari and journalist Paul Salopek were captured by tribal gunmen, beaten and threatened with death. Hari has gained refugee status in the U.S., but wishes to return to Darfur when it is safe.

Reports on the attempts of United States Ambassador Richard Holbrooke to reconcile differences between U.S. Congress' budget to the United Nations (UN). Details of a UN committee meeting, in which diplomats demanded the U.S. pay its delinquent dues; How North Carolina Senator Jesse Helms could block the release of funds to the UN; Thought that the UN budget will be passed.

Discusses the town of Beit Jala, West Bank in Israel. Experience of the author in living as a Palestinian in a town under Israeli control; Snipers in Beit Jala who shoot at the Jewish neighborhood of Gilo; Public reaction to violence in the area; Outlook for the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Discusses the role of United States peacekeeping troops in Bosnia. Concern of Muslims that George W. Bush will phase out U.S. forces; View of Europeans that international protection of ethnic-cleansing victims is needed and that the U.S. has a responsibility to deal with the world's problems.

Focuses on former president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela. His role in global politics and statesman after his retirement in May 1999; His diplomacy in Middle East peace negotiation; Choice of Mandela as mediator in Burundi's civil strife.

Focuses on conditions in the Serbian province of Kosovo. Calls for the ouster of Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic; Examples of atrocities taking place; Abduction and murder of Serbs and Gypsies; Speculation as to the involvement of the Kosovo Liberation Army in the mayhem; Reaction of the United States to the situation.

Focuses on the opium trade of Afghanistan. Global output in 1999; Sale of Afghan heroin in Pakistan, Iran, Central Asia and Russia; Islamic Taliban militia's claim that it would cooperate with drug-eradication efforts; Government's severe subjugation of women; Opium trade's provision of income and political leverage to the government. INSET: Hollywood's latest cause, by Yahlin Chang..

Focuses on the Ministry of Finance (MOF) in Japan. A bribery scandal resulting in the arrest of two MOF officials, Koichi Miyagawa and Toshimi Taniuchi; Collusion between the MOF and banks; The practice of amakudari or retirement jobs in the private sector; The pressure on Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto to clean up the MOF; The investigation and supervision branch of the MOF to become an independent agency in June 1998.

Discusses relations before North and South Korea in January 1997. The apology from North Korea for the death of three South Korean civilians when one of its spy submarines ran aground; The return of the ashes of 24 soldiers by the South to the North; The role of the United States in trying to launch talks which could lead to a formal treaty ending the Korean War more than four decades after the final battle. INSET: Subs, spies and shots fired in anger..

Reports that the sentencing of two former South Korean presidents Chun Doo Hwan and Roh Tae Woo could be the end of the country's system of authoritarian capitalism. Death for Chun and prison for Roh; Mutiny and treason charges against the two men; Change in the culture of bribery in South Korea.

Examines Japan's economic growth rate for the first quarter of 1996 and its emergence from economic recession. Debate on Japan's economic power; Economic analysts' comments on Japan's economic staying power; Role in the corporate world of the 21st century; Call for a social revolution.

Features current political developments in the Middle East on the occasion of the reelection of Saddam Hussein as President of Iraq. Balance of power in the Middle East; Proposal of King Hussein of Jordan for federal states in Iraq; Prospects for p eace in the region.

Reports on the 1997 Kyoto Protocol and what it means for the United States. Efforts of Vice President Al Gore to reach an agreement; Details on the agreement; Clinton waiting until 1999 to submit the treaty to the Senate for ratification; Coal, oil and auto industries paying for studies on greenhouse gas cuts; Steps the administration can take to bring about the cuts without Congress; Bill to deregulate electric utilities. INSET: Closing the gap: What Kyoto could mean to you.

Reports on the impact of Japan's banking crisis on the global economy. Uncertainty of the degree of impact on emerging markets such as China and Russia; Question of the global economy's future; Russian government preparing to defend its treasuries market; Contrast with government in 1997 and the 1930s; Question of how Japan will react; Banks of Tokyo and Osaka helping to create the currency problems in Asia.

Focuses on October 1999 conflict in Chechnya. Role of an uprising in neighboring Dagestan in Russian movements against Chechnya; Response of Chechen rebels to Russian attacks; Overview of the conflict as of mid-October; Comments from United States military analysts; Russian strategy.