The good that may come from Brangelina's baby, Time magazine shines a light on Congo, and the potential pitfalls of covering a disaster.

I admit it, I do want to know about Angelina Jolie, Oscar-winner and goodwill ambassador for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, and Brad Pitt's girl. I'm only human, awright?! So now I've gotten that off my chest, it's interesting to note the lengths the couple have taken to have baby Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt far, far away from paparazzi's intrusive cameras - shipping themselves and their entourage to Namibia and making it very difficult for journalists to cover the birth. (We could discuss celebrities' penchant for choosing exotic baby names, but that is definitely not in my purview).

What really got my attention, though, was the rumour that Jolie and Pitt are planning to donate proceeds of pictures of young Shiloh to charity. Now, say what you will about celebrities' spouting off about important issues around the world, but this would be totally cool, don't you think? Let's hope it is true and that it starts a trend.

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The latest issue of Time magazine has put conflict in Congo on the front page - literally. The cover article, "Congo: The Hidden Toll of the World's Deadliest War", really shoves people's faces into this conflict, which was voted the world's most neglected humanitarian disaster in an AlertNet poll of experts last year.

Major Western media outlets have long been accused of ignoring the ongoing suffering and violence in Africa's largest country, but Time makes good use of its formidable resources to tackle the issue.

A reminder of just how bad the crisis is: 1,250 Congolese die every day from conflict-related causes, according to the International Rescue Committee (IRC). That equals about one Asian tsunami every six months. The black-and-white photographs by James Nachtwey are revelatory and disturbing. Haven't found the entire story posted for free on the Internet but doubtless it will be there soon.

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While digging around Time's website, I came across a few interesting multimedia essays - these are free. One on why Afghanistan is getting more dangerous is interesting, especially now after seven aid workers were just killed there. Time's Phil Zabriskie narrates, telling us about the country's police and army, which are struggling to deal with the resurgent Taliban. These attacks are growing and focusing n symbols of "new Afghanistan" such as girls' schools. Zabriskie says that millions of Afghans are hoping to see an improvement in their war-torn lives, but many are straining to remain optimistic.

Another interesting essay is about Darfur. In this one, photographer Kadir van Lohuizen talks us through his work in Darfur, where Janjaweed militias have been terrorising the population. Did you know that sometimes these militia members share camps with the people that they have persecuted? I didn't. Van Lohuizen also visits Shereia, a town virtually emptied by the violence and discusses the particular dangers faced by women, among other things.

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News is still coming in from all sides on Indonesia's 6.3 magnitude earthquake, which has so far killed 5,846 and left 130,000 homeless. Some - though by no means all - of the coverage of the disaster by global media has drawn on well-worn disaster-reporting templates such as the speed of the aid response (too slow) and the threat of disease epidemics from dead bodies (unfounded).

It's easy to see why such headlines make the rounds. No matter how efficient the relief response - and the evidence suggests this one hasn't been too bad - it's always possible to find destitute survivors demanding: "Where's the aid?"And the myth that the best way to head off epidemics is to organise hasty mass burials is a potent one.

This AlertNet tipsheet on disaster myths may come in handy. The piece dispels some common assumptions about disaster relief, such as the best international response is always to send rescue teams immediately and dead bodies should be buried immediately.

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A worker from British-based Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW) has been deported from Israel after accusations that the charity is funnelling money to Hamas, the militant group that controls the Palestinian Authority and does not recognise the state of Israel. Ayaz Ali, 36, had been held for three weeks without charge in the top-security Ashkelon prison, the charity< said in a press release.

Israel's foreign affairs ministry said in a statement that Ali "worked to transfer funds and assistance to various Hamas institutions and organizations, including the Al Wafa and Al Tzalah associations, which have been outlawed in Israel. He also admitted that he worked in Jordan and cooperated with local Hamas operatives."

Islamic Relief, an AlertNet member, denies any ties to Hamas.

"The allegations against Islamic Relief and Ayaz Ali are entirely unfounded and Islamic Relief will be making representations to the Israeli authorities refuting these claims," the organisation said in a statement.

Islamic Relief says its mission is to alleviate the suffering of the world's poorest people, and currently runs projects in Afghanistan, China, Sudan and Iraq, among others.

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I like maps (although some of my nearest and dearest swear I cannot for the life of me read one) so was very interested when my colleague came across a few of earthquake striken Yogyakarta. These ones, by UNOSAT, a cool United Nations programme that provides detailed maps for use mainly in humanitarian relief operations, are before and after pictures, this one is a preliminary damage assessment of the area, and this one, shows Mt. Merapi, in so-called shaded relief with surrounding roads, railways, airports and such.

Lots more useful information to play with here ...

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The following issue deserves so much more than I'm able to devote right now - the Guardian newspaper's middle page, which has recently been devoted to striking pictures and graphics, today featured the Yangtze river (the snazzy graphics are only in the print edition, unfortunately). China's biggest river is reportedly dying from pollution. It supports 400 million people and its eastern delta houses major Chinese cities that are the country's economic motors, the story says.

One scientist quoted says that 70 percent of the river could be unusable within five years unless toxic discharges were curbed. Add to this sobering news the fact that the region is in its seventh consecutive year of drought. Here's an interesting piece in China Daily on the drought's impact in Guangdong province. Last year, it says, 1 million people in the southern province did not have enough drinking water.

F. Brinley Bruton
AlertNet Journalist