The Overview: 11.02.08

Asia: Burma's military junta plans a constitutional referendum in May and democratic elections in 2010 -- doubts have emerged almost immediately about the legitimacy of both. Rebels wounded East Timor's president in an attack at his home. Japan considers a moratorium on the death penalty (for people, not for whales). Lawyers, writers and academics rally to prevent an exiled Bangladeshi writer from being expelled from India.

Africa: The UN envoy visits Kenya's violence-ravaged regions and talks between the two sides of the post-election political impasse may be on the verge of a breakthrough. Attacks in Darfur continue -- and it's literally years after the genocide there made the news -- with thousands of new refugees fleeing to Chad. Critics worry that South African President Thabo Mbeki is legitimizing Zimbabwe's elections before they happen.

North America: Barack Obama wins the latest round of primaries, prompting pundits to crunch various numbers in order to make (probably utterly random) predictions about whether he or Hillary Clinton has the momentum to win the Democratic nomination.

Australia: The first order of parliament when it returns to session this week will be an apology to the Stolen Generation, indigenous Australians forcibly taken from their families, which the PM calls a "blight on the nation's soul".