THERE IS WAR today, right across Africa's desert regions, from the Western Sahara on the Atlantic to Somalia on the Indian Ocean. It is as if some subterranean fault was causing the continent to crack along its political seams. The wars in Western Sahara, where a liberation struggle is being fought against the Mauritian and Moroccan Governments, and in Chad, represent the resistance of nomads to political settlements which they resent. The wars there are being fought at a fairly primitive level. What is going on in Ethiopia is quite different.

Jeremy Bugler examines the implications of the Irish decision to join the world's exclusive nuclear club.

THE FORD CAPRI has always attracted buyers with an unusual sense of priorities about what they want in a motor car - namely, appearance. According to market research carried out by Ford of Europe,styling is the key to maintaining the Capri's astonishing sales of 103m since the first model was introduced in Europe in 1969.

THE IRISH Motor Show is a lavish carfest which proves annually what everybody already knows: automobiles are fascinating. Like a sumpptuous banquet spread tantalisingly beyond Mr Everyman's reach, the machines stand in exotic, expensive rows, many of them unattainnable.

THE WORST budget performance in years was given by Fine Gael's new spokesman on Finance, Peter Barty. His reply to George Colley's statement was embarrassing as cliche rolled after platitude in monotonous succession.

CHARLES HAUGHEY is rivalled only by Jack Lynch in evasiveness and managing to give the impression of saying one thing while actually saying another. Note how he has never actually said he supports Jack Lynch as leader of Fianna Fail or that he supports the Lynch line on the North as stated in the Tralee speech of September '69 or the US speech of November '70.

THE DROPPING of the 'shopping basket' feature from RTE's "Gay Byrne Hour", highlights the diffiiculty of putting almost any kind of consumer informaation over the airwaves, except advertisements. By Dermot Kelly

Kevin Myers reports on the finances of the Peace People. By Kevin Myers

The Provisionals have graduated from the Thompson sub, to a gun that shoots down helicopters. By Kevin Myers

BBC's program 'An Irish link with Terrorist International', the Coalisland Conference and Bruce Arnold's Novel