Jacques van der Watt's highly conceptual brand, which values the form and functionality of clothing over the frivolity of trends, has for over a decade helped forge a contemporary identity for South African fashion.

CNN: Why African designers are finally in the fashion spotlight

Equally uncertain, they say, is whether the Lebanese government has the power or the will to forge a consensus once the fighter is over.

NPR: Lebanon's Government Hobbled by Political Structure

Plenty of skepticism remains over whether lawmakers will be able to forge an agreement, though there is some hope that the clouds could lift after Election Day.

FORBES: Treasury To Hit Borrowing Limit By Year-End As Fiscal Cliff Endgame Draws Closer

Their relationship ended during a dispute over the terms of a deal to forge a single business out of Xstrata and Glencore, with Glasenberg annoyed that Davis joined a push for more generous terms, a demand which was met but which also turned a so-called merger of equals into a hostile takeover and the break-up of the team.

FORBES: Mick Davis Follows Buffett's Advice By Investing In Mining When Others Are Fearful

Iraqi leaders bristle at Kurdish efforts to forge an independent foreign policy, and the two sides disagree over control of disputed areas along their shared internal border.

NPR: 10 Years After US Invasion, Kurds Look To The West

Inexperienced liberal parties still have a chance to regain some ground in later rounds, particularly if they forge alliances: Egypt's convoluted election rules actually favour mid-sized parties over the smallest and biggest.

ECONOMIST: Egypt��s election

The coalition-builders have about two weeks to forge alliances and senior cardinals who may themselves have little chance of becoming pope can still exert a considerable influence over the others.

BBC: Conclave: How cardinals elect a Pope