After taking a slight pause in recession-spooked 2009, arms-transfer agreements with the developing world should resume their years-long rise in 2010.

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Robert Menendez, the Democratic Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said options included "an internationally recognised no-fly zone, providing lethal assistance to vetted opposition forces, and sanctioning the transfer of arms to the regime".

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But if passed, they believe it will put pressure on countries involved in the export or transfer of arms to scrutinise more rigorously both the potential use of weapons and what the consequences of their use might be, such as breaches of human rights.

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The draft treaty does not control the domestic use of weapons in any country, but it would require all countries to establish national regulations to control the transfer of conventional arms, parts and components and to regulate arms brokers.

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Southern Metropolis Daily reports that the newly-established National Railway Bureau will keep 130 former railways ministry staff and transfer hundreds of other staff to its commercial arms or local branches by June.

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Far from the farmer bearing the heartache of a colt dying in his arms or poor weather wiping out a crop, he has somehow managed to transfer the risk to you.

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As a first step, which would underpin any political process, rather than encouraging the transfer of more weapons to Syria, governments could use their influence to secure a halt to international arms transfers from all governments to any warring party in Syria.

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