THE recent locust attack has made India and Pakistan suspend their rivalry and launch a large-scale joint operation along their border between Punjab and Sindh. "This is a common problem. We'll have to face it together close to border areas," said Zahid Saeed, Pakistan's acting foreign secretary. The country's cotton and sugarcane crops are threatened by the tiny invaders.

Some senior officials say military commanders have also been in touch with each other, to avoid firing on pesticide-spraying aircraft.