ECONOMY-U.S.: Job Numbers Hide Insecurity

Jobs are everywhere in U.S. discourse these days, but not where they are most needed - attached to workers.

SUSTAINABILITY: Water ‘Scarcity’ Can be Fixed – Report

Despite a worldwide rise in consumption, there would still be adequate water on planet Earth for everyone if waste was ended, says a new report by an independent research group.

HUMAN RIGHTS: U.S. Blocks Protocol for ‘Neglected’ Rights

Economic, social and cultural rights are the pariahs of international human rights legislation and will continue to be relegated to the second order, mostly due to U.S. obstructionism, say activists.

VENEZUELA: Int’l Community Alarmed by Human Rights Situation

International human rights organisations expressed alarm over the recent events in Venezuela, where 10 people have been killed and dozens injured at the hands of police and the National Guard during the past week of protests.

/CORRECTION*/ DEVELOPMENT-KENYA: Strategy for Fighting Drugs Described as Fragmented

An anti-drug organisation in Kenya has called for improved cooperation between law enforcement officials to combat the drug trade in the East African country.

INT’L WOMEN’S DAY: ‘War on Terror’ Brings No Relief

It was about five in the morning when Nahla al-Arian woke to thunderous pounding on her front door.

POLITICS: India, Brazil, South Africa Ready to Lead Global South

India, Brazil and South Africa, representing three major democracies in three different corners of the globe, emerged confident in leading South-South cooperation at a two-day meeting of their foreign ministers that ended in New Delhi on Friday.

TRADE-EU: Sugar Reforms Turning Bitter

A group of developing countries is asking the EU to increase limits on duty-free sugar imports over the next ten years.

POLITICS: India, Brazil, South Africa Ready to Lead Global South

India, Brazil and South Africa, representing three major democracies in three different corners of the globe, emerged confident in leading South-South cooperation at a two-day meeting of their foreign ministers that ended here Friday.

CORRUPTION-BRAZIL: Campaign Treasurers Play High Risk Game in Politics

The ideal is for campaign treasurers to stay in the shadows. If their names appear in the headlines, it's usually a sign that disaster has struck, because they have become the most frequent catalyst of political scandals in Brazil.

THAILAND: Protests Persist over Privatisation of Power Utility

A continuing wave of protests against the privatisation of Thailand's state-run power utility is a formidable test of the government's policy to sell some major state enterprises to private investors.

RIGHTS: Think of the Arabs Within Israel

While world attention is focused on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a crisis is brewing among Israel's own Arab citizens.

ECONOMY-NIGERIA: The Oil Leaks That Yield Vast Profits – and Tragedy

It happens at night, under cover of darkness. Thieves move into the mangrove swamps and creeks of Nigeria's southern Niger Delta region, homing in on the oil pipelines that criss-cross the area.

ENVIRONMENT-ICELAND: Dam Rises Over Protests

The Jokulsa-in-Dal is no more the river it used to be. Its waters have been diverted to make way for construction of a dam.

RIGHTS-RUSSIA: Putin Regime ‘Crushing Democracy’

Human rights are under increasing attack in Russia, civil society activists warned Thursday.

POLITICS-PAKISTAN: String of Visits Reflects Concern on Nukes

The way foreign ministers and their deputies are descending on the Pakistani capital in some ways resembles the simultaneous trips by western officials to Iran in past months - visits that led to Iran's allowing visits by international nuclear inspectors.

POLITICS-PAKISTAN: String of Visits Reflects Concern on Nukes

The way foreign ministers and their deputies are descending on the Pakistani capital in some ways resembles the simultaneous trips by western officials to Iran in past months - visits that led to Iran's allowing visits by international nuclear inspectors.

SOCIETY-VIETNAM: Sex Case Highlights Scandals Involving Officials

Accusations that a senior government official had sex with a young girl have not only created an uproar, but have also allowed room to discuss and debate the sensitive issue as well as scandals involving high officials.

FINANCE: IMF Chief Resigns, Democracy Deficit Lingers

International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Horst Koehler resigned Thursday following his nomination for the German presidency, and groups monitoring the institution say his exit is a chance to highlight the lack of democracy at one of the world's most influential financial bodies.

POLITICS-U.S.: Democrats Keen as Fight for Presidency Begins

Almost exactly eight months before the Nov. 2, 2004 elections, Democrats across the United States are unusually optimistic they will evict Republican President George W. Bush and retake the White House in January 2005.

ENERGY-BOLIVIA: New Tax Has Oil Companies Uneasy

U.S. and European oil investments in Bolivia hang in the balance as President Carlos Mesa prepares to ask Congress to approve a law that aims to mitigate the demands for nationalisation of the petroleum fields conceded to the transnationals by former president Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada.