DEVELOPMENT-MEXICO: Countryside Trapped in Poverty

Farming is a treasure trove for just a handful of the 20 million people who live in rural Mexico - and a condemnation to poverty for the vast majority of the rest. An average of 600 Mexicans abandon the countryside each day.

HEALTH-MALAWI: Drug Theft Poses Threat to Battle Against TB

Malawi joined other countries Wednesday in commemorating World TB Day - this to draw attention to a disease that claimed two million lives last year, according to the World Health Organisation. However, the efforts of Malawian officials to curb tuberculosis are being dogged by the theft of TB drugs from state hospitals.

POLITICS-SOUTH AFRICA: A Polarised, Muddy Election Campaign

As the date of South Africa's general election grows closer, the gloves are coming off in campaigning amongst political parties - even though the outcome of the poll is expected to hold few surprises.

ENVIRONMENT-VIETNAM: Measures Sought to Shield Rare Species

Environmentalists have urged the government to ramp up efforts to protect rare and endangered animals, warning that failure to do so could result in extinction for some species within a decade.

POLITICS-EU: Terrorism to Dominate Summit

European leaders are hoping to forge new agreements at this week's crucial European Union spring summit.

RIGHTS-BURMA: Refugees’ Return Won’t be a Warm Welcome

The Burmese military government's notorious record when it comes to returning refugees is due to come under scrutiny again, following hints of another possible repatriation from Thailand.

POLITICS-EU: Terrorism to Dominate Summit

European leaders are hoping to forge new agreements at this week's crucial European Union spring summit.

AUSTRALIA-EAST TIMOR: Critics Hit ‘Unjust’ Sharing of Oil Revenues

East Timor's government, Australian political leaders and community groups are condemning the Australian government for what has been described as an attempt to steal billions of dollars of revenues from oil and gas projects in the sea between the two countries.

VENEZUELA: 150 Years After Abolishment of Slavery, Racism Persists

Racism continues to exist in Venezuela in different guises 150 years after slavery was abolished, according to the Network of Afro-Venezuelan Organisations, which wants the cultural contributions of black people to be recognised by the constitution.

/UPDATE*/POLITICS: U.S. Blocks U.N. Rebuke of Israel for Assassination

The United States used its political muscle Tuesday to thwart an unequivocal condemnation of Israel for the targeted assassination of a wheel-chair bound Palestinian described as the spiritual leader of the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas.

MIDEAST: U.S. Blocks U.N. Rebuke of Israel for Assassination

The United States used its political muscle Tuesday to thwart an unequivocal condemnation of Israel for the targeted assassination of a wheel-chair bound Palestinian described as the spiritual leader of the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas.

LABOUR-BRAZIL: Strikes Aggravate Economic Policy Frictions

Long queues of passengers formed Tuesday at Brazil's airports as the federal police renewed their protests for higher wages, while the port of Paranaguá saw its fifth day of work stoppage and other strikes erupted elsewhere in the country, aggravating existing political and economic tensions.

RIGHTS-BURKINA FASO: Helping Girls to Keep Marriage Under Wraps

It is an article of faith in development circles that assisting girls to complete their education – and postponing the age at which they have children – benefits both the girls and the communities they live in.

POLITICS: U.S. Blocks U.N. Rebuke of Israel for Assassination

The United States used its political muscle Tuesday to thwart an unequivocal condemnation of Israel for the targeted assassination of a wheel-chair bound Palestinian described as the spiritual leader of the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas.

DEVELOPMENT: Activists Prod World Bank on Canadian Corruption Case

Watchdog groups are urging the World Bank to conclude an internal investigation on debarring Acres International, a major Canadian construction company, after a court in the African kingdom of Lesotho found the firm guilty of bribery and corruption.

ARGENTINA: Local Creditors to Test Voice in Talks on Defaulted Debt

The Argentines who hold a share of their country's public debt are a far cry from the so-called "vulture funds", which target foundering economies in order to purchase debt titles cheap, staking their bets on profits from quick trades or ultimately suing the state for full repayment.

CUBA-US: Knocking Down ‘People-to-People’ Bridges

The United States seems to have opted for open confrontation with Cuba on all fronts, even to the detriment of the ''people-to-people'' contacts allowed by U.S. law and promoted since the 1990s.

SUSTAINABILITY: ‘Conspiracy’ Looms Over South American Aquifer – NGOs

The placid waters of the Guaraní Aquifer, an enormous underground reservoir beneath 1.2 million square km of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, are at the centre of turbulent debate.

RIGHTS: Civic Groups Want a Bigger Voice in SADC

Delegates to the biennial conference of the World Alliance for Citizen Participation (CIVICUS) have called on the Southern African Development Community to become more responsive to the concerns of civil society.

ENVIRONMENT: EU Urged to Reject GM Rice

Leading environmental groups are urging the EU to reject a new strain of genetically modified rice.

HEALTH-MEXICO: Social Security System in Coma

Ana Trasviña, 26, died last year as a result of medical negligence and a shortage of medicines in a hospital run by Mexico's Social Security Institute (IMSS).