Building Angolan-Brazilian Ties on Infrastructure

Brazil has turned to large infrastructure as a unique way to globally expand its economy and build up its political influence, with the added bonus of furthering the development of small nations. But this strategy is not without its risks.

U.S. Firms Stash Tens of Billions in Tax Havens, Govt Says

The research arm of the U.S. Congress is warning that U.S. corporations’ use of tax havens has risen substantially in recent years, with companies offering massively inflated profit reports from small countries with loose tax regulations.

Washington Urged to Stress Diplomacy in Mali

As Washington broadens its military “footprint” in the Sahel region of Africa, U.S. analysts are urging the administration of President Barack Obama to devote more effort to diplomacy, especially in Mali.

U.S. Marijuana Lobby Sets Sights on Full Legalisation

Since the U.S. states of Colorado and Washington fully legalised marijuana via ballot initiatives in the November 2012 elections, efforts to medicalise, decriminalise, or legalise marijuana at the state level are sprouting up like so many hemp stalks on a sunny day.

Brahimi Says Syria “Horror Unprecedented”

The Syrian conflict has reached "unprecedented levels of horror", Lakhdar Brahimi, the U.N.-Arab League envoy to Syria, has said in remarks that came just hours after dozens of people were found shot dead in Aleppo city in what is being called a "new massacre".

Reformists Ambivalent about Participation in Iranian Election

With the June 2013 presidential election drawing closer, Iran’s reformists are debating what they should do in the face of the severe restrictions to which their leaders and political parties have been subject since the popular protests that roiled the country after the last election four years ago.

The Bank Stops Here

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. Nonetheless, it is difficult to miss the irony in the following sentence from a news release, sent out by South Africa’s First National Bank on Jan. 17.

UNESCO-IHE Rector Predicts Water Cooperation, not Conflict

“Many are saying that water will be the principle cause of the next conflict,” said András Szöllösi-Nagy, Rector at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization – Institute for Water Education (UNESCO-IHE), at a press briefing at U.N. Headquarters in New York. “If you look at history, (that’s) not true,” he added.

Humanitarian Situation Worsens in Mali

“The humanitarian situation in Mali continues to deteriorate,” said Philippe Lazzarini, Deputy Director of the Coordination and Response Division for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OHCA) in a conference of member states at the U.N. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

Israel Votes for More of the Same – And Seeks Change

“He who believes doesn’t fear”…re-elected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hums a popular tune played with great intensity by his supporters. Indeed, faith is what Netanyahu badly needs right now as people showed just how little faith they have in him. “We’ll have coalition problems,” confides a Likud lawmaker.

Australian Boot to Asylum Seekers Challenged

Papua New Guinean opposition leader Belden Namah has launched legal proceedings against an Australian detention centre for asylum seekers in Manus province of this South Pacific island nation.

Q&A: Raising Tariffs “Common Sense” Not Protectionism

South Africa has denied that it is taking a protectionist stance to protect its own producers against foreign competition, but says it is justified in boosting tariffs where this is allowed under international trade agreements.

A Fifth of Global Investing Considered “Sustainable”, Industry Reports

Nearly 22 percent of professionally managed assets around the world can be considered sustainable or responsible, according to a finance industry assessment, the first comprehensive look at the subject.

Cuban Diplomacy Bypasses U.S. via CELAC

Cuban diplomacy will be working full blast this year, promoting its own approach to integration in line with the needs and goals of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), a regional body that excludes the United States, Cuba's leading ideological opponent.

Latin America and Caribbean Aim for “Unity in Diversity”

Openly conceding the differences in their ideological, economic and geopolitical views, leaders and high-level representatives of the 33 member countries of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) committed themselves to integration at their first ever summit.

Rio Maps Flood Risk to Avert Annual Disaster

Hoping to prevent the tragedies that have become an annual event every rainy season, authorities in the southeastern Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro plan to require that municipal governments include environmental risk mapping in their infrastructure projects, in order to prohibit construction in vulnerable areas.

OP-ED: Weird, and Getting Weirder

Weird is the only way to describe January temperatures whipsawing between record warm and arctic cold over a span of a few days. Experts say that is what climate change looks like: weird, record-shattering weather.

Debt Crises, a Damocles Sword

The issue of foreign debt has made a major comeback due to the crisis in Europe, in which many countries had to seek big bailouts to keep them from defaulting on their loan payments. Before this, debt crises have been associated with African and Latin American countries. In 1997-99, three East Asian countries also joined the indebted countries' club.

Tribal Farmers Fall Back on Ancient Wisdom

While tens of thousands of Indian farmers succumb to the pressures of debt, hunger and poverty by taking their own lives, members of the Bhumia tribe are simply falling back on a 3,000-year-old agricultural system to ensure a steady supply of healthy food.

Twelve Promising Steps Forward for Global Development in 2012

As the developing world is fervently renewing and accelerating its efforts to achieve the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015, and after a recent record-low in U.N. donor contributions for 2012, the U.N. Development Program (UNDP) on Monday recognised 12 stories of success.

Egypt Faces ‘Mubarak-Like’ Morsi

Concerns are mounting over Egypt’s future after the outbreaks of violence that marked the second anniversary of Egypt's January 25 Revolution. Massive anti-government rallies led to ongoing clashes between protesters and security forces that have left at least 40 people dead. Cities along Egypt's Suez Canal faced a government-declared state of emergency.