Palestinian Flag Flies at UN Agency

Amidst a sudden downpour of rain here, the Palestinian flag was raised at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) on Tuesday, marking Palestine’s admission to the specialised agency.

DEVELOPMENT: In Crisis, The Rich Get Richer

Mansions on one side of the road, and slums on the other. People queuing for food rations, while others drive by in shiny Land Rovers with tinted windows.

ENVIRONMENT: Seeing the Trees In The Year Of Forests

When firefighters arrived to put out a blaze that was engulfing the home of Elise Inversin on the French island of Corsica, the 66-year-old grandmother told firemen to forget about her house and save a neighbouring 900-year-old Mastic tree. The house could be rebuilt, she said.

The Screen Speaks for Suu Kyi

Twenty years after winning the Nobel Peace Prize, and a year after being released from house arrest, Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is the subject of a sweeping film that may increase international pressure on Burma’s ruling regime to speed up tentative reforms.

DEVELOPMENT: New Aid Model Expected at Busan

A new model of making development assistance more successful is expected to emerge at the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness (HLF-4), to be held Nov. 29 - Dec. 1 in Busan, Korea.

Media Called to Arms in Green Battle

In a "call to arms" in this northern Italian town, environmentalists are urging the international media to help disseminate ideas and solutions that could reduce carbon emissions, stop land-grabbing by wealthy countries and stem the tide of environmental refugees.

Young Gather to Show Their Power

With young people spearheading the revolutionary movements in the Middle East and other regions, the seventh Youth Forum taking place here this week has particular relevance, participants say.

G20 Steps to Boost Economy Welcomed Cautiously

Responding to pressure from civil society and members within their own ranks, the Group of 20 industrialised and emerging countries on Saturday said they were committed to reforming the financial sector and were examining innovative methods to fund development.

Non-Traditional Teaching Promoted for Girls

Making some simple, basic changes in education policy can result in many more girls attending school, experts said at a meeting here this week on Gender Equality in Education.

DEVELOPMENT: France Steps Up Support for Financial Transaction Tax

If governments could find trillions of dollars to support banks and the global financial system in 2009, why can't they raise enough money to help eradicate extreme poverty? This is the question that supporters of a financial transaction tax (FTT) are asking in France, as lawmakers debate introducing such a levy to help fund development at home and abroad.

Aiming a Kick at Homelessness

Loud bursts of cheering startled the throngs of tourists posing for pictures in front of the Eiffel Tower here last weekend.

Moussa Seeks to Calm Arab Countries ‘Privately’

Leaving his position as secretary-general of the Arab League, Amr Moussa is now a "private citizen" as he prepares to contest the Egyptian presidential election. And as a private citizen there is little he can do officially to fight government crackdown on citizens across parts of the Arab world, he tells IPS in an interview.

Cautious Push Ahead for Nuclear Energy

Seeking to calm public opinion about the dangers of nuclear energy, government ministers and other representatives from 33 countries have agreed to carry out safety audits and "stress tests" on nuclear plants.

Africa Looks To a Green Future

As G20 ministers met here Tuesday to discuss nuclear safety, another meeting has been taking place 6,000km away - to examine green business growth.

G8 Leaders Make Grand but Unconvincing Declaration

As leaders of the Group of Eight ended their two-day summit in this seaside town Friday, non-governmental organisations said the meeting had resulted in few concrete commitments.

Push for Girls’ Education Ahead of G8

Amid a flurry of meetings in Europe, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will help to launch a "global partnership for girls' and women's education" here Thursday at the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

Sub-Saharan School Enrolment Shoots Up, But Challenges Remain

Investment in education by sub-Saharan African countries is paying dividends, with more children than ever before now attending school, according to a new report by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Parliamentarians Ask G8 to Focus on Women

Ahead of this month's G8 summit in France, parliamentarians from 35 countries have issued a strong call for leaders of the world's major economies to focus on the role of women and girls in development.

Oil Giants Need To Think Beyond Profits

The uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa have shaken the petroleum industry, triggering oil price hikes and forcing the sector to go on the defensive. But critics say the industry carries some of the blame for the current crisis.

Combating Poverty With ‘Poor Economics’

French economist Esther Duflo thinks poverty can be alleviated or even eradicated with the right policies. All it takes is for politicians to "translate research into action," implementing programmes that have been shown to work.

WOMEN’S DAY: Comic Strip Tells a Serious Story

Violence against women is not a subject that one would normally associate with comic strip books, but a French publisher thought this would be a "perfect" medium for raising awareness among both young and old.