ENVIRONMENT: Rio Forum Gives Vision, But Few Results In Sight

The conference held here to commemmorate the 1992 Earth Summit was long on vision, but delegates worry that their proposals will not go anywhere.

ENVIRONMENT: Remove 700 Billion Dollars in Subsidies, Report Says

Government subsidies in everything from food and water to transport and energy contribute to environmental problems and should be removed, a new study conducted by the Dutch Institute for Research and Public Expenditure argues.

ENVIRONMENT: Momentum Builds for Successor to UNEP

United Nations officials are encouraged that momentum is building to tranform the troubled U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP) into a stronger, more credible organisation.

DEVELOPMENT: World Bank Makes Plea For Partnerships

World Bank President James Wolfensohn tried to convince a sceptical crowd on environment activists here Tuesday that his agency was now more open and self- critical.

ENVIRONMENT: North, South Still Talk Past Each Other

When delegates from the industrialised and developing worlds meet to discuss mutual concerns, they often talk past each other -- and the ongoing 'Rio Plus Five' Forum here is no exception.

ENVIRONMENT: People, Governments Differ on Ecology, Polls Say

The world's people increasingly see environmental risks as a major health problem requiring urgent action, while governments are confident they are now more equipped to manage their countries' natural resources, two new polls show.

ENVIRONMENT: Civil Movement Needed to Push U.N. Platforms

A broad movement of social groups must be formed to ensure that the promises made by governments on a range of issues since the 1992 Earth Summit here will be kept, according to veterans of several U.N. conferences.

INDONESIA: Planned Arms Sales Would Continue U.S. Tradition

Plans by U.S. President Bill Clinton's administration to sell at least nine F-16 fighter planes to Indonesia represent one of the largest arms sales to that country since its 1975 invasion of East Timor, a new report argues.

PALESTINE: U.S. Veto Blocks U.N. Criticism of Israeli Settlements

The U.S. veto Friday of a U.N. Security Council resolution asking Israel not to constuct new settlements in occupied Palestinian territory caused no suprise here and diplomats said it was just other sign of enduring U.S. support for Israel.

BURMA-U.S.: Momentum Builds for New York Selective Purchasing Laws

Burmese democracy activists are optimistic that New York City can join a growing number of U.S. municipalities in adopting laws that forbid companies investing in Burma from receiving city contracts.

NORTH KOREA: New York Talks Break Ice, But Achieve Little

All sides to the talks here between North Korea, South Korea and the United States agree: The most significant achievement was that the talks were held at all.

PALESTINE: U.N. Debate Shows Problems for U.S. ‘Broker’ Role

Palestinian Authority President Yasir Arafat's visit to the United States this week has shown both the progress and the limitations of the Palestinian nationhood movement in both Washington and the United Nations.

U.S.-HEALTH: AIDS Deaths Decline, But Groups Warn Crisis Remains

New statistics showing a sharp drop in the number of deaths from acquired immune deficiency syndrome have cheered AIDS patients, but health groups warn that many people, especially the poorest, still remain at risk.

U.S.-MEDIA: Dropping of Prisoner Broadcast Draws Cries of Censorship

The decision by a dozen Pennsylvania radio stations to drop a radio programme featuring the state's most famous prisoner has fuelled protests from some groups that media access into prisons is being increasingly censored.

EL SALVADOR: Ruling Party Steps Up Harassment, U.S. Observer Warns

Some U.S. groups and observers warn that a recent spate of violent attacks connected to El Salvador's ruling Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA) could herald an effort to scare voters and monitors off from next month's elections.

RWANDA-U.N.: Top War Crimes Tribunal Officials Resign

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan announced Wednesday that two of the three top officials in the U.N. War Crimes Tribunal for Rwanda are resigning, following a report blasting the tribunal for rampant mismanagement.

LITERATURE-USA: Mosley Broadens Horizon of ‘Easy’ Rawlins

It isn't often that a writer of "whodunnits" winds up addressing larger questions of history or race but Walter Mosley has graduated from being an author of mystery stories, to an incisve observer of life for African Americans.

POPULATION: Maternal Mortality Meet Set For Morocco

Doctors from around the world are to meet in Morocco next month to debate ways to combat maternal deaths during childbirth.

UNITED STATES: South Asian Cab Drivers Complain of Harassment

For thousands of South Asians in New York City, driving a taxi is the route to a good, steady job, but for many it is also a ticket to harassment.

HUMAN RIGHTS: Supporters of Criminal Court Focus on Internal Crimes

As nations push ahead toward the creation of an international court to try a wide range of war crimes, one question has come to dominate discussion: How will the court treat conflicts within states?

MUSIC-USA: Prince Finds Freedom as a Nameless Symbol

Pop stars of today have been involved in some strange marriages: Just look at Michael Jackson's two impromptu weddings. But Prince, who three years ago took an unpronounceable symbol for his name, topped the cake at his wedding one year ago this month when his bride, Mayte Garcia, had to point to his symbol when she addressed him during their wedding vows.