ECONOMY: Malawians Keen to Build Trade Ties with India

Building on historical relationships, Malawians have set their sights on strengthening trade and investment relations with India in sectors as diverse as agriculture, telecommunications and pharmaceuticals.

Calls Mount to Push U.S. Troop Presence in Iraq Past 2011

Amid high-level U.S. congressional delegations to evaluate developments in Iraq, a growing number of voices here, from both the Barack Obama administration and members of Congress, are concerned about a complete withdrawal of U.S. forces from the country by December 2011 – a deadline set forth in the supposedly inviolable Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) between the U.S. and Iraqi governments back in 2008.

Pakistan PM Ducks the Osama Question

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani defended Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) amid scathing criticism from the world community that the spy agency had aided and abetted Osama bin Laden, who was hunted down and killed by U.S. forces in Pakistan May 1.

DEVELOPMENT: Investment, Not Charity for LDCs

Least Developed Countries do not need charity; they want more and smarter investments. This is the point of departure for the Fourth U.N. Conference for the world’s poor countries (LDC-IV) begins in Istanbul, Turkey.

MIDEAST: The Indigenous Become Squatters

As plans to demolish a Palestinian Bedouin village to make way for a new, Jewish-only town move forward in Israel’s Negev desert, the Bedouin residents have submitted a motion for the right to appeal to the Israeli Supreme Court.

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Rescuing the Remains of the Caparo Forest

The University of the Andes in Venezuela is calling for urgent action to salvage the remains of the Caparo Forest, located in the southwestern lowlands and fed by tributaries of the Orinoco River, which has suffered from uncontrolled logging since the late 20th century.

Ecobreves – CUBA: Eco-Materials Help Improve Housing Conditions

Thanks to dozens of workshops now producing eco-friendly building materials in Cuba, the housing and living conditions of 3,383 families have been improved in the last year alone, according to academic sources.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Authorities Crack Down on Illegal Activities in Amazon

An operation carried out by the Brazilian national environmental authority, IBAMA, in the Amazon region has led to the seizure of 19,000 hectares of illegally deforested land and the confiscation of 5,400 head of cattle and close to 51 million dollars.

Pakistan in Deep Turmoil

Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani faces the nation Monday, amid opposition demands for the resignation of the country’s top political and military leaders in the wake of the secret U.S. operation that killed Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden on Pakistani soil.

INDIA: Smuggling Everything From Cough Syrup to Sex

Sakina Bibi is a sex worker in the red light area of Kalabagan in Murshidabad, a border district in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal where everything from cattle to electronic goods, from rice and sugar to cough syrup, and women, are being smuggled.

Somali Women Entrepreneurs Carve a Niche in Boston

Deeqo Jibril is always on the go. Whether she is tending to her four children or teaching breast cancer awareness classes to women in her community, the Somali-born community organiser is always up for a new challenge.

PAKISTAN: Tourists Flee Osama Shadow

This is the time of year when picturesque Chitral Valley in the northwestern corner of Pakistan sees a huge influx of tourists. But local residents fear a backlash from the events in Abbottabad, some 300 miles southeast, as authorities put up an extraordinary security cordon throughout this tourist haven.

Afghans Rejoice Over Osama Death

The assassination of Al-Qaeda founder and chief Osama bin Laden by U.S. forces has gladdened Afghans, who see him as the person who consigned millions of them to hell.

PAKISTAN: Osama Killing Largely Unmourned

Three days since the death of Al-Qaeda chief and U.S. public enemy No. 1 Osama bin Laden, there are no public demonstrations to protest his killing, nor are there any other displays of anger or grief in this country of 170 million where he once enjoyed tremendous support.

EU-PAKISTAN: Bin Laden’s Death May Sour Relations

In a surprise address late Sunday night, U.S. President Barack Obama declared Osama bin Laden - leader of the terrorist organisation al-Qaeda and the world’s most wanted fugitive - dead. According to Obama, bin Laden was captured and shot in Pakistan’s Abbottabad city, just north of Islamabad. Within minutes of the announcement, leaders across the globe began to issue statements expressing their views on bin Laden’s death.

PAKISTAN: Quiet Town in Deep Shock

The killing of Osama bin Laden in the garrison city Abbottabad in Pakistan has sent shockwaves among its citizens.The city of 600,000 seemed grief-stricken. Most people avoid media persons, who have arrived here in droves in this most peaceful place in the violence-wracked Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Osama Death May Splinter Militants Further

The killing of Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden in an operation by the U.S. forces has dealt a serious blow to the beleaguered Tehreek Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Israel Gathers Support from ‘Best Enemy’

First Egypt, then Syria, finally the Palestinians – while most Israelis concur with their Prime Minister that the revolutions, upheavals and shifting alliances closing in on their country have postponed peace prospects, remarkably, the evolving events convulsing the region may yet restore their country's battered legitimacy.

‘Good News’ on Holocaust Anniversary

Israelis woke up in the morning of Holocaust Remembrance Day, switched on their radio, and heard unexpected "good news".

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Europe Offers Assistance to Protect Forests

The European Union has donated close to 31 million dollars to Honduras to strengthen the national institutions responsible for the preservation and management of forests, which have been hit by an upsurge in forest fires this year.

Ecobreves – MEXICO: Forest Management Demanded to Prevent Fires

A non-governmental organisation is urging the Mexican government to promote sustainable forest management as a means of preventing serious forest fires.