Anti-Castro Cuban Americans Fret Over Drilling Rig

With a giant deep-water oil rig steaming slowly toward the Gulf of Mexico and the waters just off Cuba, the administration of President Barack Obama is being pushed and pulled by different interests over what, if anything, to do about it.

Africa’s Free Trade Zone: A Pie in the Sky?

African heads of state have ambitious plans to create a free trade zone, encompassing 26 countries and more than 600 million people on the continent. But economic experts warn the project is a bold step that comes with a plethora of legal, administrative and political hurdles. Others suggest the plan might be a pie in the sky.

At G20 Summit, Civil Society Demands ‘People First, Not Finances’

While the 20 heads of state of the Group of 20 (G20) industrialised and emerging countries gather in southern France to deliberate on the future of the global economy – particularly the crises unfolding in the Eurozone – pockets of activists are amassing around the summit to make their voices heard.

Antigua Partners with EU for Emergency Docking Port

The scars on the pilings adjacent to the new Emergency Ferry Docking Facility here are still visible, graphic evidence of the devastation caused by Hurricane Luis when it hit Antigua and Barbuda in 1995.

INDIA: Massive Digital Divide in the Land of IT

In a remote Indian village in the Western state of Maharashtra, a fourth-grader named Suraj Balu Zore proudly told IPS that he can now effortlessly operate a laptop computer.

BALKANS: Who’s Afraid of Serbian Violins

The path of reconciliation in former Yugoslavia has taken a musical turn, as the philharmonic orchestras of Ljubljana, Zagreb and Belgrade team up for their first joint season since 1991.

Twenty Years After Madrid, Israel-Palestinian Peace Prospects Bleak

Veteran U.S. diplomats and scholars who have worked for decades on resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have grown increasingly pessimistic about the continued viability of the U.S.- sponsored "peace process" and the two-state solution that was presumed to be its goal.

BRAZIL: “Occupy” Movement Rolls to Rio

Inspired by the movement for real democracy and people's power that has spread to hundreds of cities around the world, young Brazilians in Rio de Janeiro have created their own version of "Occupy Wall Street", dubbed "Occupy Rio".

GHANA: No Pensions for Majority of Elderly Women

On the grubby edge of Old Fadama, Accra’s infamous illegal slum settlement, 67-year-old Mariana Sayitou sits under a parasol and tends to her livelihood – selling several dozen kola nuts and a few piles of bagged beans to passers-by.

Q&A: Cooperatives: “Meeting Human Need, Not Just Human Greed”

Different countries may celebrate Oct. 31 in a variety of ways, but this year, the 193 member states of the United Nations (U.N.) launched the International Year of Cooperatives 2012 to raise awareness about the impact of cooperatives on the development of communities where they operate.

SOUTH AFRICA: Saving Water, Money and Improving Livelihoods

For many months now, a hosepipe connected to a leaking cistern in Isaac Mooi's outside toilet daily pours an estimated 100 litres of wasted water into the aged sewer system of the Emfuleni Municipality, in Vanderbijlpark, south of Johannesburg.

U.S.: Occupy Oakland Shuts Downtown, Port Areas

The early morning sun bounced off of the 150 or so multicoloured tents that crowded into the re-populated Oscar Grant Plaza Wednesday, just one week and one day after police raided the Occupy Oakland camp and evicted its occupants using tear gas, batons and possibly rubber bullets.

Greek Government on Verge of Collapse

The government in Greece is on the verge of collapse as opposition to the Greek prime minister's proposed referendum on more eurozone bailout funds grows.

Mexico Hides Cadmium Under the Rug

Despite the threat cadmium poses to health and the environment, Mexico has no plan to reduce the use of the heavy metal in the production of toys and industrial products like batteries and fertiliser.

HOW BRAZIL DODGED THE ECONOMIC CRISIS WHILE SLASHING HUNGER

Guiding the transition from one cycle of development to another is among of the most daunting tasks in politics.

ENVIRONMENT-THAILAND: ‘Bangkok Ignored Warnings’

This sinking mega-city’s eight million people are paying the price of ignoring warnings over many years concerning its climate vulnerability and the incapacity of its soggy foundations to handle flooding.

Syrian Political Refugees Hounded in Lebanon

Syrian refugees fleeing the brutal crackdown on citizens calling for an end to President Bashar al-Assad’s regime have encountered a sinister reception in neighbouring Lebanon.

PAKISTAN: Pilgrims Pray for Deliverance From Taliban

Pakistani pilgrims travelling to Mecca for the current Haj season have one prayer on their lips – to be delivered from the terror that the Taliban have unleashed on their country.

Women Losing Ground in Economic, Political Equality

While gender equality ratios have improved in 85 percent of countries over the past six years, economic participation and political empowerment for women has failed to match the steady progress of health and education, says a new report by the World Economic Forum.

U.S. Concerned Over Uganda’s “Deteriorating” Human Rights

The U.S. State Department Wednesday released a statement criticising what it said was a "deteriorating" human rights situation in Uganda and the government's increasingly heavy- handed tactics to repress political opposition and silence dissent.

U.S. House Committee Okays Sweeping Sanctions on Iran

Amid growing tensions in the Middle East, including speculation about a possible Israeli attack on Iran, a key U.S. Congressional committee Wednesday approved two bills that would impose sweeping new economic and diplomatic sanctions against Tehran.