Armed Conflicts

And How Muslims Hold the Key to Christ

By Pierre Klochendler
“A prayer knocks till the door opens,” a songster from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre sings from outside the door.
A makeshift girls

Pouring Edible Oil on Pakistan’s Troubled Areas

By Ashfaq Yusufzai
PESHAWAR,  Jul 28 2012 (IPS) -Taking turns to lug a heavy can of edible oil, Mushtari and Sheema Gul, twin sisters aged nine, trip home happily from their school in Ghareebabad village in Pakistan’s troubled Bajaur Agency.

Schoolgirls Beat Taliban

By Ashfaq Yusufzai
Far from fears that female education is on the decline after the Taliban campaign against girls’ schools, female students outclassed their male counterparts in the secondary school examination for 2012.

Hezbollah Losing its Grip

By Mona Alami
Since its inception, Hezbollah’s clout within its community has been solid. However, in recent weeks, the Party of God has been facing increasing difficulties controlling its support base and stymieing discontent. These developments have led analysts to question whether or not Hezbollah is losing its grip on its followers.

Military Service Leaves Culture of War Behind in Guatemala

By Danilo Valladares
“I feel proud to be a part of this change. Malnutrition cannot be wiped out in just two or three years, but this is the beginning and I want to be a part of it,” says Isabela Tzoc, a civic service volunteer involved in a youth programme aimed at fighting extreme poverty in Guatemala.

Orange Shadow Over Olympics

By Helen Clark
Agent Orange (AO), often called the ‘last legacy’ of the United States war in Vietnam (1955-1975), has popped up again thanks to its manufacturer Dow Chemical’s controversial sponsorship of the Olympic Games.

When a Moral Duty to Halt Atrocities Runs into Realpolitik

By Ethan Freedman
Against the backdrop of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, a panel of United States government officials and experts called for stronger methods to prevent modern-day genocides and mass atrocities, particularly in the case of Syria.

Arms Trade Treaty Called a “Leaky Bucket”

By Coralie Tripier
As heated negotiations on a global Arms Trade Treaty near their close Friday at United Nations headquarters in New York, members of civil society as well as some U.N. member states are highly disappointed by what they call the draft text's numerous loopholes.

Security Gaps Fuel Cote d’Ivoire Prison Escapes

By Robbie Corey-Boulet
Eliane Negui knew just what to do when she got word that a group of inmates had escaped from Abidjan’s main prison, MACA, earlier this month. After all, the 24-year-old, who has lived across a dirt road from the facility for nine years, had witnessed the same scenario just two months before. 

Syria Bolsters Troops in Battle for Aleppo

By AJ Correspondents
Activists say thousands of troops have been sent to Syria's second city, Aleppo, as clashes were reported in the city for the sixth consecutive day.

Record Aid Shortfall Abandons Millions to Their Fate

By Kim-Jenna Jurriaans
Global funding for humanitarian aid interventions saw the biggest shortfalls in 10 years in 2011, according to a new report, raising questions about the international community’s ability to meet a 20-percent greater need for 2012 driven by drought and conflict.

A Divided Security Council Leads Syria into U.N. Dead End

By Thalif Deen
Just before the Western-inspired resolution against Syria was vetoed in the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) last week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was quoted as saying the United Nations was trying to support a revolutionary movement inside the country - which happens to have strong political, economic and military links to Moscow.

Obama Pressed on Syrian End-Game

By Jim Lobe
With the Bashar Al-Assad regime badly bloodied by last week's assassination of its top security officials and fierce fighting over the weekend in both Damascus and Aleppo, the administration of President Barack Obama is being pressed on the U.S. role in the presumed end-game.

Child Rape on the Rise in Sri Lanka

By Feizal Samath
A spate of child rape cases in Sri Lanka has angered child rights activists and moved the government to consider tightening the relevant laws and making the offence punishable with the death sentence.

From Arms to Alms

By Ashfaq Yusufzai
Most families of Taliban men killed in fighting against the army in Pakistan or in Afghanistan have been reduced to living in abject poverty.

New Satellite Evidence Suggests Sudanese Atrocities

By Carey L. Biron
An NGO here unveiled new satellite evidence on Friday that would seem to suggest the torching of a village in southern Sudan by state soldiers.

Israel Walls Itself In

By Jillian Kestler-D'Amours
As Israel continues to build walls and fences along virtually each of its borders, analysts say the country’s isolationist policies and unwillingness to deal with the Palestinians and other Arab neighbours through anything other than forceful means spells disaster.

Officials Decry “Appalling Gaps” in Global Data on Women

By Carey L. Biron
The World Bank and U.S. government on Thursday each announced major new initiatives aimed at expanding knowledge on the experience of women around the world, while acknowledging that much remains to be done on filling the global “data gap” on women.

Syria Escapes Threatened Sanctions by Third Double Veto at U.N.

By Thalif Deen
Syria became the first country in the history of the United Nations to be "protected" for an unprecedented third time by double vetoes cast by Russia and China in the Security Council.

Investigation Exposes Arms Trafficking Network in Mauritius

By Carlota Cortes
An investigation by the Conflict Awareness Project has exposed an active arms trading network of associates of former trafficker Viktor Bout that involves companies from the United States, South Africa and the United Kingdom, among other countries.

Families of U.S. Victims of Drone Attacks Sue Top Officials

By Jim Lobe
Family members of three U.S. citizens killed last year in drone strikes in Yemen filed a lawsuit here Wednesday accusing U.S. intelligence and military officials of violating the victims' rights under the U.S. constitution and international law.
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