Manufacturing in Africa Can be Profitable – And Developmental

Investing in adding value to raw materials is crucial for the development of the African continent.

LIBYA: Broad German Consensus Against a ‘Risky War’

The decision by the German government not to support the U.N. Security Council resolution adopted last Thursday to establish a "no-fly zone" in Libyan airspace expresses a widespread concern in Germany against military interventions abroad.

Forced Closure of HRW Worries Uzbek Rights Groups

Western powers must prove that their support for human rights is "on the right side of history" following the forced closure of the only independent international rights group in Uzbekistan, a country ruled by a repressive regime since 1991, rights defenders say.

Japan’s Nuclear Nightmare Triggers Fears in France

Until the nuclear crisis started unfolding in Japan last week, most French citizens did not doubt that the country's 58 nuclear reactors were safe enough to continue operating for scores of years to come.

Baltic States Faulted for Discriminating Against Minorities

A large ethnic Russian minority population in Latvia and Estonia, which joined the European Union (EU) along with Lithuania in 2004, has repeatedly complained of discrimination and denial of political and social rights by the three Baltic governments.

Cooperation Strategic To Protect Tigris and Euphrates

On a dusty street in the north-eastern Iraqi city of Sulaimaniya one recent day, an elderly man sold heaps of tomatoes, fruits and other fresh produce from a makeshift trolley.

Japan Atomic Woes Trigger Policy Review in Germany

The unfolding nuclear catastrophe in Japan, triggered by last Friday's massive earthquake and tsunami, followed by a chain of explosions in atomic power plants, has forced the German government to rethink its own nuclear energy policy.

Caribbean Tourism Officials Seek Concessions from Europe

Caribbean officials gathered in Brussels for the region's annual tourism summit, the first to be held in Europe, are urging their biggest development partner to draft policies supporting the lifeblood sector and ease restrictions such as Britain's Air Passenger Duty (APD), which they say are holding back its growth.

ITALY: Migrants Settle Into Permanent Struggle

The momentous political events in North Africa have been accompanied by increasingly apocalyptic warnings from the Italian government of a mass influx of unwanted immigration from Tunisia and Libya.

HEALTH: Market Interests Fight Iodised Salt

Russia and the Ukraine have been warned they are lagging behind the rest of the former Soviet bloc in introducing a simple and inexpensive public health measure that has curbed the incidence of mental disabilities among children across the region.

BOOKS: Expose Questions EU’s Role as “Honest Broker” in Mideast

Sixty-five years ago, six million Jews perished in concentration camps across Nazi Germany, while the rest of Europe watched silently. Today, says political journalist David Cronin, the world is again witnessing what he calls Europe's "blood-soaked foreign policy" in the Middle East, where billions of Euros are enabling Israel's illegal and inhumane occupation of Palestine.

Tanzania Biofuel Project’s Barren Promise

An ambitious project to produce clean energy for the Netherlands and Belgium has degenerated into a controversial abuse of natural resources in Africa.

Q&A: Subtle Racism and Unemployment “Push Gypsies into Marginalisation”

Bruno Gonçalves wears many hats: he is municipal mediator in this city in central Portugal, a leader of the NGO SOS-Racismo, author of a book on integration in schools, and a human rights activist -- but, he stresses, "I never stop being a gypsy."

EUROPE: Greek Tragedy, Act II

Fears are growing that in the coming months Greece will face increasing difficulty in responding to its debt obligations, despite the ambitious structural adjustment package that was introduced last year.

Libyan Weapons May Come Back to Haunt Europe

When Muammar el-Gaddafi went on an arms-buying spree in the 1970s and 80s - stockpiling a staggering array of sophisticated weapons systems both from the East and West - the United States warned that Libya was in danger of becoming one of the world's most "overarmed" countries.

Spain Backpedals on Renewable Energy

Spain put the brakes on the use of clean energies to generate electricity, as the government approved an energy savings programme to cope with its large oil bill which affects its commitment to reduce non-renewable sources by 2020.

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.

DISARMAMENT: Bridges Could Become Barricades

Although the ratification of a new strategic arms reduction treaty (START) with the United States is considered a top priority for the Medvedev administration, experts are debating whether such an agreement could threaten to reduce Russian military power in the future.

U.S., European Weapons Makers Still Dominate Arms Bazaar

The world's key arms manufacturers are still firmly entrenched in the United States and Western Europe, while some of the newly-emerging military industries in China, India, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Israel, Turkey and Kuwait are trailing mostly far behind.

Kurd Issue to the Fore Ahead of Elections

Sultan Quyun, 58, longs for the day when the decades-long conflict between the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and Turkish security forces will come to an end. For her, the end of violence does not just hold the promise of a possible resolution of the Kurdish issue in the country, but would bring about, she hopes, a much-awaited reunion with her son.

Turkey Gets the Worst of Two Worlds

Turkey's foreign policy is undergoing an acid test as the political turmoil continues in the Arab World. The fragile situation in Tripoli, in particular, is giving the jitters to government and businesses alike, with billions of dollars of Turkish investment and trade at risk.