HELSINKI PROCESS: Globalisation in the Dock

The latest conference to be held under the Helsinki Process opened in Tanzania's commercial hub, Dar es Salaam, Tuesday, with calls for the gains of globalisation to be shared fairly amongst nations.

HELSINKI PROCESS: More Development and Security in Exchange For Small Arms

Increasing international co-operation in exchange for guns and improving the sense of domestic security are promising strategies for reducing the number of small weapons in the hands of civilians in developing countries, a leading expert on the matter says.

COMMONWEALTH: Waiting on Pakistan, Acting on Climate Change

The latest Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) came to a close Sunday with leaders and government representatives reiterating the need for restoration of democratic rule in Pakistan, while calling on Islamabad to maintain lines of communication with the 53 member organisation.

Q&A: "A Threat to One Is a Threat to All"

The past year has marked the half-way point for realisation of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The eight goals were agreed on by global leaders at the United Nations Millennium Summit in 2000, with 2015 set as the deadline for achieving the MDGs.

COMMONWEALTH: Poverty and Climate Change in the Spotlight

The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) has opened with calls for the gap between rich and poor countries in the 53-member grouping to be addressed.

COMMONWEALTH-PAKISTAN: Suspended, But Not Banished

The headlines over suspension of Pakistan from the Commonwealth conceal some of the nuances of this action. The nuances were born of considerable differences that surfaced within the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) that finally took the decision.

COMMONWEALTH: "Get Rid of Your Agricultural Subsidies" – McKinnon

The political crisis in Pakistan and global trade negotiations are amongst issues set to dominate the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) that starts Friday in the Ugandan capital, Kampala.

POLITICS-DRC: A President and a General Face Off

Instability continues to loom large in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with President Joseph Kabila having demanded that renegade General Laurent Nkunda disarm and reintegrate his approximately 5,000 troops into the national army.

Q&A: "TB and XDR-TB Are Not an African Problem Only"

In a world where countless humanitarian causes clamour for action and funding, raising money to combat tuberculosis (TB) can prove a challenge.

HEALTH-AFRICA: TB and AIDS Campaigns Urged to Co-operate

Tuberculosis (TB) in Africa cannot be dealt with while TB and HIV/AIDS organisations refuse to set aside their differences, health experts said Friday during the 38th Union World Conference on Lung Health, underway in Cape Town, South Africa.

HEALTH-AFRICA: Prevalence of Extensive Drug-Resistant TB Unclear

What is known so far about the scope and prevalence of extensive drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) in sub-Saharan Africa may only be the tip of the iceberg, said TB experts Thursday during the 38th Union World Conference on Lung Health, in the South African coastal city of Cape Town.

POLITICS-SOMALIA: "Humpty Dumpty Has Fallen Off the Wall"

Every day that gun shots ring through a Mogadishu neighbourhood, every week that an explosion rips homes into plumes of dust, and every month that thousands of civilians flee the capital, Somalia plunges deeper into crisis.

HEALTH-AFRICA: HIV and TB – An Ever Deadlier Combination

The prevalence of tuberculosis (TB) amongst people living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa has reached crisis levels and will escalate further if decisive steps are not taken, says a new report by the Forum for Collaborative HIV Research - 'HIV-TB Co-Infection: Meeting the Challenge'.

RIGHTS-RWANDA: UN Tribunal’s Most Wanted Remains Elusive

Félicien Kabuga has a reward of several million dollars on his head, and tops the list of fugitives of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR). Yet, he's managed to escape justice for years.

POLITICS-SUDAN: Little Hope for Success Ahead of Darfur Talks

Long-awaited peace talks between Sudan's government and rebel groups from the country's war-torn Darfur region are due to begin in the Libyan port city of Sirte Saturday.

TRADE-AFRICA: COMESA States Urged to Drop Non-Tariff Barriers

Despite the reduction in trade tariffs within the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), member states are still grappling with non-tariff barriers which restrict the flow of exports and imports. This is regarded as putting brakes on the improvement of trade volumes in the region.

HEALTH-DRC: A Groundbreaking Television Series Tackles HIV/AIDS

It's a first for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): a Congolese filmmaker directing a television series in Lingala - the most widely spoken language in the country - about HIV/AIDS.

TRADE: Exports Should Be Priority for African States

The ‘‘Mobilising Aid For Trade: Focussing on Africa’’ high level conference ended this week with admonitions from the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

AFRICA: Aid For Trade Could Help Producers in Poor Countries

Agricultural exporters in poor nations need funds and technical assistance to comply with food safety norms in order to boost their share of world trade, according to World Trade Organization (WTO) representatives.

HEALTH: UNAIDS Head Puts the Spotlight on Children and Teens

The executive director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) is urging action as concerns the transmission of HIV to children through sexual abuse, incest and early teenage sex.

HEALTH: Simpler AIDS Drugs to Benefit Children

A new form of AIDS treatment for children, targeted at families in rural areas, will be available within months, according to an official from the World Health Organisation (WHO).