TRADE: Old Talks Never Die

"History tells us that multilateral trade negotiations never die, and the current Doha Round is no exception," said economist Carlos Pérez del Castillo, Uruguay’s former permanent representative to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and chairman of the global body’s General Council in 2003 and 2004.

INDIA/US: Nuclear Deal Headed for Fiasco

As the tortuous negotiations for the United States-India nuclear deal enters its final stage, it becomes clear that India seriously underestimated the discomfort and opposition the agreement would arouse in many countries because of the special privileges granted to India, largely on New Delhi's terms.

BURMA: No Photo Op for Gambari

A United Nations-led effort to push political reform in military-ruled Burma plunged to a humiliating low on the weekend, raising questions about the effectiveness of the world body’s special envoy to the country, Ibrahim Gambari.

INDIA/US: Suppliers' Group Stalls Nuclear Deal

Dashing hopes that the United States-India nuclear cooperation deal would sail through the Nuclear Suppliers' Group (NSG), a two-day meeting in Vienna of the 45-nation association has failed to produce a consensus on a U.S. drafted text.

NICARAGUA: US Fourth Fleet Treads Fine Line

The newly reactivated U.S. Fourth Fleet began its operations in Latin American waters with a humanitarian mission that made its first stop in Nicaragua, before heading on to six other countries of the Caribbean and Central and South America.

SOUTH ASIA: Musharraf's Exit Leaves India Confused

India's Pakistan policy is in disarray following the resignation of Pervez Musharraf as president, to avoid impeachment, after almost nine years of authoritarian rule.

SOUTH-EAST ASIA: Mekong Flood Warning System Fails

As communities along the Mekong River face some of the worst floods in decades, a flood warning network that combines scientific and local knowledge is under scrutiny. Activists say it has failed its first major test.

SRI LANKA: Clampdown on International NGOs

Accusing international non-government organisations (INGOs) of disseminating ‘wrong’ information to media on the civil war with Tamil rebels and rights issues, the government has moved to tighten the visa regime for foreign workers in this country.

Q&A: “Latin America Needs a Regional Agenda” on AIDS Funding

If the economic status of Latin America and the Caribbean continues to improve, the region’s share of assistance from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is likely to drop to half the present level, under the current eligibility requirements, says Lelio Mármora, the Fund’s portfolio manager for this region.

INDIA/US: Racing to Clear Last Lap of Nuke Deal

As the Bush administration pushes the outer limits of the political timeline for the passage of the controversial nuclear cooperation deal with India in the United States Congress, two potential stumbling blocks have become apparent in securing exemptions for the agreement from the tough export rules of the Nuclear Suppliers' Group (NSG).

HEALTH: Not Enough AIDS Funds and Not Always Well Spent

Developing countries are in need of large sums of money to fight diseases like HIV/AIDS, but international aid will not entirely cover their needs.

TRADE-INDIA: Mixed Feelings Over WTO Failure in Geneva

The collapse of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) negotiations at Geneva has left Indian analysts with mixed feelings. One view is that no deal is better than a bad one. The other is that because the alternative for developing countries is far worse, India should have been more flexible.

CLIMATE CHANGE: Insubstantial Shadows

Amidst the cacophony of discussions and negotiations within the international climate change caucus, one particular group, the G8, had held out hope for effective implementation - more than the United Nations Kyoto Protocol (KP), which remains bogged down in various degrees of non-compliance.

UAE: US-Iran Detente Viewed With Caution

The turnaround in Washington-Tehran ties is being viewed with relief on the one hand and anxiety and anger on the other by various quarters within the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) bloc.

POLITICS: South Asia Maps Its Own Development Destiny

When Pierre Trudeau, a former prime minister of Canada, was once asked what it was like to share space with a "giant" neighbour like the United States, he said the Canadians always felt they were living next to a monstrous elephant.

GUYANA: Another Cold Shoulder From Washington

The U.S. government has again snubbed Guyanese authorities, with whom it has long had a strained relationship, this time over a request for expert help in solving the latest of three mass murders this year.

INDIA/US: Deceptions Surface in Nuclear Deal

The Indian government has taken a major step towards completing its controversial nuclear cooperation deal with the United States by moving the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency for approving an inspections (safeguards) agreement it signed last year with the IAEA secretariat pertaining to civilian nuclear reactors.

DEVELOPMENT: Vision Exists, Reality Doesn’t

The implementation of internationally agreed development goals (IADGs) - including the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger by 2015 - is being increasingly hampered by lack of coordination and coherence both among rich and poor nations, and also within the United Nations.

COLOMBIA: The General Ingrid Hugged

General Mario Montoya Uribe, the national commander of the Colombian army, whom Ingrid Betancourt thanked on Wednesday for rescuing her from captivity, has a controversial service record.

INDIA/US: Singh Pushes For Nuclear Deal

India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has plunged his Congress party and the country’s ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government into a grave crisis by staking his personal reputation on pushing through a U.S.-India civilian nuclear cooperation deal.

LABOUR-BOLIVIA: Infusing Business with Youth, Innovation

Cotillones El Sol organises parties in Tarija, in southern Bolivia. Nancy Martínez, the 23-year-old manager and owner of the six-month-old company, already employs several other young women.