POLITICS: International Aid Work a Deadly Profession

The United Nations says that international aid work is one of the world's most hazardous professions, in which humanitarian workers are constantly threatened with - or victims of - kidnappings, harassment, detention and deadly violence.

DEVELOPMENT: Spain Gives Boost to Global MDG Partnership

Spain is making strides towards compliance with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) "with the total backing of the government," said the Secretary of State for International Cooperation, Leire Pajín.

IBERO-AMERICA: Remittances No Substitute for Sound Development Policies

Immigrants have a right to send remittances to their families in their countries of origin, and this fast-growing flow of funds must not be seen as a replacement for foreign development aid, according to the final declaration signed by the leaders meeting this weekend in the Ibero-American summit in Uruguay.

DEVELOPMENT: Ireland Offers Malawi Aid After HIPC Compliance

Malawi's compliance with the requirements of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative has opened the door to a commitment by Ireland to increase aid to the Southern African country.

DEVELOPMENT: Belgium Increases Aid to Rwanda

During the next four years, Belgium will provide Rwanda with about 168 million dollars worth of development aid. This sum is to be spread among various sectors, with agriculture and health receiving priority. About 74.4 million dollars has been allocated for the development of agriculture, and some 48 million dollars for the health sector.

CUBA: Havana Offers Unique Model for Restoring History

Ongoing restoration work in the historic centre of the Cuban capital has been praised by UNESCO consultants, and could serve as a model for preserving heritage sites around the world.

POLITICS-US: Public Wants “New Approach” on Foreign Policy

More than 70 percent of the U.S. public, including nearly half of self-identified Republicans, say they prefer candidates for Congress in the Nov. 7 mid-term elections who will pursue a "new approach" to U.S. foreign policy, according to a new survey released here Friday by the Programme on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA).

GUATEMALA: Devoured by Malnutrition

The ambulance pulls off the road, just where a steep rocky track leads up to the remote Guatemalan village of Shumpá. The health professionals' mission is to save the life of a malnourished two-year-old girl.

ENVIRONMENT: Needed – More Money to Save Caribbean Sea

There has been considerable progress in research and diagnosis of the environmental problems plaguing the Caribbean Sea, but more international funds are needed for remedial measures before it is too late, experts warn.

POLITICS: Big Powers Split on Proposed Arms Trade Treaty

The United Nations is responding positively to a call from peace activists and human rights organisations for a new international treaty to monitor the world's growing 1.1-trillion-dollar global arms trade.

SOUTH AMERICA: Debate on Infrastructure Mega-Projects Finally Begins

Rather late and somewhat quietly, civil society organisations have begun to discuss the impact of the Initiative for the Integration of Regional Infrastructure in South America (IIRSA), launched by the region's governments in 2000, which is planning 335 major projects.

DEVELOPMENT: Hunger Due to Injustice, Not Lack of Food

Millions of people die of hunger-related causes every year. However, that is not because of actual shortages of food, but is a result of social injustice and political, social and economic exclusion, argue non-governmental organisations that launched a campaign in Spain on World Food Day Monday.

LATIN AMERICA: The Use – and Abuse – of Development Aid

Hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign aid flows into the poorest countries of Latin America every year. But the money does not always reach its destination. For that reason, governments and civil society organisations have begun to apply new mechanisms to guarantee transparency.

SOUTHERN AFRICA: Fighting Hunger May Not Always Require Food

Several studies in Southern Africa show that the direct transfer of cash to people living on or below the breadline not only prevents hunger, but also further impoverishment.

DEVELOPMENT: Homelessness Lingers After Pakistan Quake

The snows have already started falling in the high mountains of Pakistan, two weeks earlier than normal. Another winter, with sub-zero temperatures, will soon engulf the valleys and peaks of the Himalayas and thrust itself upon the thousands of people still homeless following the devastating earthquake that shook northwest Pakistan a year ago Sunday.

TRADE: U.S. Watchdog Urges Tighter Rein on Conflict Gems

The United States, the world's largest consumer of diamonds, should adopt stronger oversight measures to choke off a trade that fuels wars and human rights abuses in many exporting nations, a U.S. Congressional report finds.

LATIN AMERICA: Cozinha Brasil Goes Regional

A successful Brazilian programme aimed at fighting hunger and reducing waste of food will be expanded throughout Latin America, by means of an agreement with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

MIDEAST: Appeals Grow For Comprehensive Settlement

Amid signs that the administration of President George W. Bush remains unwilling to take stronger steps to get Israeli-Palestinian peace talks back on track, a growing number of prominent U.S. and foreign figures are calling for a new international mechanism to set the framework for a comprehensive settlement between Israel and its Arab neighbours.

HEALTH-UGANDA: USAID’s Malaria Control Plan Risks Public Disapproval

A population explosion in the highlands in south-west Uganda has turned fertile wetlands into breeding grounds for malarial mosquitoes.

HEALTH: Fighting Disease One Cell at a Time

Hi-tech medicine, including stem cell therapy and biotechnology, are seen by many experts as potential solutions for non-infectious diseases like diabetes in the developing world.

HEALTH: Global Fund Launched for Lifesaving Drugs

A global fund to purchase massive amounts of medicines for developing countries with money coming from "solidarity" flight taxes and other innovative financing systems was launched here Tuesday, sponsored by five countries.