RIGHTS: Nicaragua Refuses to Discuss Therapeutic Abortion

Nicaragua slammed the door on any possible debate on the restitution of therapeutic abortion - performed to save the life of the pregnant woman - despite demands that it do so voiced during a United Nations review of human rights in the country.

MIDEAST: Gaza’s Female Scribes Face Worse Than Discrimination

Female journalists worldwide complain about discrimination on the grounds of gender. However, their colleagues in Gaza also face death threats, the dangers of working in a war zone and the struggle for daily necessities as the Israeli siege on Gaza drags on.

Q&A: The Two Faces of Agriculture

The challenge of the 21st century is to transform agriculture into a good administrator of biodiversity and reverse its destructive capacity, without restricting its mission to feed a growing world population, said Achim Steiner, executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme.

MALAWI: Free Education At What Price

He fishes by night and sells his catch by day. He's the breadwinner for his family of six. Maliko Malombe is nine years old.

URUGUAY: Making the Secret Shame of Illiteracy a Thing of the Past

"Excuse me, I forgot my glasses, could you tell me what that sign says?" This was one of the ruses commonly used by Juan Gómez, who was too embarrassed to admit that at the age of 77, he had never learned to read or write.

BIODIVERSITY: U.N. Treaty Key Tool in Conserving Ecosystems

In a bid to pressure policymakers to take urgent action to implement a major United Nations treaty on the preservation of plant and animal species, the world body has launched a global campaign to raise awareness about the importance of biodiversity.

RIGHTS: U.N. Goals on Education Under Widespread Attack

The relentless attacks on educational institutions in war zones - along with growing threats against academics, teachers and school-going children - have jeopardised one of the U.N.'s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) - education for all by 2015.

CLIMATE CHANGE: ‘Perhaps We Should Just Sign’

Countries are quietly signing up to the Copenhagen Accord, but commitments on emissions cuts and funding remain unclear.

ZIMBABWE: How Do You Solve a Problem Like Arrears?

Faced with nearly six billion dollars of external debt, Zimbabwe's national unity government is considering applying for Highly Indebted Poor Country status.

Q&A: Creating Momentum for Women’s Participation

Women's movements have played a critical role in creating political space for female participation in politics around the world. In fact, there are more women in government today than ever before.

ENERGY-MEXICO: Big and Small Firms Harness Sun’s Rays

It was Isabel Cortés, the family matriarch, who started the project. In 1990, she started looking for a way to market xoconostle, the sour variety of the nopal cactus fruit that is abundant in this arid part of central Mexico, in the Mezquital valley.

DEVELOPMENT: Crisis Could Open Doors for Change, Says UNCTAD

As the financial crisis continued to threaten world economies last year, the White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel famously declared: "You never want a serious crisis to go to waste."

PAKISTAN: Community Midwives Gain Recognition But Concerns Remain

As Kanwal Gul, 25, lay on the delivery table a year ago, preparing to give birth to her first child, she made sure the traditional birth attendant (TBA) assisting her knew exactly what to do. Put on the gloves, she instructed her.

PERU: Women Combine Invention, Tradition to Improve Rural Diets

Although Huancavelica is the poorest region of Peru, it has more than just poverty, malnutrition and unmet needs. There are also women using their creativity, efforts and traditional indigenous knowledge to improve the diets of their families and communities.

ETHIOPIA: Dam Critics Won’t Go Away

Ethiopia is building a 240-metre high dam on the Omo River that is intended to end the country's electricity shortage and supply power to neighbouring countries. Not everyone's happy.

DEVELOPMENT: South-South Cooperation Key to MDGs

Member states meeting here Thursday called for the immediate implementation of development commitments made during the Nairobi high-level U.N. conference on cooperation between developing countries.

CUBA: Women Knitting for Change

A neighbour started calling Andrea del Sol "Perseverance," and the name stuck. Since 1998, she and a small group of women from Alamar, on the outskirts of the Cuban capital, have been throwing their combined energies behind a common purpose: "changing things."

ENVIRONMENT: Keeping Wetlands from Becoming Wastelands

Swamps, marshes and other wetlands are beginning to be recognised as a country's 'green jewels', even in a tropical paradise like Mahé Island here in the Seychelles, with its stunning beaches and dramatic granite outcrops.

U.S.: Bill Pledges a Billion Dollars to Fight Gender Violence

The U.S. House and Senate introduced new legislation Thursday that addresses the plight of women around the world who are victims of violence.

RIGHTS: EU Faults U.N. for Slowdown in Gender Empowerment

Against the backdrop of continued widespread gender discrimination worldwide, the European Union (EU) has urged Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to "urgently" speed up the creation of the proposed new U.N. agency for women.

KENYA: Insuring Pastoralists Against Increasing Risks

The droughts in the Turkana region were less severe when she was growing up, says Laura Letapalel, and pastoralists could still find some grass and water for their animals. Now, she laments, the droughts are longer and there is nothing to eat.