TRADE: EU in Dialogue of the Deaf with Poor Countries

The European Commission and a grouping of countries from Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific are no nearer an agreement on trade liberalisation after their latest effort.

LATIN AMERICA: A Few Women in Power, Millions Still Powerless

Appointing a woman as economy minister does not guarantee a gender approach to policies in this key area, traditionally handled by men. That at least is the conclusion from observing the work of women ministers in Argentina and El Salvador.

INT’L WOMEN’S DAY-KENYA: Courts Far From a Safe Haven

As the world marks International Women's Day, Thursday, under the theme of 'Ending Impunity for Violence Against Women and Girls', activists in Kenya claim there is much to do in ensuring that abusers are punished.

DEVELOPMENT-CAMEROON: Solar Power Starts Muscling Out Kerosene

For Merline Momo Azeufac, a teacher at Balefock village in western Cameroon, the days of fearing nightfall while correcting pupils' work are over. She's no longer hostage to the poor light provided by kerosene lamps.

CUBA-VENEZUELA: Making Biofuels Without Wasting Food

The governments of Cuba and Venezuela are planning to move forward together on biofuels production, but they will rely on producing alcohol from sugarcane, in order to spare food crops.

HEALTH-AFRICA: Making Policies for AIDS in the Workplace, Commonplace

With AIDS cutting a swathe through Africa's workforce, there is an urgent need for employers to set up policies that support HIV-positive staff - and ensure they are not victims of stigma. But, it's a need that often goes unaddressed.

FOOD-CUBA: Anxious About What to Eat

One of the main worries of the average Cuban family is food, which costs about two-thirds of their income, according to several studies.

CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE: Success Stories Amongst Growing Numbers of Street Kids

Sixteen-year-old Bamanandoki Pitchou hasn't finished his apprenticeship in hairdressing yet, but he already has a small business. A former street child who lives in Kinsoundi - a suburb in the south of the Congolese capital, Brazzaville - Pitchou trains in the morning, and attends to clients in the afternoon.

PAKISTAN: NGOs Balk at Gov’t Prescribed Code of Conduct

Non-government organisations (NGOs) are bristling at a government proposal to impose a ‘code of conduct' on them that will put their activities under close scrutiny and, if found wanting, allow their funds to be frozen.

ENVIRONMENT-SENEGAL: Setting Fire to the Future

It's the season for bush fires in Senegal, and there are once again concerns that vast tracts of fertile land could be set alight, and ravaged.

ARGENTINA: Rolling Back Privatisation of Pensions

The Argentine Congress approved reforms of the pension system that will strengthen the role of the state, after the partial privatisation of the system that was carried out in the 1990s. Chile is also planning similar reforms.

ENVIRONMENT-CHAD: Rats, Where There Once Were Elephants

Leaving the Chadian capital, N'Djamena, isn't what it used to be.

BOLIVIA: Floodwaters Besiege Amazonian Town

Seen from the air, the capital of the Bolivian department of Beni is surrounded by an enormous stretch of water. Local residents are hoping that the polluted floodwaters, only 40 centimetres below the level of the ring road which is acting as a dike, do not overwhelm it.

ENVIRONMENT: The Niger River in Intensive Care

Stretching over more than 4,000 kilometres, the Niger is West Africa's longest river, and greatly threatened in the country of the same name by environmental degradation that is causing the water course to silt up.

BRAZIL: Soap Opera Actors Stand Up for Amazon Jungle

An open letter demanding "an immediate halt to the deforestation of the Amazon jungle" has been released by Brazilian television stars taking part in the Globo Network series " Amaz- nia, de Galvez a Chico Mendes" (Amazonia, from Galvez to Chico Mendes).

MEXICO: Discharge of HIV-Positive Troops Ruled Unconstitutional

Mexico's Supreme Court ruled that it is unconstitutional for the military to expel HIV-positive members, a practice that is habitually followed by the armed forces.

JAPAN: Fair Trade Concept Starts to Sell

When Sonoko Iwasa, started her tiny shop selling ‘fair trade’ goods in Mitaka, a decade ago, she was in for a long struggle to survive in a wealthy, traditional neighbourhood which had little understanding of global issues, let alone marginalised communities in the developing South.

ENVIRONMENT: Fighting Warming Key to Anti-Poverty Goals

Driven by increased concerns and mounting evidence of the threats posed by global warming, some of the world's most eminent scientists are telling policymakers to get their act together before it is too late to avoid a doomsday scenario.

ENVIRONMENT-ALGERIA: Fighting Desertification Through Conservation

In May, Algeria will inaugurate a reserve around a small oasis in the south-west where plants and animals are to be protected in the service of a broader goal. Hopes are that the Taghit National Park will help stop the advance of the Sahara Desert, which already stretches across almost all of this North African country.

DEVELOPMENT: ‘MDG Scan’ to Benchmark Private Contribution

Does the presence of Heineken beer in Sierra Leone contribute to reduction of child mortality? And to what extent does the chemicals company Akzo Nobel contribute to prevent environmental damage?

DEVELOPMENT-ZIMBABWE: A Herculean Effort Is Needed

‘‘You cannot talk of halving poverty when our country is going in the opposite direction. We are totally lost,’’ says Maxwell Tambarare, a teacher in Chiredzi, a region to the south east of Zimbabwe.