ENVIRONMENT: Women Key to Greening the Economy

Earth Day celebrated its 41st year Friday with the slogan ‘A Billion Acts of Green’. The grassroots demonstration is said to have inspired the modern environmental movement, and continues to inform and promote green economic policies worldwide, while attracting over a half billion people every year.

Nigeria Riots Delay Two State Polls

Elections for the governors of two states in Nigeria's predominantly Muslim north have been postponed because of violence, officials have announced.

EGYPT: Corruption Ran in the Family

Ousted president Hosni Mubarak ran Egypt as his own private estate, carving up its resources and siphoning off its capital into offshore accounts. But he didn’t do it alone: he had help from his family and a few trusted friends.

Women Struggle to Unite Fractured Bahrain

Women in Bahrain have launched new initiatives to tackle sectarian tensions that emerged as the fallout of widespread unrest sweeping the country since Feb. 14.

Libyan Choice: Starve or Run

Rights groups have condemned the indiscriminate attacks on residential areas in Misrata, that have worsened an already dire situation.

MEXICO: Some Progress Made in Eliminating Toxic PCBs

Mexico is carrying out a project to identify, decommission and eliminate polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) waste in order to reduce risks of human exposure and environmental damages.

SRI LANKA: U.N. Chief Rejects Request to Quash War Crimes Report

The United Nations, which is embroiled in a dispute with Sri Lanka over a controversial report detailing war crimes charges against the government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, has rejected an appeal to keep the findings under wraps.

ECONOMY: Portugal Negotiates Draconian Bailout Plan

The strangling of the Portuguese economy by the international capital markets has led to what was expected: a bailout with tough conditions that will bring the country to its knees.

SRI LANKA: Government Adopts Time-Tested Strategy to Thwart U.N. Report

These are trying times for the Mahinda Rajapaksa government here. Faced with renewed international scrutiny over alleged abuses during the last phase of the island’s bloody civil war, the government has once again readied itself to face off global giants, yet another test of will and skill on the global stage.

Martelly-Clinton Seal Deal for Next Wave of Disaster Capitalism in Haiti

Miles from his island nation’s earthquake-ravaged capital city Port-au-Prince, Haitian president elect Michel Martelly exchanged warm handshakes and heartfelt promises with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Washington Wednesday, just prior to the formal announcement of the pop star’s victory in the highly-contested Mar. 20 election.

CUBA: The “Other” Revolutions

YES to sexual diversity! NO to transgenics! LONG LIVE @! In stark contrast to the political apathy of many of their contemporaries, some sectors of Cuban youth are radically re-writing the standard slogans, opting for active participation and fomenting "new revolutions within the Revolution."

JAPAN: Civil Society Gaining Ground Following Quake

Civil society organisations in Japan have traditionally been on the sidelines in influencing mainstream policy, but the massive Tohoku earthquake and tsunami of Mar. 11 is becoming a catalyst for important change.

LIBYA: Obama Resists Allied Pressure for Escalation

Even as the conflict in Libya appears increasingly stalemated, the administration of President Barack Obama seems determined to resist growing allied pressure to commit more U.S. military resources to the fight.

PAKISTAN: Seafarers Tread Dangerous Waters as Piracy Rises

Sanauddin Baloch never expected the joyous welcome from his family and neighbours when he returned to Pakistan last month, after being held captive at sea by Somali pirates for almost a year.

India Resists Ban on Deadly Pesticide

Will India, the world’s biggest manufacturer of the pesticide endosulfan, and also the biggest victim of the toxic pesticide, persist with opposing its ban globally?

Hezbollah Challenges Bahrain Govt

Hezbollah’s hardening stance in the Bahraini crisis has sowed discord between Lebanon and the Gulf island, currently home to about 5,000 Lebanese expatriates. As the situation escalates, many fear that the status of other Lebanese in the rest of the Gulf could come under threat.

SIERRA LEONE: Renewed Commitment to Local Government

The re-establishment of local councils in Sierra Leone in 2004 was intended to give people a greater voice in their government, reversing long years of marginalisation for rural districts in particular. But nearly seven years later, it has still not been fully implemented. A local NGO, Campaign for the Voiceless, is working to strengthen the performance of this most accessible tier of government.

SPAIN: Madrid Mayor Wants to Sweep Homeless Out of Sight

The mayor of Madrid, Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón, has called for a law for compulsory removals of homeless people off the streets, but this has met with resistance from civil society organisations and has split Ruiz-Gallardo's own People's Party (PP).

OP-ED: A Developing Health Crisis Across the Gulf Coast

Days after the BP oil disaster began, on Apr. 20, 2010, BP and the U.S. administration pledged that Gulf Coast communities would be made whole. One year later that promise remains unfulfilled: across the Gulf there is a developing health crisis as a result of the oil spill.

TRADE-CENTRAL AMERICA: Global Wave Drowns Small Businesses

"If we could export our products, it would open up a lot of possibilities for us, but we don't have any direct support from the government, or training or credit facilities," said Efraín Patzán, a small-scale furniture maker in the central Guatemalan town of San Juan Sacatepéquez.

China Puts Its Mark on Malawi

Driving through Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe, it is difficult to miss the imposing building under construction in the city centre. It's the country’s first five-star hotel, 90 million dollars worth of well-appointed rooms, a state-of-the-art conference centre and 14 opulent presidential suites.