ZAMBIA: Constitutional Baby Out With the Bathwater

After two commissions and close to a decade of consultations, Zambia's constitutional redrafting process crashed when the new constitution failed to win parliamentary approval. Politicians, civil society and ordinary citizens seem uncertain whether to laugh or cry.

KENYA: Feisty Politician Enters Presidential Race

Martha Karua fears nothing and no one, and when her adversaries look back at her long track record in politics, they must get nervous. This previously staunch supporter of Mwai Kibaki resigned as justice minister in 2009, and will challenge all comers for the presidency at the head of her own party next year.

BRAZIL: Belo Monte Dam Faces Endless Hurdles and Controversies

The Xingu river flows around small isles and islands and across rapids and waterfalls in Brazil's Amazon jungle, and has a dramatically reduced flow during dry season. Navigating it presents constant hurdles and risks.

U.S. Reports Decry Curbs on NGOs, Internet, Minorities

Growing government harassment of civil society organisations (CSOs), restrictions on Internet use, and persecution of vulnerable minorities constituted three of the most worrisome trends that slowed the spread of human rights around the globe in 2010, according to latest annual edition of the State Department's massive "Country Reports".

“Sweet Mickey” Hitches Haitian Recovery to Washington Bandwagon

With hundreds of thousands of Haitians living in destitution as the country flounders under political, economic and climate wreckage, critics say celebrations of the inevitable profits of disaster capitalism have already begun between the right- wing President-elect Michel Martelly and his neoliberal allies in Washington.

ELECTIONS-PERU: The Real Race Will Be the Run-Off

The only certainty about Sunday's general elections in Peru is that all the polls predict a victory for nationalist candidate Ollanta Humala, but say he will not have enough votes to secure the presidency in the first round.

LIBYA: U.N. Experts Probe Human Rights Abuses

The international commission of inquiry established by the U.N. Human Rights Council to investigate alleged violations of human rights in Libya will start its mission next week, and report on all crimes, committed by anyone, including foreign powers.

Israel Hits Roadblock over Dismissal of War Crimes Charges

The Israeli government and South African jurist Richard Goldstone may be heading for a political confrontation over war crimes charges against Tel Aviv and a subsequent selective retraction of some of those charges.

DEVELOPMENT: BRICS to Promote More Inclusive Global Partnership

At the upcoming Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) summit, to be held on the tropical Chinese island of Hainan Apr. 14, discussion will focus not only on deepening economic ties among members, but will also likely touch on global political events, including the crisis in the Middle East and North Africa. But China insists the club has no political agenda.

Privatisation Aided Egypt Revolt, Army Says

Anger at Egypt’s privatisation programme, involving the transfer of billions of dollars worth of public assets to private hands, aided the Egyptian revolution that elbowed the Western-backed Hosni Mubarak out of office in February, a top army general said.

Q&A: The Fight Against Organised Crime Has to Start with Society

In countries where powerful organised crime groups operate, like Mexico, there is a kind of "mafiosity" or culture of illegality deeply rooted in society, which must be fought by educating the young, says Italian priest Tonio Dell'Olio, one of the leaders of the anti-mafia organisation Libera.

Bahrain’s Hospital of Ghosts

Salmaniya Medical Complex, once one of the most renowned medical facilities in the Gulf and a jewel in the crown of Bahrain's public healthcare system, has been transformed into a virtual ghost town.

Manufacturing Cote d’Ivoire’s ‘Good Guy’

As Côte d'Ivoire's bloody leadership contest draws to a close and the surrender of Laurent Gbagbo, the incumbent president, seems imminent, a long list of atrocities and electoral irregularities mark the records of both him and his opponent, Alassane Ouattara.

ECONOMY: Serbs, Croats and Slovenes Revive Old ‘Kingdom’

Two decades after former Yugoslavia fell apart, leaders of the newly created nations of Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia met earlier this month to agree on joint economic strategy, putting some of the effects of wars of the 1990s finally behind them.

Migrant Workers Caught in Whirlwind of ‘Arab Spring’

Migrant workers caught in the crossfire of the ongoing upheavals in Bahrain and Libya highlight the need to develop international migration policies based on migrants' rights rather than the economic interest of labour sending and receiving countries, knowledgeable sources say.

COLOMBIA: Court Documents Reveal Chiquita Paid for Security

Contrary to claims by Chiquita Brands International that its payments to Colombian paramilitary and guerrilla groups over more than a decade were extorted, internal company documents released here Thursday strongly suggest that the transactions provided specific benefits to the banana giant.

CLIMATE CHANGE: Developing Countries Step In Where Richer Nations Fear to Tread

Led by countries like Indonesia, 48 developing nations are rolling out a range of pledges to voluntarily cut their respective emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) by 2020, the year climate scientists say the earth’s rising temperature should peak by if an environmental catastrophe is to be avoided.

Social Networking Sites Mobilise Mexicans Fed Up with Violence

Thousands of people took to the streets in 20 cities across Mexico Wednesday to protest the wave of drug-related killings, in demonstrations triggered by the murder of the son of poet Javier Sicilia, in another show of the power of social networking sites in channelling public outrage.

CUBA: Balancing Bane and Blessing of Oil

Cuba is sticking to its plans to begin oil exploration this year in its territorial waters in the Gulf of Mexico, and has assured neighbouring countries that "every reasonable" safety and environmental protection measure will be taken, in an area still haunted by the disastrous effects of the crude oil spill in 2010.

Nigerian Women Stand Up to be Counted

As Nigeria tries again to begin its staggered general elections on Apr. 9, spare a thought for the women who will be putting themselves forward as candidates in an overwhelmingly male field.

Amid Uprisings, Africa Readies for Slew of National Polls

As the resounding cry for multi-party democracy reverberates violently throughout the Middle East, the African continent, long known for military rule and dictatorial regimes, is readying for a slew of presidential and parliamentary elections this year.