Netanyahu Caught Between Status Quo And Power Vacuum

Disregarding the old adage that politics like nature abhors a vacuum, Benjamin Netanyahu could until now sing his own praise and declare that Israel under his premiership was an anchor of political stability whereas the wider Middle East was fast sinking into a power vacuum.

Global Compact Rejects Independent Panel’s Criticism

An independent U.N. body has criticised the Global Compact, the largest initiative for corporate social responsibility, for not sufficiently monitoring the human rights and environmental commitments of participating companies.

African Union Urges Libya Dialogue

The Libyan government has agreed to a range of proposals from the African Union at a high level meeting held in Addis Ababa Friday, including democratic reforms and talks with the rebels.

New Yorkers Rage Against the Cuts

In the shadow of towering colonial-style office buildings of the world's most powerful financial district, a crowd over 5,000-strong amassed outside Manhattan's City Hall Thursday, chanting "The people united will never be defeated!"

ECUADOR: Catholics Demand Removal of Far-Right Bishop

The appointment of an ultra-conservative priest as apostolic administrator of the diocese of Sucumbíos, in northeastern Ecuador, triggered open rebellion among a large proportion of the area's Catholics, with the support of civil society organisations and even of President Rafael Correa himself.

LATIN AMERICA: Enthusiasm for Nuclear Power Cooling Off

The nuclear disaster in Japan has revived the debate in Latin America on the pros and cons of expanding the use of nuclear energy. While both Argentina and Brazil, which had put the greatest emphasis on nuclear power, plan to continue down that road, other countries have put plans and unfinished projects on hold.

Deaths as Syrian Forces Fire on Protesters

Syrian security forces have opened fire on anti-government protesters in the city of Sanamin near Daraa, killing at least 20 people, according to one witness.

TURKEY: Old Colonial Rivalries Revive over Libya

Turkey's volte-face Thursday evening to make a sizeable military contribution to NATO's intervention in the Libyan crisis, after two weeks of fierce opposition to the Alliance's mingling with Arab affairs, has further blurred Ankara's position in the North African conflict.

Public Momentum Builds Against Nukes

Willing or not, the handful of nations armed with nuclear bombs will likely find it ever more difficult in the next few years to reject growing international opinion in support of complete abolition of nuclear weapons, anti-nukes activists and politicians say.

Foreign Labourers Targeted Throughout Bahrain

As protests in Bahrain continue, increasingly migrant workers are being victimised in violent hate crimes.

LIBYA: Obama Doctrine of Multilateralism on the Line

As the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) prepares to assume command and control of military operations in Libya after five days of the United States at the helm, U.S. President Barack Obama's doctrine of multilateralism is on the line.

PAKISTAN: And Then There Was Light

Hasan Ibrahim’s tea stall is the busiest place in the sleepy, sand-dune covered village of Sholani, proof of the economic and social change the arrival of electricity has ushered in.

Hundreds of Bodies Removed From Zimbabwe Mass Grave

The identity of as many as a thousand decomposing bodies in an abandoned mine in Mount Darwin, 100 kilometres north of Harare, may never be known. "War veterans" associated with the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front party are removing them with no regard for preserving evidence.

No Plans for Regime Change in Libya, Assures U.N. Chief

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon brushed aside widespread speculation that the U.S.-led military attacks on Libya is part of a much-wider plan with a hidden political agenda: the ouster of Muammar el-Gaddafi from power.

CLIMATE CHANGE: “Act of Conscience” Could Earn 10-Year Prison Term

A college student who derailed a federal auction of oil and gas leases to protest drilling near national parks in the western U.S. state of Utah, as well as the larger issue of reliance on fossil fuels, has reignited debate over the legitimacy of civil disobedience in addressing profound global problems like climate change.

Women in Garment Factories Help Cambodia Out of Poverty

Cambodia’s rise out of poverty continues to depend on the nimble fingers of young women like Khiev Chren.

INDIA: EU Trade Deal May Curb Affordable Drug Supply

As India prepares to seal a sweeping trade and investment deal with the European Union (EU) in April, civil society groups are campaigning to limit the agreement's repercussions within the local generic drug industry here upon which millions of people around the globe depend.

EGYPT: Virginity Checks Are Army’s Latest Weapon

Fresh-faced Salwa El-Hosseiny had joined protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square when a plainclothes officer grabbed her and dragged her to army officers stationed in a nearby museum.

OP-ED: Libya Intervention Threatens the Arab Spring

Despite its official U.N.-granted legality, the credibility of Western military action in Libya is rapidly dwindling. Within just 48 hours of the start of the bombing campaign, the U.S. and its allies lost the support of the Arab League.

MEDIA: It’s Still a Man’s World, Especially at the Top

Long known as a "boy's club", the worldwide media industry continues to struggle with gender equality, with new research showing women are still underrepresented in the majority of newsrooms across the globe.

New Bid to Break Afghanistan Stalemate

As the Barack Obama administration seeks to limit its involvement in a third Muslim conflict in Libya, efforts are intensifying to help it find a political solution to the longest U.S. war – in Afghanistan.