EU Takes On Chinese Currency, Softly

The European Union is riding in the middle of an escalating currency spat between China and the United States, perceived by many in Beijing as a smokescreen for Washington's efforts to sap China's growth and contain its rise.

Washington Debates PEPFAR Funding Ahead of Global Fund Meet

Global health advocates are strongly urging the Barack Obama administration to remain financially supportive of the fight against HIV/AIDS, amidst fears that economic prudence from the U.S. will reverse encouraging gains.

BRAZIL: Voters Likely to Elect First Woman President

The woman likely to be elected president of Brazil, Latin America's giant, either on Sunday or in an Oct. 31 runoff, is idealistic but pragmatic and has a reputation as a tough, seasoned administrator.

GE Salmon an Ambiguous Milestone for Aquaculture

The march toward domesticating the last wild food source may be about to take a major step forward in Washington - for better or worse.

MIDEAST: Syria in the Catbird Seat

As the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama struggles to salvage Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, Syria is well positioned to benefit no matter the outcome.

SOUTH AMERICA: Lessons from Honduras

With the 2009 coup d'etat in Honduras still a fresh memory, the presidents of the Unasur bloc gathered as quickly as they could to vigorously condemn Thursday's attempted coup in Ecuador and warn that they would not tolerate any such assault on democracy in the region.

ARGENTINA: Environmentalists Welcome New Law to Protect Glaciers

Environmental organisations in Argentina are celebrating the passage of a law restricting the extraction of minerals, oil and gas near glaciers, in order to protect these vast freshwater reserves.

U.S. Still Taking a Hard Line on Peace Talks with Taliban

Following serious setbacks to the U.S. military's war plan in Afghanistan, the Barack Obama administration has taken the first tentative step toward a negotiated settlement of the conflict by actively seeking to ascertain the willingness of the Taliban to enter into negotiations, according to a source familiar with the administration's thinking about the issue.

SRI LANKA: ‘Tigers’ Become Tourists

The younger ones in the group tried to imitate the older boys, in their teens and early 20s, who wear the latest fashion promoted by Hindi and South Indian movie stars – faded denim jeans, tight T-shirts, and oversized belts hanging nonchalantly around their slim waists. Alongside them, the handful of women wore brightly coloured ‘shalwar kamiz’ (traditional South Asian dress) that fluttered in the wind.

Q&A: The President “Is Going to Pay for What He’s Done”

"We're not letting him (President Rafael Correa) leave, and he's going to pay for what he's done to the police."

US-PAKISTAN: Rise in Cross-Border Attacks Spurs Backlash

The steady increase in U.S. cross-border attacks from Afghanistan into the frontier areas of Pakistan – whether by drone missiles or attack helicopters – is causing a serious backlash from both the region's residents and Islamabad's government and military leadership.

PERU: Centre-Left Candidate Surges Ahead in Lima Mayoral Contest

Centre-left candidate Susana Villarán has unexpectedly surged ahead of her centre-right rival Lourdes Flores in the polls to become the front-runner in the race for Sunday's elections for mayor in the Peruvian capital.

G20 Summit Cracks Open Door to Five Non-Members

The G20, a group of powerful political and economic decision- makers criticised for its exclusivity, has invited five non- members to its next summit meeting in South Korea in November.

RIGHTS: U.S. in the Hot Seat for Universal Periodic Review

Every year since 1976 the United States has unilaterally passed judgement, through the State Department, on the human rights situation in some 190 countries. The 5,000-page reports sent to Congress each March regularly rouse angry responses from some of the nations assessed.

CHINA: Massive Rail Network to Cross Continents

As recently as the mid-1980s, China relied on steam-powered relics to transport citizens and goods around its vast territory. Today, the country is home to 6,900 kilometres of high-speed passenger train routes in what is the largest rail network in the world – and growing.

PAKISTAN: Education Falling Out of Afghan Refugees’ Reach

He is only 13 and a refugee in a not-too-hospitable country, but Ahmed Jamal already knows what he wants to do for the next decade or so: follow in the footsteps of his older brother.

Obama Imposes New Iran Sanctions as War Chorus Rises

Amid new calls for Washington to attack Iran's nuclear facilities if its diplomatic efforts at curbing Tehran's uranium-enrichment programme fail, the United States Wednesday imposed unilateral sanctions against eight senior Iranian officials whom it accused of committing "sustained and severe violations of human rights".

CHILE: Society’s Incomprehension Fuels Mapuche Hunger Strike

As concern grows for the health and lives of 38 Mapuche prisoners on a hunger strike in different prisons in southern Chile, IPS consulted academics about the problems underlying the conflict.

BURMA: Heroin Trade Tears Social Fabric of Ethnic Minorities

Dustbins in a university toilet rarely elicit a second look, but those at one of the oldest universities in Burma’s Kachin State do offer reason to pause. The bins, after all, collect a special form of garbage disposed of by students – hypodermic needles and syringes they have used to inject themselves with heroin.

HAITI: Empty Promises, Empty Votes

"We are not going to the election in tents. We want housing before elections." These words were chanted in Creole and held high on placards during a recent demonstration at Haiti's crumpled National Palace, where protesters decried "inhumane" conditions in the camps for displaced people and condemned the government and NGOs which they said have abandoned them.

Q&A: Georgian Lifers Spared Death, Stuck in their Cells

Georgia's punitive criminal justice system has resulted in one of the highest imprisonment rates worldwide. Overcrowding of jails now hampers an ambitious government plan to reform the penitentiary system.