U.N. Political Body Digresses into “Non-Security” Issues

When the U.N. Security Council, the only political body empowered to declare war and peace, decided to include climate change on its agenda back in 2007, the 131-member Group of 77 (G77) launched a vociferous protest.

BRAZIL: Rousseff Wants Those Who Have More to Pay More

The Brazilian government of Dilma Rousseff is attempting to push through long-delayed reforms of the tax system, which is one of the most onerous and unequal in the world, with a tax burden as heavy as that of many rich countries, but accompanied by deficient public services.

Developing Countries Pledging More Emissions Cuts Than Industrial North

Negotiations over a new international climate agreement are on the brink as new analyses show that carbon emission reduction promises by industrialised nations are actually lower than those made by China, India, Brazil and other developing nations. Even with all the promises or pledges added together they are still far short of cuts needed to prevent global temperatures from rising two degrees Celsius, experts reported here.

Turkey Recalibrating Regional Role

As thousands of Syrian refugees pour over the Turkish border, the just re- elected government in Ankara is confronting the limits of its "no problems" policy toward its neighbours.

New Ministry to Tackle Venezuela’s Notorious Prisons

Venezuela's prisons are considered to be among the most violent and dangerous in the world. But the country now has a new ministry specifically tasked with improving conditions in the penitentiaries and making them fit for inmates.

MIDEAST: Sphinx Avenue Paved With Bitter Memories

Mohamed Saeed’s battle with a wrecking crew ended predictably. His refusal to leave the home his grandfather built and defiant attempts to throw himself in front of the giant hydraulic hammer bought his family some time, but by the end of the day their two-storey house was reduced to rubble.

MIDEAST: Where Freelance Means Abandoned

Sitting by the hospital bed of freelance photographer Mohammed Othman, Ashraf Abu Amrah knows that nobody owns a freelance journalist from Gaza who gets injured, or dies.

LABOUR: Neither Servants nor Family Members, Simply Workers

The world's tens of millions of domestic workers finally won international recognition that they have the same basic labour rights as other workers, in a convention adopted Thursday at the annual meeting of the ILO.

Al-Zawahiri Named New Al-Qaeda Chief

Al-Qaeda has named Ayman al-Zawahiri as its new chief following the killing of Osama bin Laden, the group has said in a statement issued in the name of the group's general command.

Greek PM Talks Tough Amid Worsening Crisis

George Papandreou, the Greek prime minister, has vowed to pursue reforms aimed at tiding over the country's crippling debt crisis, despite popular resentment.

MEXICO: Search for Missing Daughter Points to Int’l Trafficking Ring

Mexican economist Javier Morlett has virtually put his life on hold to search for his daughter Adriana, missing since Sept. 6, 2010. Since her disappearance, Morlett has reported her absence to the authorities and has organised marches and campaigns.

CUBA: Economic Reforms Hitting Women Hard

Women in Cuba are gaining ground in public life and earn the same wages as men. But the gender gap in the workplace is still a challenge for women, who are finding the odds more heavily stacked against them as the government of Raúl Castro adopts economic reforms aimed at "updating" the country's socialist system.

TRINIDAD: Unions Use Labour Day to Send Strong Message to Govt

What a difference a year makes. Less than a month after she led the five-party coalition to a convincing victory in the 2010 general election, Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar became the first head of government to address a Labour Day rally in Trinidad and Tobago.

MIDEAST: Politics Triumphs Over Reason

"The heart has it reasons, of which reason knows nothing of," wrote 15th- century French philosopher Blaise Pascal. Apply the words of wisdom to the prospective U.N.-endorsed recognition of Palestinian statehood, but replace "the heart" with 'politics'.

Red Shirts Shift to Village-Based Politics in Thai Heartland

The shimmering green paddy fields across the vast terrain here remain a vivid marker of rural identity. But now, another colour – red – is steadily taking root in the villages dotting this plateau in north-east Thailand that are home to poor farmers.

SRI LANKA: Onset of Rains Tests Anti-Dengue Campaign

With the monsoon season upon it, Sri Lanka’s war against the deadly dengue- carrying mosquito faces its toughest test yet, but early signs show that the mosquitoes are not quite ready to give up.

PAKISTAN: Taliban Use Human Shields Against Army Offensive

Thousands of civilians are virtually being held hostage in the tribal areas of northwest Pakistan, where the outlawed Taliban have been refusing them passage to safer areas ahead of a government plan to intensify army offensives.

POLAND: Transgender Rights in Forefront of Equality Parade

About 5,000 people attended the Equality Parade in Polish capital Warsaw this weekend. Among them, the country’s first transgender rights activists, who in the last couple of years have made great strides in gaining recognition for the country’s transgender community.

SYRIA: Humanitarian Crisis Intensifies as Security Council Remains Idle

When reports of protests and subsequent civilian deaths as security forces fired on protestors began filtering in from the southern Syrian city of Dera‘a in March, many wondered what turn events would take in both Syria and the international community in the wake of earlier uprisings during the ‘Arab Spring’.

Mental Health Work in Humanitarian Crises

When the devastating ‘Boxing Day' tsunami hit Sri Lanka in December 2004, claiming over 35,000 lives and rendering 1.5 million people homeless, the World Health Organization (WHO) was confronted by a second disaster soon after it arrived to begin relief efforts in early January.

U.S.: Neoconservatives Losing Hold Over Republican Foreign Policy

Nearly ten years after seizing control of Republican foreign policy, neo- conservatives and other hawks appear to be losing it.