China Begins to Look Away From Africa

Jasmine blossoms’ fall from grace in the Chinese flower industry is not the only blow Chinese businesses have suffered as a result of the North African and Middle Eastern democratic uprisings this spring. China is evaluating the impact of the Jasmine revolution on its overseas investment and outward business expansion strategy.

PAKISTAN: Tribes Plead for End to Army Offensives

Fear and anxiety have spread among residents of North Waziristan in northwest Pakistan after U.S. Admiral Mike Mullen, outgoing Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, announced that the Pakistani government would launch a major offensive in the area.

MIDEAST: September Knocks on Israeli Gates

"September 2011 is knocking on our gates," says an Israeli army officer who, under strict operation procedures, would not reveal his name. He was alluding to the United Nations General Assembly annual meeting expected to resoundingly endorse the Palestinian drive for recognition of statehood.

Urban Transformation for Interethnic Cities

Urban centres, marked by globalisation, migration and the intermingling of culturally and ethnically diverse communities were among the major topics of the International Conference on the Inter-ethnic City held in Rome last week on the eve of the celebrations of Italy’s national day.

Governments and Powers-That-Be Fear the Internet

The global reach of the internet, and its ability to transmit information in real time and mobilise populations, creates fear among governments and the powerful, says Frank La Rue, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression.

PERU-US: Washington Urged to Cooperate with Humala

The United States should seek cooperative relations with Peruvian President-elect Ollanta Humala, a number of Andean specialists urged here Monday.

Ahmadinejad’s Subsidy Reductions Squeeze Iran’s Producers

Owners of industrial and agricultural enterprises who initially welcomed Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's plan to reduce subsidies by lifting the price-support system for basic goods have now become its chief critics.

ELECTIONS-PERU: Leftist Winner Promises “Growth with Social Inclusion”

For the first time in the democratic history of Peru, a left-wing candidate has won the presidency. With the support of an overwhelming majority of voters in the provinces, retired lieutenant colonel Ollanta Humala defeated his right-wing rival Keiko Fujimori, whose strongest backing was in the capital, in Sunday's runoff.

U.N. Chief Seeks Second Five-Year Term from 2012

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who completes his five- year term by the end of this year, offered himself "for consideration" for a second five-year term as chief administrative officer of the world body.

BELARUS: Despite Crackdown, Opposition is Defiant

President Alexander Lukashenko has locked most of his rivals in jail, but the Belarus opposition continues to work diligently to isolate the dictator.

ARGENTINA: Avoidable Maternal Deaths on the Rise

Argentina is moving backwards in terms of maternal mortality, with a rate three times higher than those of its neighbours Chile and Uruguay. Maternal deaths, which are actually increasing, are often the result of unsafe abortions, in a country where the practice is illegal.

OP-ED: Europe’s Rising Islamophobia

Religious intolerance is a daily reality in Europe. Mainly targeted at Muslims, attacks on religious pluralism focus on refusing to share public space with non-majority religions or only tolerating practices seen as "secular".

The Struggle for Succession in Yemen

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh's departure for medical treatment in Saudi Arabia leaves something of a power vacuum in the country, which has been ruled by one man for decades.

Morocco’s Uprisings and All The King’s Men

Thousands poured into the streets of Rabat on Sunday Jun. 5 to condemn the death of a protester and to demand an end to the country-wide government crackdown on peaceful demonstrations.

OP-ED: Seeking Justice in Mexico, and the Legacy of Robert Kennedy

On this day, 43 years ago, in the midst of a national struggle to make real the promises of justice and equality, we lost Robert F. Kennedy. Today, we honour his legacy when we stand with heroes who are devoted to the pursuit of justice and put their own lives on the line for others.

U.S. Plan to Boost Nuke Spending Undercuts Nonproliferation, Activists Warn

A Pentagon plan to step up spending on nuclear weaponry would severely undermine global efforts geared towards disarmament, warn independent analysts on U.S. nuclear policy.

McCain Cold to Warmer U.S.-Burma Ties

If Burma’s quasi-civilian government was hoping for warmer ties with the U.S. government, Senator John McCain’s visit to this South-east Asian nation has placed such hopes on ice.

MIDEAST: Palestinian Spring Brings Nothing New

It is a scene replayed weekly in Palestine. In Gaza, groups of chanting demonstrators walk towards the border with Israel, singing, chanting, dancing. Ayat el Masari, 20, walks with the masses. An English major at Gaza's Aqsa University, the young woman is among many women who regularly attend Palestinian protests.

MIDEAST: Settling Into Humiliation

For 61-year-old Abd al-Rahim Bisharat, life in the Bedouin community of al- Hadidiya in the northern Jordan Valley is anything but easy. "The problem is not only poverty, but the degree of how (the Israelis) treat us as humans, our rights as humans," Bisharat told IPS over the phone from his home, with the sound of roosters crowing in the background. "We have no transportation, no electricity, no water, no health, no education.

Can Mexico Shed Image as Ground Zero in Narco Wars?

Last year, the online branding company East-West Communications ranked Mexico 191st out of 200 countries on its Brand Perception Index, which is generated by analysing buzzwords in the international media's quarterly and annual coverage of a certain country.

MIDEAST: Killer Butterfly Takes Wing

"Look, a swallowtail!" A 70-year old moustachioed man hops jubilantly between rocks and prickly flowers, chasing a butterfly. "And look here!" What looks like a dragonfly hovers around in a mechanical whirr of transparent wings.