The West Disappoints Azerbaijan Government Critics
Democratisation activists in Azerbaijan are increasingly pessimistic about what they describe as the West’s lack of support for reform and the protection of basic rights in the energy-rich South...
View ArticleU.N. Harnesses Social Media to Reach Outside World
As the world continues to turn digital, so does the United Nations – slowly but steadily. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says the world body is increasingly drawing on social media tools, including...
View ArticleFew Meaningful Changes in Wake of Dhaka Factory Collapse
Worker advocacy groups here are calling on some of the most high-profile U.S.-based clothing companies to make drastic reforms to their international labour practices in the wake of the factory...
View ArticleFragile States Show Signs of Progress Toward MDGs
Twenty of the world’s most fragile states, including those currently affected by conflict, have achieved one or more of the development targets outlined under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs),...
View ArticleU.N. Finds “Little Appreciation” for Human Rights among U.S. Businesses
A United Nations expert group is warning that too many gaps remain in implementing new safeguards among businesses based in the United States, both in terms of their domestic and international...
View ArticleObama Seen Unlikely to Sharply Escalate Intervention in Syria
Despite renewed pressure by hawks in Congress and the media, U.S. President Barack Obama appears determined to avoid sharply escalating U.S. involvement in the ongoing civil war in Syria. While...
View ArticleGoing to School Away From School
As the Czech government comes under fire for apparently backtracking on commitments to inclusive education, Roma children and teenagers continue to be systematically shut out of Eastern Europe’s...
View ArticleHunger Rises in Great Britain
The social consequences of austerity economics have been most visible in Europe’s southern periphery. In the UK, the coalition government has brought in sharp cutbacks in welfare state provision in the...
View ArticleBuilding an Agricultural Empire
Genghis Khan knew about hard times. The founder of the Mongol Empire, which spanned most of Eurasia until roughly 1227, Genghis and his clan had to survive on their wits and natural surroundings, often...
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Free and Fair Elections – Except for Ahmadis
Twenty-five-year-old Syed Hasan, a doctor practicing in a private hospital in Lahore, plans to spend most of May 11, Pakistan’s long-awaited Election Day, in bed. Members of the minority Ahmadi...
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Mexico’s Community Radio Stations Fight for Survival and Recognition
Radio Totopo was founded in February 2006 in the Pescadores neighbourhood, the oldest and poorest part of the city of Juchitán in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca. But the authorities closed it...
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Austerity is Dismantling the European Dream
The European Union (EU) has asked its citizens to brace for further economic misery. In a report on European economic prospects released on May 3, the European Commission said that further...
View Article‘Pirates’ Contest Icelandic Elections – And Win
With an unprecedented number of political parties contesting Iceland’s latest elections, Icelanders are discovering that if they are passionate about a particular issue, they need simply to find...
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U.N. Accused of Playing Down Nuke Disarmament Conference
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is one of the most vociferous advocates of a world free of nuclear weapons. The lack of publicity stands in contrast to the strong public stand taken by Secretary-General...
View ArticleDominican Women in Argentina Especially Vulnerable
Despite the enormous distance between the two countries, Argentina has become an increasingly frequent destination for migrants from the Dominican Republic, especially women, who are vulnerable to...
View ArticleU.S. Reforms Could Slash African Immigration Levels
Advocates for the African diaspora in the United States have stepped up a campaign to urge the U.S. Congress not to end a longstanding visa programme aimed at boosting immigration from...
View ArticleRich Countries Drag Feet at Climate Talks
Another week of international climate negotiations ended in Bonn, Germany last Friday, but there was little mid-level bureaucrats could do when world leaders remain in thrall to the fossil fuel...
View ArticleEurope Urged to Step into Breach of Failed Mideast Peace
The Oslo peace process has failed and Europe must take stronger leadership in the Middle East, according to a distinguished group of former European leaders that is pushing for a stronger and more...
View ArticleQ&A: The Security of a Nation Is Its Women
Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, a human rights lawyer and the general secretary of the global rights network World YWCA, knows what it is like to struggle against poverty and violence: she herself comes from...
View ArticleMigrant Children Struggle to Learn
In the hustle and bustle of Thailand’s capital, Bangkok, a small learning centre located in the Bang Bon district is helping children hailing mostly from the war-torn provinces of Myanmar (Burma) gain...
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