Overseas news archive

24.08.2006 A massive increase in sexual assaults near Darfur's largest displacement camp could be halted if African Union forces patrolling the area were immediately given the resources they need to protect civilians, says an international advocacy group.

24.08.2006 One year after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, poor policy decisions, bureaucratic bungling, and lack of political will have left the region's poor further behind than ever, says a new report from a leading international humanitarian aid group.

23.08.2006 Some 38 lawyers in Iraq have been killed since last October, many of whom were defending women's rights or defending those accused of violating Islamic law.

23.08.2006 ActionAid is warning that the death toll due to flooding in Ethiopia could rise substantially in the next few days. Many of the 50,000 people made homeless by the floods are in danger of catching various life-threatening diseases, the agency said.

23.08.2006 Citizens for Global Solutions is looking for a few good poets, artists, and activists of all ages and backgrounds who have something to get off their chests--particularly about the environment and social justice. Contributions are being accepted until October 15th.

23.08.2006 Following allegations of dangerous pesticide levels in soft drinks, government action against Coke and Pepsi across India, and a long-running campaign to highlight the water shortages created by bottling operations, over a thousand Indians demanded Tuesday that the multinational drink companies leave their country.

23.08.2006 ACCION International is backing lending organizations in new markets, as it announced Tuesday it will extend loan guarantees to help spur small business opportunities in Poland and the Republic of Georgia.

22.08.2006 Low-cost technologies, efficient water use, and recycling urban wastewater can help solve the water shortages that affect fully one third of the world's population, according to an exhaustive study released Monday.

22.08.2006 Recent spills off the coasts of the Philippines, India, and Lebanon are impacting ecosystems already stressed from over-fishing, toxic pollution, and climate change. Greenpeace reports.

22.08.2006 Japan has halted imports of U.S. long-grain rice after it was revealed last week that U.S. exports have been contaminated with a genetically modified strain of rice illegal for human consumption. Friends of the Earth is calling on other countries to follow suit.

22.08.2006 A Monday deadline for Zimbabweans to exchange their old dollars for new denominations, intended to help ease the pain of near 1,000 percent hyperinflation, struck chaos upon the country.

22.08.2006 Already facing uncertainty over a violent Maoist insurgency, a splinter Maoist faction in Nepal's southern area is now calling for sovereignty and independence.

21.08.2006 The results of the Democratic Republic of Congo's first free elections in 40 years were announced Sunday night on television, sparking some violence across the nation's capital, Kinshasa, and portending a run-off election among the top two candidates.

21.08.2006 The biannual international AIDS conference ended in Toronto Friday with top anti-AIDS campaigners singling out the governments of South Africa, the United States, and Canada for sins of omission and commission in the struggle against AIDS.

21.08.2006 Several environmental groups are hoping to replicate the global "carbon trading" scheme to save forests worldwide. The plan they're promoting would award credits to countries that reduce deforestation rates, allowing them to sell those to other countries for profit.

21.08.2006 After 20 years of war, peace is a real possibility as negotiations continue between the Ugandan government and rebel groups. Travel with Oxfam's Clare Rudebeck to discover what everyday life is like for those caught in between.

21.08.2006 The Catholic bishop in Trincomalee, the heart of some of the fiercest fighting that has forced over 150,000 Sri Lankans from their homes, wonders how long it will take the international community to step in. "This combat is different from what I have witnessed in the past," he warned ominously.

21.08.2006 Despite claims that fighting is over between Chechnyan rebels and Russian authorities, villagers say they see no prospect of getting back to normal life any time soon.

21.08.2006 A team of 50 young Europeans will set off Wednesday across 2500 kilometers and 8 countries to promote the Millennium Development Goals and discuss Europe's responsibility for their achievement.

18.08.2006 Sub-Saharan Africa has seen a tenfold increase in the numbers with access to HIV treatment since the end of 2003, surpassing the 1 million mark for the first time.