Global Partnerships

27.03.2006 Pakistan-born firebrand Tariq Ali wears many hats as a novelist, historian, broadcaster and political campaigner who will remain a dissenter. A radical to the core, he has remained at the forefront of anti-war campaigns. Here he talks to TerraViva about social movements, the need to break the cycle of military rule in Pakistan, and the WSF.

27.03.2006 While a buzz of excitement surrounds the World Social Forum, now underway in the Pakistani city of Karachi, veteran activists and political scientists here are having reservations over the regional approach to the global event, with some even unaware it was taking place.

24.03.2006 The United Nations Security Council extended the mandate of the four year-old United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan which expires on 24 March, for an additional 12 months in order to continue assisting the Afghan leadership during the next phase of rebuilding the country.

08.03.2006 A flare-up of violence in Sri Lanka's volatile east and impatience with Norwegian mediation from pro-Sinhala political parties are threatening to derail peace negotiations between the government and Tamil Tiger representatives in Geneva.

07.03.2006 In an effort to mobilize young people to work toward international development goals, delegates from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean have agreed on plans for a world summit of youth leaders at United Nations Headquarters in New York in October, 2006.

07.03.2006 Oxfam International said that five major donor countries have failed to commit anything to a global emergency fund just days before it is officially launched by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan next Thursday. The US, Japan, Australia, Italy and Canada have not pledged a single cent to the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). France has only given just over one million dollars while poorer countries including Mexico, Grenada and Sri Lanka have all contributed to the fund.

06.03.2006 The security risks inherent in the nuclear cooperation agreement reached yesterday between President Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh far outweigh the energy benefits of the deal, according to researchers at the Worldwatch Institute. Spending the same money on new, clean energy options would provide greater energy security without increasing the risk that terrorists will get their hands on new nuclear arsenals.

03.03.2006 World editors to discuss the controversial cartoons of Prophet Mohammed at a global meeting of editors. Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, which was at the heart of the Mohammed cartoon clash, has agreed to discuss the controversy in a special session at the World Editors Forum conference to be held in Moscow in June.

03.03.2006 The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has welcomed the nuclear pact between India and the US saying that it would help prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. The IAEA said that this is a step forward in international nuclear safety.

02.03.2006 The European Union plans to allocate 500 million euros (600 million dollars) to combat the effects of globalisation. The European Globalisation Fund (EGF) plans to use the money in cases where the dismantling of a major company or industry sector affects at least 1,000 people or one per cent of workers within a certain region.