Climate : Clash over UNFCCC text vs Accord as basis for future talks (PRIV)
(Meena Raman, Geneva)
A major clash is emerging whether the global climate talks this year should be based on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) texts arising from two years of multilateral work, or the Copenhagen Accord, which was not adopted but only "taken note of" at Copenhagen.

Europe : Tax evasion rampant despite treaties with tax havens (PRIV)
(IPS, Berlin)
New cases of tax evasion in several European countries are showing the limits of the informal agreements reached between the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and tax havens such as Switzerland, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein.

Latin America : Mexico dusts off leadership role (PRIV)
(IPS, Mexico City)
Below the surface, discussions about the international aid effort for Haiti hide undercover jockeying for position between Latin American countries wishing to consolidate or attain dominance in the Caribbean region.

France : Alexandre Dumas loses colour in film (PRIV)
(IPS, Paris)
A new film about Alexandre Dumas, the author of "The Three Musketeers", has sparked a racial row here because a white actor is playing the role of one of France's most-read writers who was of mixed race.

Afghanistan : Marja offensive aimed to shape US opinion on war (PRIV)
(IPS, Washington)
Senior military officials decided to launch the current US-British military campaign to seize Marja in large part to influence domestic US opinion on the war in Afghanistan, the Washington Post reported Monday.

United States : Hispanic farmers seek redress for years of bias (PRIV)
(IPS, Albuquerque)
When the Barack Obama administration urged Congress to settle a protracted anti-discrimination lawsuit for $1.25 billion on behalf of African American farmers last week, Lupe Garcia of Las Cruces, New Mexico was paying close attention.