Finance : IMF does an about-turn on use of capital controls (PRIV)
(Kanaga Raja, Geneva)
In a reversal of its long-standing opposition to the use of capital controls, the staff of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has now come out to say that capital controls can be a legitimate part of the policy toolkit to manage capital inflows in certain circumstances.

United States : Defying US, Pakistan keeps custody of Baradar (PRIV)
(IPS, Washington)
The refusal of Pakistani intelligence to turn over Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and as many as six other top Taliban figures to the United States or the Afghan government has dealt a serious blow to the Barack Obama administration's hopes for Pakistani cooperation in weakening the Taliban.

France : Urges EU to tighten Mediterranean borders (PRIV)
(IPS, Paris)
The European Union is studying a range of measures aimed at strengthening its external borders to deter undocumented migrants from entering via Mediterranean member states such as Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Spain.

United States : Blackwater's migraines multiply (PRIV)
(IPS, New York)
Legal headaches are growing exponentially for the security firm formerly known as Blackwater - once the darling of the military-industrial community.

Mexico : Ecological smoke from fuel-efficient stoves (PRIV)
(IPS, Santa Maria Rayon)
The lives of many rural women and children in Mexico are changing, and the country's high deforestation rate could be reduced, as inexpensive fuel-efficient cook stoves are being distributed by non-governmental organisations with corporate and government support.