Trade : Work begins on streamlining LDC accession process (PRIV)
(Kanaga Raja, Geneva)
The WTO Sub-Committee on Least Developed Countries (LDCs) on Friday agreed to begin informal consultations on developing recommendations to "further strengthen, streamline and operationalize" the LDC accession guidelines first adopted in 2002.

United Nations : How the US manipulates key appointments (PRIV)
(IPS, New York)
When Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announces his new team of senior officials shortly, his appointments will be based not only on merit but also on demands made by the five big powers - the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia - as well as key donors who sustain UN agencies through voluntary contributions.

Health : Half of all abortions now unsafe, study finds (PRIV)
(IPS, New York)
The proportion of abortions deemed unsafe rose from 44 percent in 1995 to almost half (49 percent) in 2008, according to a new study released Thursday.

Mexico : Mayans demand voice in "doomsday tourism" boom (PRIV)
(IPS, Mexico City)
The indigenous people of southeast Mexico are demanding to be included in the official programmes planned for 2012 to take advantage of the world's interest in the "Mayan prophecy", while at the same time fearing a "doomsday tourism" that could damage and contaminate their sacred sites.

Egypt : Islamist parties to abide by Camp David - for now (PRIV)
(IPS, Cairo)
The Islamist landslide in recently concluded parliamentary polls has led to fears in some quarters of an impending paradigm shift in Egyptian foreign policy. Most local analysts, however, dismiss the likelihood of any sea changes, especially when it comes to the sensitive issues of Palestine and the Camp David peace agreement between Egypt and Israel.

Central America : Guatemalans long for security, fear more abuses (PRIV)
(IPS, Guatemala City)
Guatemala's new president, retired general Otto Perez Molina, made campaign promises to deal with crime with a firm hand ("mano dura") in this country, one of the most violent in the world where impunity is almost absolute, giving rise to cautious hopes from civil society.

Balkans : The dark side of Serbia's oil shale fairy tale (PRIV)
(IPS, Belgrade)
According to an old Serbian fairy tale, God tells a poor man who enters a gold mine that no matter what he chooses to do inside, he'll be sorry when he leaves. If he takes some gold, he'll be sorry for not taking more; if he doesn't, he'll be sorry for not taking any at all.