Even as the U.N. launched the International Year of Youth last week, one of its agencies was warning of a 'lost generation' of disillusioned young workers who are unable to find decent jobs.

'I still view corruption as an extraordinary danger' to the country, as its 'corrosive power' makes it a matter of 'national security,' said Esteban Morales, who was expelled from the Cuban Communist Party (PCC) after publishing an article warning of its pervasive effects.

Desertification has long been recognised as a major environmental, economic and social problem for countries the world over. But despite major efforts, which started with the United Nations Conference on Desertification (UNOCD) in 1977, the process of land degradation is intensifying.

'If this is not God’s wrath, what is?' 40-year-old taxi driver Bakht Zada said of the massive floods in Pakistan that have swept away his life earnings.

For Muhammad el-Baradiyeh, 38, the Muslim holy month of Ramadan is always a blessing.

'Africans do not believe women can do big business,' fumes Zambian trader Angelica Rumsey.

When architect Hikari Kurihara built his quaint house five years ago, he hoped to spread a new message of conservation — by revisiting the past.

Although long treated as a problem exclusive to high-income and developed countries, cancer is also a major cause of mortality in the developing world. A group of leading cancer and global health experts is now calling for new strategies to effectively prevent and treat cancer in poor countries.

It's a trade that requires no capital, only courage and endurance. A group of 200 women are making ends meet - sometimes even a bit more - by selling sand.

Kenyans can now save towards the cost of childbirth at the country's largest maternal hospital thanks to a medical smart card system.