News headlines in March 2011, page 41

As the defectors from the Libyan army organize the weapons they have recovered from Muammar Gaddafi's strongholds in the region, thousands of Libyan men are volunteering to join the soldiers in a possible attack on Tripoli to oust Gaddafi from power.

For years now, supporters of the Iranian opposition group the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) have lobbied in vain to have the organisation taken off the U.S. State Department's terrorism list.

The 192-member General Assembly, the highest policy-making body at the United Nations, unanimously adopted a resolution Tuesday suspending Libya's membership in the Geneva-based Human Rights Council.

They live in a town with an apt name, Soledad (Solitude) de Guadalupe, of just 50 houses, most of which are inhabited by women on their own, in the Sierra Madre mountains in the small state of Querétaro in central Mexico.

It is short sighted to dismiss the benefits or potential of engaging the private sector in human rights matters, says Sara Lulo, director of the Avon Global Center for Women and Justice.

A first-of-its-kind lawsuit alleging gross negligence and fraud has been filed in a Florida state court against Kenneth Feinberg, the administrator of the 20-billion-dollar compensation fund for victims of BP's Gulf oil spill, and the Gulf Coast Claims Facility (GCCF).

Ordinary women's voices are too often ignored when it comes to solving their own problems, admonishes Loga Virahsawmy, Director of the Southern African NGO Gender Links, Mauritius and Francophone Office.

Why did Africa move from being a net exporter to a net importer of food in the 1980s when the prices of its key commodity exports tumbled and its agriculture slowed down? Its food trade deficit is now around USD 20 billion and, given the current rise in prices, could get much worse, writes Pascal Lamy, Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

During a recent visit to India, I heard a great deal of talk among my friends and acquaintances about India’s 'demographic dividend.' Almost half of India’s current population is below 25 years of age. If properly educated and trained, this young work force could vastly accelerate the process of India’s economic growth in the next several decades and lift hundreds of millions out of poverty. India’s economy has been growing at the annual rate of about 9 per cent, for several years now, and this could go up higher as more young people join the work force.

The UN children’s agency UNICEF announced Monday that the Cathal Ryan Trust will contribute $14 million to help some of the most vulnerable children in post-conflict Sri Lanka.