News headlines in 2011, page 194

In their hundreds of thousands they have crossed the border, arriving by boat, bus or on foot. After decades of civil war with the north, South Sudanese have come back home to witness the birth of their new nation on Jul. 9. The fight for independence has come to an end, but for many returnees, the struggle is far from over.

Efforts to combat pollution in Lake Titicaca, which straddles the borders of Peru and Bolivia high up in the Andes mountains, have shown slightly better results in Puno Bay on the Peruvian side, but have barely made a difference in Cohana Bay on the Bolivian side, according to local fishers and specialists interviewed by Tierramérica.

Every year the Zambia government allocates billions of Kwacha for poverty reduction, but much of the money has been stolen or misappropriated.

The pipeline that carries Egyptian natural gas to Israel was attacked by unknown perpetrators on Monday (Jul. 4), the third such incident since the Jan. 25 Revolution that ended the rule of longstanding former president Hosni Mubarak.

The sharing of oil between North and South Sudan needs to be urgently addressed otherwise conflict between the two regions will escalate and could possibly lead to civil war, according to government officials and rights organisations.

As UN Women, the new United Nations agency dedicated to enhancing gender equality, releases its first annual report, its most significant finding may be the shared challenges faced by women across the globe.

Villages like this one are nothing more than a mix of small wooden and cement houses on tree-lined lanes where people make a living growing rice or rearing cattle and pigs. Yet they are shaping the future of Thailand’s democracy and taking part in what residents call a 'rural awakening'.

A crucial proposal to move to higher climate targets in the EU was resolutely voted down Tuesday after amendments by Conservatives heavily watered down the proposal. Several members of parliament blame business lobbying for the loss, even though dozens of corporations called out for higher climate goals.

As Bahrain's government launches its much-touted 'national dialogue' with members of civil society, experts here are expressing scepticism that it will defuse growing tensions in the strategically located Gulf kingdom, let alone promote genuine reform.

Amidst despair and poverty, women in some remote villages of Bangladesh are raising money and lending it to each other through a unique microfinance programme launched by a local non-government organisation.