An internationally brokered ceasefire in Syria is only being 'partially observed,' the opposition says, as state television reported that a roadside bomb had killed an army officer.

In the eastern Sierra Leonean community of Lambayama, rice paddies are carved far into the landscape before being abruptly halted by distant hills. Aside from a paved road that draws a grey line through the green, swampy valley, it looks much as it did a century ago.

Thus far not a single poll shows Sarkozy winning in France's upcoming presidential elections, though the president is a tenacious fighter willing to do whatever it takes to win, at times behaving like an unscrupulous thug or true mercenary. Since he began the campaign, with monumental shamelessness, he ­ the president of the rich ­ has had the nerve to present himself as the "candidate of the people", wielding near-xenophobic arguments to pander to the far right, writes Ignacio Ramonet, editor of Le Monde diplomatique en espanol.

The nomination of José Antonio Ocampo for the Presidency of the World Bank is a source of pride and hope for all those working for economic and social development, particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean, writes Alicia Bárcena is the executive secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).

The Delhi Declaration and Action Plan adopted at the 4th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on March 29, 2012, would have quickly laid to rest any residual anxiety in Western capitals that a serious rival focus of power and influence was beginning to take shape in the Indian capital, writes Shyam Saran, former Foreign Secretary with the government of India.

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood has surprised both supporters and rivals by abruptly announcing its own nominee for upcoming presidential elections, despite earlier promises that it would not field a candidate from within its own ranks.

Two young women in brightly coloured hijabs and tight jeans stand on the edge of a freeway as cars whiz by. They watch the traffic, heavy in Amman where car ownership is skyrocketing by 10-15 percent a year. When there’s a break in the steady flow of vehicles, the women hold hands and race across the road.

Long Southeast Asia’s black sheep, Myanmar is enjoying an image change following its landmark Apr. 1 by-elections. Tongues are now wagging about the region’s new beacon of hope for democratic change.

The White House Wednesday said it was 'deeply concerned' about growing polarisation between the ruling monarchy and the majority Shi'a community in Bahrain and the welfare of a jailed human rights activist who has been on a hunger strike since early February.

The Committee of Peruvian Refugees in Chile has filed a complaint with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, alleging that this country carries out mass expulsions of immigrants.