WASHINGTON, Dic 06 (IPS) - Foreign direct investment (FDI) both into and out of developing countries is at or nearing record levels, an arm of the World Bank reported on Thursday.

UNITED NATIONS, Dic 06 (IPS) - Whenever the Security Council (sporadically) or the General Assembly (more frequently) lambastes Israel, the reaction from the Jewish state is highly predictable: either launch a military strike on Palestinians or announce new settlements in the occupied territories.

DOHA, Qatar, Dic 06 (IPS) - United Nations climate talks are on the edge of collapse Thursday, according to a coalition of civil society and representatives from half of the world's countries.

WASHINGTON, Dic 06 (IPS) - Rabbi Brant Rosen leads a congregation in Evanston, Illinois and is author of the new book, Wrestling in the Daylight: A Rabbi's Path to Palestinian Solidarity.

DOHA, Dic 06 (IPS) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been holding tense talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel as plans to build thousands of new settler homes on occupied Palestinian land strain ties with key allies.

SANTIAGO, Dic 06 (IPS) - The legacy of Chile's 1973-1990 dictatorship, which left some 3,000 people dead and "disappeared", remains alive in the country's society and political system, says journalist and writer Mauricio Weibel.

, Dic 06 (IPS) - Gay activist Gerald Ssentongo of Uganda is afraid to talk openly about his cause. Not only that, but he is terrified of being "caught" socialising with gay people and only meets his friends at night in out-of-reach places.

NOUAKCHOTT, Dic 06 (IPS) - Cattle herder Mohamed Ould Bouthiah has seen the future, and he likes what he sees. "Five of my cows are crossbreeds with a European variety, and those five together produce 80 litres of milk a day."

JERUSALEM, Dic 06 (IPS) - After successfully upgrading their status at the United Nations, and securing what has been locally deemed a victory in eight days of fighting between Israel and the Gaza Strip, Palestinians are taking on their next difficult challenge: bridging the long-standing rift between the major Palestinian political factions.

CAIRO, Dic 06 (IPS) - As Egyptians debate how deeply Sharia should influence the new constitution, and in the face of clashes that left five dead on Wednesday, some extremists have taken to the streets to enforce their own interpretation of "God's law". In recent months, these self-appointed guardians of public probity have accosted Muslims and minority Christians they accuse of violating the provisions of Islamic law.