RAIPUR, India, Nov 23 (IPS) - Deep in the forests of central India live the Gond tribals, an almost forgotten lot, neglected as much by the state as by mainstream media. Many cannot read or write. But thanks to a new technology, and the rapid spread of mobile phones through India, they are now picking up their cell phone and making their voice heard.

WASHINGTON, Nov 23 (IPS) - As Secretary of State John Kerry and foreign ministers of at least four other major powers prepared to join talks with Iran in Geneva Saturday, the stakes over the eventual success or failure of the negotiations seem very much on the rise here.

WASHINGTON, Nov 22 (IPS) - Israel, Saudi Arabia, and some of the other ArabGulf states are deeply sceptical of the Barack Obama administration's efforts to reach a deal with Iran limiting its nuclear programme and to improve U.S.-Iranian relations generally.

PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Nov 22 (IPS) - Upping the ante against U.S. drone attacks in Pakistan, celebrated cricketer-turned-political leader Imran Khan has threatened to block NATO supplies to Afghanistan through Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where his party leads a coalition government.

KOLKATA, Nov 22 (IPS) - In Nepal, where a quarter of the population is steeped in poverty, a man who once led a 10-year Maoist insurgency before joining the political mainstream has been splurging on helicopters for his election campaign.

WARSAW, Nov 22 (IPS) - Power generation is a major contributor to the greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming. Choosing the right options for less-polluting energy sources in the future is a vital question – in which energy-starved Africa has a keen interest.

UNITED NATIONS, Nov 21 (IPS) - The multi-billion-dollar Middle East arms market - bolstered by hefty purchases by oil-blessed Arab nations such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait and Qatar - has always been one of the biggest bonanzas to the U.S. defence industry.

WASHINGTON, Nov 21 (IPS) - Eight major multinational consumer products companies have come together to investigate whether it is possible to produce a sustainable form of "bioplastic", made from plants rather than petroleum products.

WARSAW, Nov 21 (IPS) - Hundreds of representatives from various NGOs walked out of the negotiating rooms at the United Nations climate talks in Poland on Thursday in protest against the reluctance by developed nations to commit towards achieving a global climate treaty.

PORT OF SPAIN, Nov 21 (IPS) - The demonstration took place on land and sea simultaneously. In the end, police had arrested three people, including Gary Aboud, president of the Trinidadian NGO Fishermen and Friends of the Sea (FFOS), but protesters were undaunted. They would be back.