News stories by IPS Correspondents, page 27

BONN, Dic 26 (IPS) - A lack of cohesive economic policies among North African countries continues to make regional integration a "very difficult" goal to attain six years after the Union of the Maghreb (UMA) was formed, says a new European bank study.

MEXICO CITY, Dic 26 (IPS) - A commission recognised by the Mexican government and the Zapatista insurgents in the southern state of Chiapas began to mediate on Monday, while the army continued to reinforce its position in the area.

RIO DE JANEIRO, Dic 24 (IPS) - Water should not be a problem in Brazil, a country with abundant tropical rains and three of South America's largest river basins, but the country's major cities are suffering serious shortages.

MEXICO CITY, Dic 24 (IPS) - Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo on Friday chose Interior Secretary Esteban Moctezuma as official peace negotiator for any future peace talks with the Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN).

BONN, Dic 24 (IPS) - Germany's non-governmental organisations (NGOs) want all industrialised nations to commit themselves to reducing their emissions of carbon dioxide to a level that is at least 20 percent below the 1990 level by the year 2005.

MANILA, Dic 24 (IPS) - Asia may remain a favourite passageway for ships carrying nuclear or hazardous waste, but more and more governments are speaking out and saying they will not allow lethal cargo through their waters.

BANDA, INDIA, Dic 24 (IPS) - AS DAWN BREAKS OVER AMACHER NERUVA VILLAGE IN NORTHERN INDIAN UTTAR PRADESH STATE, SUMITRA, 40, BEGINS A LONG TRUDGE INTO THE SURROUNDING FORESTS IN SEARCH OF FIREWOOD.

COLOMBO, Dic 24 (IPS) - HEAPS OF UNSIGHTLY GARBAGE DOT THIS BEAUTIFUL CAPITAL CITY PROVIDING PERIODIC EYESORES AND BREEDING GROUNDS FOR ALL MANNER OF DISEASES.

NAIROBI, Dic 24 (IPS) - The launching of an International Decade of Indigenous Peoples offers a valuable opportunity for a new partnership for sustainable development, says the head of the U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP).

HARARE, Dic 24 (IPS) - A MYSTERIOUS DISEASE WHICH CAUSES PARALYSIS IN ELEPHANTS IS BAFFLING ENVIRONMENTALISTS HERE.