News stories by IPS Correspondents, page 54

CARACAS, Dic 01 (IPS) - Fifteen Latin American and Caribbean financial institutions agreed to create a permanent forum in support of regional trade and integration, at a conference held this week in Venezuela.

BRUSSELS, Dic 01 (IPS) - Italy's foreign minister stressed Thursday that the expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) should contribute to strengthening the security and stability of Europe.

LUSAKA, Dic 01 (IPS) - THE WORLD BANK AND OTHER WESTERN DONORS HAVE ALWAYS PRODDED AFRICAN GOVERNMENTS TO HASTEN THE PACE OF STRUCTURAL ADJUSTMENT.

LONDON, Nov 28 (IPS) - As the end of the twentieth century approaches the nineteenth century curse of slavery is very much alive and well in the North African state of Mauritania.

BANGKOK, Nov 26 (IPS) - Almost a hundred years ago, Thai officials thought their South-east Asian kingdom had too many trees, and the main reason why they established the Royal Forestry Department (RFD) at all was to regulate the stumpage price.

PARIS, Nov 26 (IPS) - Europe's criminal syndicates need no longer look to the Third World for a place to launder their ill-gotten gains -- there are many accessible tax havens with 'flexible' banks much closer to home.

PARIS, Nov 26 (IPS) - Stressed by the impacts on children of France's implacable immigration laws, humanitarian organisations have vowed to keep harping to the authorities the emptiness of official rhetoric on the protection of children.

By Senthil Ratnasabapathy VIENNA, Nov 26 (IPS) - The environmental organisation Greenpeace says logging companies are decimating huge tracts of Russian forests with little thought of replacing those trees felled.

ROME, Nov 26 (IPS) - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said the recent legal actions taken against him are orchestrated attacks which seek to destroy him politically.

LONDON, Nov 26 (IPS) - The peaceful passing of Friday prayers in the Gaza Strip has allowed both the Palestinian Authority and the Islamic 'Hamas' opposition to claim victory. But what was witnessed on Friday is nothing more than a fragile truce.