News stories by IPS Correspondents, page 65

ROME, Nov 19 (IPS) - The top 10 multinational corporations in the world have a combined annual income of 700 billion dollars, 50 billion less than that of organised crime, according to a press release from the United Nations Ministerial Conference on Criminality due to begin Monday in Naples.

MOSCOW, Nov 18 (IPS) - A great deal of diplomatic importance is being attached by Moscow to the five-day visit of Russian Prime Minister Victor Chernomyrdin to the Arab Gulf States which starts Saturday, say political analysts here.

PARIS, Nov 18 (IPS) - Associations in defence of children's rights are putting the French government on the spot for its disregard of the welfare of the children born to immigrants.

LONDON, Nov 18 (IPS) - Coffee has been sliding all week through based largely on technical factors as speculators dumped the commodity.

ZAGREB, Nov 18 (IPS) - Bosnian Serb aircraft attacked the U.N. safe area of Bihac in north west Bosnia-Hercegovina on Friday, U.N. officials reported here.

LONDON, Nov 18 (IPS) - The London Metal Exchange (LME) had one of its most hectic periods this week, with frantic price leaps boosted by waves of speculative buying.

KINGSTON, Nov 18 (IPS) - As the inaugural meeting of the International Seabed Authority ended in Kingston Friday, statements by Caribbean leaders indicated a consensus that the region has much to gain from the work of the new U.N. agency.

KINGSTON, Nov 18 (IPS) - Caribbean Community (Caricom) heads of governments, meeting in Kingston this week trying to reach a common position for the upcoming summit of the Americas, feel their concerns are not being taken seriously in Washington.

LIMA, Nov 18 (IPS) - Peru's state-run water company will not be sold to the highest bidderfor the first time in the country's fast-paced privatisation processbut to the firm which promises to charge the lowest rates and to expand services.

HAVANA, Nov 18 (IPS) - The fourth flight of voluntarily repatriated Cubans arrived Friday from the U.S. Guantanamo naval base to Cuban territory with 25 people aboard, government sources announced.