News stories by Kitty Stapp, page 6

, Dic 04 (IPS) - Two of the most despotic leaders in the world sit atop the governments of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, according to rights groups. But in sharp contrast to the way they regard their respective peoples, Turkmenistan's Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov and Uzbekistan's Islam Karimov seem to treat each other with courtesy and respect when they get together.

, Nov 29 (IPS) - The Arab world is widely perceived as blessed with an embarrassment of riches: an abundance of oil (Saudi Arabia), one of the world's highest per capita incomes (Qatar), and home to the world's tallest luxury building (United Arab Emirates).

, Nov 25 (IPS) - The devil is in the details. This cliché is already being invoked regarding the deal concluded this past weekend between Iran and the so-called P5+1 – the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, plus Germany, along with the European Union's High Representative, Baroness Catherine Ashton.

, Nov 20 (IPS) - Growing income inequality will pose a major threat to social stability in countries around the globe, according to a new report by the World Economic Forum.

, Nov 19 (IPS) - Burning of fossil fuels added a record 36 billion tonnes of CO2 to the atmosphere in 2013, locking in even more heating of the planet.

, Nov 18 (IPS) - Even as Washington has mounted a strikingly robust response to the humanitarian crisis in the Philippines, the ongoing effort is highlighting important gaps in the United States' emergency relief capability – gaps that could start to be addressed through legislative reforms currently under debate in the U.S. Congress.

, Nov 14 (IPS) - The U.S. government has designated the Nigeria-based militant groups Boko Haram and Ansaru as terrorist organisations, prohibiting U.S. citizens from interacting or aiding the groups.

, Nov 13 (IPS) - Asylum seekers who travel to the United States to escape persecution in their home countries receive no assistance from the U.S. government and are not allowed to work for months, which activists say lead many to live on the streets or work illegally.

, Nov 11 (IPS) - Threatened by rising seas, some of the world's small island developing states (SIDS) are demanding that the U.N.'s new set of Sustainable Development Goals place a high priority on the protection of oceans and marine resources.

TORONTO, Nov 09 (IPS) - Gossip and rumour based on secret intelligence sources may be all that is needed to deport a foreign national from Canada on national security grounds, legal experts say.