News stories by Portia Crowe, page 3

The world has witnessed a decline in global peace over the last year, according to the 2011 Global Peace Index, or GPI, released by the Institute for Economics and Peace Wednesday.

While most of the world is closely watching the Middle East, monitoring the human rights situations in Bahrain, Syria, Libya and Israel, the International Crisis Group (ICG) is keeping its eye on neighbouring Central Asia.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the landmark 1951 U.N. Convention on the Status of Refugees defining their rights and states' legal obligations to protect them.

The road to the crucial Rio+20 conference on greening the world economy next year has hit a setback with the breakdown of the 19th session of the U.N. Commission on Sustainable Development after 10 days of intense negotiations.