“The current globalisation may have reduced extreme poverty, but it has clearly enlarged the gap of inequality”, says Juan Somavia, director-general of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). In order to recede the inequality and its corresponding unrest, the Chilean is advocating decent work. That also happens to be the theme of a large campa ...

Most probably, the EU and five Central-American countries will sign a historical association agreement in the beginning of 2009. Oscar Arias, Nobel price winner for peace of 1987 and president of Costa Rica for the second time now, came to Europe to support the negotiations.

Guatemala suffers from escalating conflicts. In 2008, again several hundreds of women were killed, the country has now reach an average of 12 murders a day. If the international community doesn't intervene, the Central-American country might well crack alltogether.

Tourism not terrorism. That is the slogan behind the international campaign launched by the Iraqi premier Nouri al-Maliki, to promote tourism to “the land of Babylon”. A trip to Iraq however, is difficult to reconcile with the official travel advice for Iraq. The country got code six, wich equals: ‘stay out’.

‘ Berbers are free people’, explains the Algerian singer Idir. By this choice of words, he is translating the name Berbers give themselves, the Amazigh. 'It is high time, for us to claim all of our rights.’

There is no escaping it: the debate about the headscarf is everywhere. But it is mainly white man voicing their opinions and concers, while Mulsim women are neglected. Not because they don't have an opinion, writes Samira Bendadi.

The United Arab Emirates have one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Hence their rising need for foreign workers, mainly in construction. Over three quarters of the inhabitants of the UAE are foreigners. They make up ninety per cent of the working population in the private sector.

Poor and rich countries gathered in Accra, Ghana in the beginning of September to come to an agreement about a better organisation of worldwide development aid. Less dissipation, better coordination, more control exercised by developing countries on projects, programs and investment: nobody is against. Then why do things change so slowly?

Together with Ingrid Betancourt and Shakira, Juan Asteban Aristizábal Vásquez (35) alias Juanes is part of the select club Colombians with a worldwide reputation. The singer recently received twelve Latin Grammy and nine MTV Awards, sold more than 10 million C.D.s worldwide and was number one in 32 countries. MO* talked to the likable Latino star a ...

South America is in the midst of developing itself as an autonomous region and refuses to be treated as the US backyard any longer. Washington follows this evolution with suspicion. After almost sixty years of inactivity, the Fourth Fleet, the American marine controlling Latin-American waters, is active again since this summer.

Is financial speculation leading to murder nowadays? It's plausible. The growing interest for raw materials of the financial world is contributing to the increasing prices for energy and food. Belgian big-banks are playing along this game. The World Bank calculated that the price crisis forced one hundred million people into extreme poverty ove ...

We were very sceptical when in December 2007 we received the first papers for a conference which was to be held in Goma on the subject of the Kivus.