BUDAPEST, (Apr. 21, 2009) IPS/GIN - As the extension of the U.S. missile defense system to Eastern Europe is halted, President Barack Obama seems inclined to exchange it for Russian cooperation in taming Iran's nuclear ambitions.

COLOMBO, (Apr. 21, 2009) IPS/GIN - In a spirit of South-South Cooperation, Asian non-governmental organizations must take the lead in working in war-torn Sri Lanka and across Asia, an experienced Asian organization leader said.

WASHINGTON, (Apr. 21, 2009) IPS/GIN - President Barack Obama and other top officials in his administration have made it clear there can be no military solution in Afghanistan, and that the non-military efforts to win over the Afghan population will be central to its chances of success.

MACAU, (Apr. 17, 2009) IPS/GIN - Beijing's decade-old flirt with lucrative gambling in the booming casino town of Macau has gone decidedly sour.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, (Apr. 20, 2009) IPS/GIN - Host Patrick Manning, the prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago, insists the Fifth Summit of the Americas that ended here Sunday was a "success."

NEW YORK, (Apr. 17, 2009) IPS/GIN - While human rights advocates were quick to praise President Barack Obama for Thursday's release of infamous "torture memos,", they appear unanimously critical of his decision not to prosecute the Central Intelligence Agency operatives who used the techniques.

BRUSSELS, Belgium, (Apr. 20, 2009) IPS/GIN - Peter Sutherland, chairman of British Petroleum, never realized his goal of becoming president of the European Commission, but his voice is heard by its members.

WASHINGTON, (Apr. 17, 2009) IPS/GIN - After an initial period of putting policymakers in place, the administration of President Barack Obama is slowly rolling out its strategy for dealing with Iran.

TEL AVIV, Israel, (Apr. 20, 2009) IPS/GIN - Even though atrocities committed by Israeli soldiers have surfaced and the appointment of a right-wing government diminishes chances for peace in the Middle East, no left-wing Israeli is taking to the streets in protest.

NEW YORK, (Apr. 17, 2009) IPS/GIN - Lawyers for a Guantanamo detainee are demanding that the Central Intelligence Agency preserve cells and interrogation paraphernalia at a "black site" secret prison as evidence of mistreatment.

OAKLAND, Calif., (Apr. 17, 2009) IPS/GIN - Reports vary about how many people actually showed up at Tax Day Tea Party rallies in dozens of cities across the United States on Wednesday, April 15 -- the deadline for paying taxes.

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, (Apr. 17, 2009) IPS/GIN - Government officials, business leaders and non-governmental organizations agreed in Brazil on the need for rich countries and companies to "pay" the people of the Amazon jungle as "providers of environmental services" for contributing to the fight against climate change by not deforesting.

NEW YORK, (Apr. 20, 2009) IPS/GIN - Human rights advocates are hailing a Spanish judge's order to pursue a criminal investigation into the actions of six George W. Bush administration lawyers for providing legal cover for torture.

WASHINGTON, (Apr. 24, 2009) IPS/GIN - A massive overhaul of U.S. development assistance is needed, says a new report from an influential Washington think tank.

NEW YORK, (Apr. 20, 2009) IPS/GIN - Lawyers are seeking sanctions against government lawyers who created the "enhanced interrogation" policies of former President George W. Bush.

BULAWAYO, (Apr. 24, 2009) IPS/GIN - The Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) was until a few weeks ago - and for the first time since its inauguration half a century ago - on the verge of being postponed because of a lacklustre response from exhibitors to what was once southern Africa's premier showcase of trade opportunities.

UNITED NATIONS, (Apr. 17, 2009) IPS/GIN - The Geneva-based International Organization for Migration has warned that the current financial crisis is threatening to claim another casualty: international migration.

SANTIAGO, (Apr. 24, 2009) IPS/GIN - A new government policy on glaciers adopted by Chile "is a step forward, but it doesn't resolve all of the problems," German geographer Alexander Brenning, who blames mining companies for threats to this South American country's rock glaciers, told IPS.

BERKELEY, California, (Apr. 24, 2009) IPS/GIN - In an Apr. 6 address to the Turkish Parliament on the final day of his European trip, President Barack Obama praised Muslim Americans for "enriching the United States".

DURBAN, (Apr. 20, 2009) IPS/GIN - Hundreds of traders at the Early Morning market in Durban fear the municipality's plans to turn the area into an upscale shopping mall that will cost them their livelihoods.