News headlines in May 2010, page 17

Calls have been made for Slovakia and Hungary to start 'open and sincere' dialogue amid fears that Slovakia's ethnic Hungarian minority will 'suffer' following the election of a new government in Hungary and as Slovakia's nationalist coalition government looks for re-election.

The agreement on draft Security Council resolution sanctions against Iran has grabbed the headlines on the Barack Obama administration's response to Iran's nuclear swap proposal brokered by Turkey and Brazil. But the more consequential response is the acknowledgement by the U.S. State Department Monday that the administration is not willing to hold talks with Iran unless it agrees to a complete halt in uranium enrichment.

New evidence has been uncovered to show that Dexia, a major Belgian-French bank, is still financing Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories despite official assurances that such loans have ceased.

Cuba's strategy to boost production and reduce imports of food is intended to untangle the bureaucratic knots that hinder privately-run farms, responsible for 70 percent of the food on the country's dinner tables.

In the 1830s, the sheer abundance and diversity of plants and animals in Argentina -- whether on land or in the water -- astounded British naturalist Charles Darwin during his famed tours of South America.

If there were any hopes that Wednesday’s surrender by the leaders of Thailand’s biggest anti-government protests in decades would instantly ease tensions, these were dashed by the ugly spasms of violence that wracked this capital soon after they turned themselves in.

The Malawian government intends to pass a new bill against counterfeit goods by October which will also cover medicines. This step is being taken despite fears that such a law may cause more stock-outs in a country that is already riddled with drug shortages in medical facilities.

Peru's armed forces are gearing up for an unprecedented offensive against a surviving faction of the Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) Maoist guerrilla organisation, which began an armed struggle to seize power in the country 30 years ago.

'I've learned most of what I know about photo editing and graphic design via the Internet,' says Emad, 27-year-old film-maker and editor. In Gaza, this sort of thing has become usual in a different way.

A proposed irrigation scheme promises greater food security for Namibia, but should the 10,000 hectare Katondo Farm Project be completed, it could threaten the health of the Okavango River.