Arms manufacturers have been asked to advise an official European Union body on how their products can be used to stop asylum seekers entering the bloc’s territory.

Frontex, the EU’s border management agency, will host an event in Spain this coming June at which several makers of pilotless drones – or unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) - will give presentations. Although these camera-carrying planes have been designed for war and have been used extensively in attacks on civilians in Palestine, Afghanistan and Pakistan, the agency is studying how they can be adapted for border surveillance.

While the number of victims of the severe earthquake and tsunami that hit Chile early Saturday has climbed to 723, government officials and experts admit that the catastrophe has highlighted institutional shortcomings and blunders.

The government of outgoing President Michelle Bachelet called the army onto the streets to help the police curb looting in the city of Concepción, an industrial hub. Coastal localities in the central regions of El Maule and Bío-Bío, which were hit hardest, were struck by tsunamis triggered by the quake that measured 8.8 on the Richter scale at 3:34 local time on Saturday, with ...

Activists and opposition groups are stepping up pressure on the Egyptian government to stop constructing a barrier along the border with the Gaza Strip.

On 13 February hundreds of activists from across the political spectrum convened in downtown Cairo to protest construction of the barrier. Demonstrators held banners reading: "The wall of shame must come down" and "No to sponsoring Israeli crimes." Egyptian officials say the barrier will prevent cross-border smuggling, but critics say it will seal the fate of the people on the Gaza Strip. "The Egyptian border was the only opening left to the Gazans - their only means of staying alive," Gamal Fahmi, political analyst and managing editor of opposition weekly Al-Arabi Al-Nassiri, told IPS.

US President Barack Obama met with the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, Thursday in the White House, raising objections from China and adding to existing US-China tensions.

The low-profile meeting, which noticeably took place in the White House map room instead of the Oval Office, was described by the Dalai Lama as having included discussions on democracy, freedom and human rights.

"The President stated his strong support for the preservation of Tibet's unique religious, cultural and linguistic identity and the protection of human rights for Tibetans in the People's Republic of China,"...

Not long ago an editorial like the one that appeared in the independent Al- Dustour newspaper last week might never have made it into print.

In his weekly column, entitled ‘Fraud for the benefit of Egypt’, chief editor Ibrahim Eissa accuses Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak of systematically and meticulously rigging elections and referendums to perpetuate his rule. While many Egyptians may suspect this, just a decade ago a journalist would likely have been imprisoned for daring to put it in writing. And Eissa still might.

Views within Iceland towards membership of the European Union are mixed. Though Iceland has officially decided to apply for EU membership this does not mean that it will join, even if invited to do so.

Iceland is already a member of the EEA (European Economic Area), which provides many of the advantages enjoyed by EU countries but does not allow for uptake of the euro.

After the banks collapsed in October 2008, there was considerable discussion about the potential benefits of taking up the euro instead of the Icelandic krona, and whether this would be possible without becoming a member of the EU.

The 2004 ‘Orange revolution’ saw a pro-Western leadership win a presidential campaign that pitted them against a pro-Russian candidate accused of vote rigging. After six years of political and economic chaos, then-villain Viktor Yanukovich has reclaimed the President’s post.

Ever since outgoing President Viktor Yushchenko and current Prime Minister Yuliya Timoshenko successfully led the 2004 popular uprising against allegations of electoral fraud that were internationally-backed, the high democratic expectations created gradually gave way to disappointment with the leaders’ inability to work together and to better the country’s depressing economic situation.

Critics express concern over potential abuse of executive power in the United States after intelligence director’s testimony.

In an admission that took the intelligence community and its critics by surprise, Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair acknowledged in a congressional hearing that the US may, with executive approval, target and kill US citizens who are suspected of being involved in terrorism.

Defenders of Israel’s aggressive stance have for years been a force shaping US foreign policy. Now the pro-Israel lobby is also making a concerted effort to strengthen its presence in Europe.

The lobby’s determination to make an impression on European Union policy-makers was exemplified by a new booklet published on 28 January. Titled ‘Squaring the Circle?: EU-Israel Relations and the Peace Process in the Middle East’, the booklet advocates that EU should "rebalance its priorities" and pursue closer relations with Israel regardless of whether progress is made in resolving the conflict with the Palestinians.

A report and budget request from the US Defence Department released on Monday reveal both new and old priorities for President Barack Obama's Pentagon.

Strategically, the military recognises new, non-traditional threats ranging from failed states to cyber-warfare to climate change. But there is little change in the military spending habits of the Obama Pentagon versus that of his predecessor.

The new Quadrennial Defence Review, a congressionally mandated report on the direction of US national security strategy, marks ...