Catastrophic warming to hit poor, says World Bank

Tom Arup THE World Bank has warned the planet is on track to warm by 4 degrees this century, leading to more extreme heat waves, lower crop yields and increased flooding, possibly as early as 2060.

Obama's World Bank job surprise

New York US President picks an expert in public health born in South Korea as his nominee.

World Bank spends billions on coal power

Juliette Jowit LONDON: Record sums were invested last year in coal power - the most carbon-intensive form of energy on the planet - by the World Bank, despite international commitments to slash the carbon emissions...

Where there's smoke there's China

Tom Arup As a former top diplomat in Beijing, and after three decades of professional and personal engagement with the country, Professor Ross Garnaut is no stranger to China.

Obama arrives in Israel, this time as president

Ruth Pollard Barack Obama landed in Israel on Wednesday for the first time as US President, on a mission to ease past tensions with his hosts but facing scepticism about his plans to thwart Iran's nuclear threat.

Rising nations' bank flags global power shift

Mike Cohen, Ilya Arkhipov Emerging markets are uniting to tackle underdevelopment and currency volatility with plans to set up institutions that encroach on the roles of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

Indonesians must swallow bad apples

Michael Bachelard It is 15 months before the first round of the Indonesian presidential election but the incumbent, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, entered lame duck territory some time ago.

Obama and Netanyahu smooth over tensions

Ruth Pollard Putting aside their much-analysed frosty relationship, US President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented a united, even jovial front at the conclusion of Mr Obama's...

China focuses on emissions plan

Tom Arup The Chinese government has unveiled a detailed roadmap for an emission trading scheme.

Lindsay Murdoch

Scandal that refuses to die

Lindsay Murdoch The plot has all the trappings of a B-grade movie: the murder of a glamorous Mongolian socialite amid allegations of high-level bribery, blackmail, betrayal and a political cover-up.

Toxic air blocks out the sun in Beijing

John Garnaut A blanket of toxic air that has blocked out the sun across most of north China is dominating social media and looming as a serious health and political challeng

Beijing under cloud as air pollution threat sparks emergency response

Daryl Loo, Feiwen Rong BEIJING ordered government vehicles off the roads as part of an emergency response to ease air pollution that has smothered China's capital for the past three days, while warning the smog will...

'Mr Condom' spearheads fight against Thailand's new AIDS crisis

Thailand's ''Mr Condom'', Mechai Viravaidya, who has saved millions of lives by raising awareness of HIV/AIDS, says his country is facing a new crisis from the infection.

Two-horse race may open right up

Barney Zwartz, Religion Editor, Rome Two loose coalitions of cardinals have emerged in the papal race, each backing a candidate.

Barney Zwartz

Two-horse race may become a bigger field

Barney Zwartz On Tuesday, as Catholic cardinals enter the Sistine Chapel, where Michelangelo's depiction of the creation and of the last judgment will provide a graphic reminder of their responsibilities in...

Afghan entrepreneur defies war to squeeze out a juice empire

From a gritty walled compound in a fringe of Kabul better known for bombs and violent demonstrations, Mustafa Sadiq is building a global empire on fruit, selling Afghan produce to the...

Joint Nobel laureates square off over corruption claims

Simon Clark The Liberian president, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, has dismissed concern about corruption from Leymah Gbowee, who shared the Nobel Peace Prize with her last year, saying she is "too young".

Donors urged to confront Cambodian abuses

Lindsay Murdoch in Bangkok Donor countries including Australia are being urged to confront Cambodia over escalating violence and human abuses linked to the plunder of the country's natural resources.

Bucking the economic trend

THE CASH machines in Santiago are running out of money, but it is not a run on the banks; shoppers in Chile are simply spending peso notes faster than the automated tellers can provide them.

Timor fund chief makes light of $10.5bn account

Michael Bachelard "If I've got $600 million a year ... you'll partake in it," Olgario de Castro reassures his mates, his voice caught by a secret recorder as coffee cups clink in the background.