Asylum claims soar in industrialised countries - UN
Arab Spring revolutions and a rise in asylum-seekers from Afghanistan contribute to a 20 percent rise in claims, says report
Be politically engaged, social entrepreneurs urged
Political engagement needed as well as commercial activity to change the rules of business
Kuwaiti bedoun protesters sexually abused in jail - rights group
The plight of Kuwait's large population of stateless Arabs, known as bedouns, is an "ugly stain" on the country, says rights group.
Tree-planting schemes sprout across South America
But experts warn reforestation has limits and the top priority should be protecting existing forests
More than 70 pct of war casualties civilian in 2011 - report
Civilians accounted for 71 percent of people killed and injured by explosive weapons in 2011, according to a new report
Coup could exacerbate Mali humanitarian crises - aid groups
Mali's coup risks increasing displacement in the country and complicating efforts to respond to a looming food crisis
Will Twitter put the U.N. out of the disaster business?
How is communications technology transforming disaster response?
?Hunger Games' not pure fiction
About a billion people around the world battle hunger, Tearfund campaign points out
Colombia flood victims at risk as rainy season looms
Thousands of Colombians living in shelters after floods wrecked their homes could be plunged into fresh crisis, says rights group
Red Cross warns of unexploded devices after Congo blast
Massive blast at Brazzaville depot scattered munitions over densely populated neighbourhoods