Pope Benedict XVI is congratulating Seychelles for having "surmounted the challenge of the world economic crisis," as the country "continues to progress and to affirm itself on the path of peace, prosperity and stability." The Holy Father also noted that economic development must also consider the need to respect natural resources, stating: "I appreciate in particular the government's initiatives to restore and preserve the coral reef."

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The Vatican was committed to getting countries aligned with the Copenhagen Accord on climate change, according to the first Vatican cable to appear on the WikiLeaks website.

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The tiny Vatican City is now by far the world's most environmentally friendly state following the installation of giant solar power panels. "The Vatican has reached a small record in solar energy power production per capita: 200 watts at peak times... per inhabitant, compared to 80 in Germany, the world leader in this field," a spokesman has said.

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Hans Rosling's famous lectures combine enormous quantities of public data with a sport's commentator's style to reveal the story of the world's past, present and future development. In this spectacular section of 'The Joy of Stats' he tells the story of the world in 200 countries over 200 years using 120,000 numbers - in just four minutes. Plotting life expectancy against income for every country since 1810, Hans shows how the world we live in is radically different from the world most of us imagine.

The deadly four-day forest fire in northern Israel that killed 41 people was finally brought under control, authorities said.

The state government of Mumbai is planning an incentive program to improve its birth rate, specifically aimed at encouraging citizens not to abort - and not to abandon - their baby girls in particular.

Speaking in the Philippines on November 10, former US President Bill Clinton said that the nation is poised for economic growth, in part because of its large population.

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There is a huge effort today to protect the physical environment from the effects of human activity. But why are environmental crusaders hounding plastic manufacturers and the canned foods industry, while ignoring the most obvious culprit: pharmaceuticals? The fact remains that over the past 50 years countless millions of women have ingested synthetic hormones. These contraceptives are polluting women's bodies and the environment... so why does no one care? Cristina Alarcon examines the issue in this article from MercatorNet.

An article about China's controversial "One Child Policy" and its effects on the Chinese people.

Pope Benedict's recent visit to Britain has been just as controversial as John Paul II's tour of 1982. But the 180-degree shift in the axis of conflict reveals how British society has changed over the past 28 years.

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