Bosnia and Herzegovina has little money to invest in technology to improve energy efficiency in homes and industrial plants. Now low-interest loans may help. Capital is also flowing in Guinea, where the profits from bauxite mining may finally start to benefit the local population. And: as the EU prepares to export more milk to Colombia, dairy farmers there fear for their livelihoods.
Guinea holds the world's largest reserves of bauxite, a mineral from which aluminum is obtained. Eighty to eighty-five percent of Guinea's export revenues come from sales of this resource. However, the impoverished country has not benefited from its mineral wealth. Guinea's first democratically elected president is trying to reverse that.
Alpha Condé has pushed through a new mining law that charges mining companies higher taxes and guarantees the state a fifteen percent share in the enterprises.
Women's soccer in the Arabic world - just kicking a ball around for fun - is that possible? In Iran women are only allowed to play soccer if they wear headscarves. In Saudi Arabia women have only just been permitted to play at all - without male observers.
A group of 30 women founded one of the first Saudi soccer clubs. They gave it the name "Atahadi" - "challenge" - because women playing soccer in Saudi Arabia still face many dangers.
Colombia has 500,000 small farmers, many of whom earn a living from milk. Now their livelihood is facing stiff competition. A free trade agreement with the EU would make it easier for European farmers to export to Colombia.
High-performance European cows produce an average of eighteen liters per day, while the animals owned by the Colombian farmers - without hormones or special feed - produce around five. If the free trade deal goes through, the EU will be able to sell more milk products in Colombia without import tariffs.
In northern India they're known as "panipuri"; people in Bangladesh call them "fuchka." When the little balls of dough are deep-fried they puff up. Then they are opened up carefully and the hollow center is stuffed with vegetables, meat or fish.
Bosnia has plenty of potential for energy savings. Industry uses far more energy than necessary and most private homes are too busy making ends meet to concern themselves with climate protection. But low-interest loans could help make the necessary technology affordable.
