Davos ministers eye free trade deal
Trade ministers meeting at the World Economic Forum in Davos have agreed to step up efforts to support international free trade talks and to guard against protectionism in a bid to counter the world economic crisis.
They vowed that completing the World Trade Organisation’s long-running Doha round to open up global trade was their top priority and pledged to resolve outstanding issues this year.
Matthew Moore reports from Davos.
Student struggles to find first job
Increasing unemployment is taking its toll around the world, and is not just affecting those who lose their jobs.
Students coming to the end of their training and education are also facing fewer career opportunities.
Hassan Al-Shohaty in London explains the difficulties in his search for a first job.
US citizens scramble for food aid
The number of unemployed Americans continues to rise and some are now struggling to put food on the table, becoming increasingly dependent on food stamps to help them get by.
Food stamps are a state-subsidised programme that helps people with a low income buy food at lower prices. But for many US citizens it may not be enough to help them weather the economic crisis, as Al Jazeera’s Lucy Keating discovers in the US town of Knoxville in Tennessee.
Chinese provinces battle worsening drought
Parts of northern and central China have been hit by one of the worst droughts in 50 years, and the government has moved quickly to irrigate fields and revive crops.
Al Jazeera’s Melissa Chan reports from one of the hardest-hit areas in Henan province.
