Criminals, especially drug traffickers, may have laundered around $1.6 trillion, or 2.7 per cent of global GDP, in 2009, according to a new report by UNODC. This figure is consistent with the 2 to 5 per cent range previously established by the International Monetary Fund to estimate the scale of money-laundering.

The 2011 Global Study on Homicide has been conceived to provide a unique overview of the ultimate crime. The picture it paints is of a phenomenon marked by large disparities in distribution, demographics, typologies and mechanisms.

Homicide was the third leading cause of occupational injury death in the U.S. for the period from 1980 through 1985, accounting for nearly 13% of the nation's total deaths from trauma in the workplace. Homicide was the manner of death for 12% if the men and 42% of the women who died from injuries sustained in U.S. workplaces during the 6-year period for which data were available at the time of the workshop.

“Libraries and the fi ght against HIV/AIDS, poverty and corruption” takes up some of the big issues and major challenges facing the world: the HIV/AIDS pandemic, poverty and the reduction of it, and corruption and its counterpart transparency. The articles explore the role and responsibilities of libraries and information services, and how they can contribute to this fi ght. In regard to all three themes, authors call our attention to the need to identify new responsibilities and values for the library profession.