Water Flows Again in the Valley

Staring out at his golden wheat field with satisfaction, 50-year old Alamgir Akbar says with a sigh of relief: “We’ve had a good crop this season.”

Zimbabwe’s Ruling Party Militias Spread Fear of Voting

For the last month Gibson Severe and his wife, Merjury Severe, known opposition supporters from Hurungwe district in Zimbabwe’s Mashonaland West Province, have been hiding out in the country’s capital Harare.

Small and Large Steps towards Equality for Gays in Cuba

The lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community in Cuba has won advances on issues like the change of name of pre-operative transgender persons, while they continue to fight for the right to same-sex civil unions.

Caribbean Scientist Warns of Climate Change Disaster

The Caribbean does not have the luxury of time for decisive action on climate change and global warming. In fact, it is on the brink of calamity, according to a prominent scientist.

UNAOC Launches Campaign for Diversity and Inclusion

The UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) has launched its “Do One Thing for Diversity and Inclusion” campaign in 2011 in partnership with the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and more than a 100 corporate, civil society and governmental partners from around the world. The main objective of the campaign is to build awareness and public support for “Diversity and Inclusion”. It  also marks World Day for Diversity and Development on May 21.

Pioneering Italian Town Leads Europe in Waste Recycling

Capannori, a rural town in the Italian province of Lucca, in Tuscany, boasts a proud history. Six years ago, it became a trendsetter and leader, not just in Italy but throughout all of Europe, as the continent’s first Zero Waste town.

Mexican Communities Sue Pemex for Environmental Justice

Fed up with oil spills from facilities belonging to Mexico’s state oil company Pemex, residents of two communities in the southeastern state of Tabasco are taking the country’s largest company to court in a bid for compensation for damage to the environment and agriculture.

In Post-Revolution Egypt, Social Media Shows Dark Side

 More than two years after social media networks helped Egyptian activists organise massive street protests that led to the fall of former President Hosni Mubarak, these networks are now playing a less positive role, often serving as a platform for incitement, rumour-mongering and downright disinformation.

Dengue Outbreak Highlights Poor Waste Management

City and health authorities in the Solomon Islands, located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, are calling for effective and consistent urban waste management as they battle to control a serious outbreak of dengue fever, the world’s fastest spreading vector-borne viral disease, which was identified in the country in February.

Syrian Attacks on Health Care System ‘Terrorising Population’

Humanitarian assistance groups in Washington are warning that the health care system has become a deliberate target in the increasingly brutal civil war in Syria, presenting major challenges to addressing the humanitarian and refugee crises spurred by the conflict.

First Class Action Lawsuit Against BP in Mexico

A group of Mexican citizens are preparing the first civil lawsuit in the Mexican courts against British oil company BP for the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Despite Peaceful Withdrawal, PKK-Turkey Peace Remains Uncertain

The peaceful withdrawal from Turkey of combatants from the Kurdistan’s Workers Party (PKK) began last Wednesday but is already at risk of being compromised following a twin car bomb explosion on Saturday afternoon. The terrorist attack in Rayhanli in the Syrian border province of Hatay caused 46 civilian deaths and at least 155 injuries.

No Escape for Palestinian Women Forced into Prostitution

Doctors in Argentina Sound the Alert on Vaccine Sceptics

Argentina is one of the countries in Latin America with the highest levels of vaccination coverage. But experts are concerned about the growing campaign by vaccine critics against immunisation.