2012: THE YEAR OF DANGER

Will 2012 be the year the world ends? That is the prediction of a Mayan legend that gives 12/12/12 (December12, 2012) as the date of the apocalypse. In any case, in the context of recession in Europe and its grave financial and social problems, there will be no shortage of risks this year, which will also feature decisive elections in the US, Russia, France, Mexico, and Venezuela.

Europe Fears a Summer Attack on Iran

The appeals to Israel by numerous European diplomats attending the Munich security conference last weekend have led to growing concern that Israeli plans to attack Iran are imminent.

Cameroon’s Economy Suffers as Boko Haram Infiltrates Country

Ahmadou Lamine has been forced to close his business selling fuel imported from Nigeria, known locally as "zoa-zoa", because of the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram.

Burma in the Throes of Change – Part 1

Moves by the Burmese government to settle ethnic conflicts in the country, notably with the Karen in the mountainous eastern part of the country, have caught most observers by surprise.

Social Media Shows Support for Africa’s Oldest Community Station

When a financial crisis threatened the existence of Africa’s oldest community station, Bush Radio, an outpouring of sympathy and appeals went viral on social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook. However, despite this outspoken support that showed that the station is worth saving, its future remains uncertain.

Will 2014 World Cup Take Football from Brazil’s Masses?

The lack of transparency in the preparations for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil is raising concerns over the social implications of hosting the football championship and fears that the country's most democratic and popular sport will only be accessible to the wealthy.

U.S. Weighs Options As Syrian Violence Intensifies

Following a failed bid to pass a U.N. Security Council Resolution calling for regime change in Syria, Washington is considering other means to influence events on the ground, as the country slips ever closer toward civil war.

U.N. Security Council Remains “Neutered” by Five Big Powers

Since Russia and China vetoed a key resolution critical of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's violent repression of the ongoing 11-month old civilian uprising, there has been plenty of public outrage directed at the two permanent members of the Security Council who stood defiant against an overwhelming majority.

PODCAST: Social Media Shows Support for Africa’s Oldest Community Station

The future of Africa’s oldest community station, Bush Radio, remains uncertain.

Despite Rhetoric, Women Still Sidelined in Development Funding

As U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro once put it, "Women hold the keys to unlocking the barriers to sustainable development."

Mines Test Colombia’s Commitment to Sustainable Development

"In the Andes, and all over the world, mining on mountains should be banned. Distinguished scientists and papers in the most prestigious journals are saying this," a regional planning expert in Colombia told IPS.

EUROPE-DEVELOPMENT: The “Indignados” Still Have Wind in Their Sails

Months of protest across the European Union, sparked by ‘indignant’ youth demanding an end to the brand of free market capitalism that has blighted the continent with an unemployment epidemic, finally bore fruit on Jan. 30 when Jose Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission, proposed an ambitious jobs scheme.

Philippines Seeking U.S. Help Against China’s Bullying

The government of Philippines President Benigno Aquino may be wading into choppy diplomatic waters by turning to the United States to counter China’s aggressiveness in the South China Sea, one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.

Israel and Iran Agreed on Nuclear Ambiguity

Will Israel attack Iran’s nuclear facilities this spring? That is a question dominating the international agenda. Meanwhile, the grand project of a nuclear weapon-free Middle East is relegated to the utopian "day after" a solution is found to the Islamic republic’s atomic programme.

Senegalese Students Call for President to Step Down

The friends of slain Senegalese student protester, Mamadou Diop, say that the 32-year-old master’s student was against injustice and that is why he was protesting against President Abdoulaye Wade’s bid for a third term of office.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL : Study Reveal Limits of Amazon Basin’s Resilience

The Amazon basin shows signs of a transition to a "disturbance-dominated regime", including changing energy and water cycles, concluded the Large-Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia (LBA), a research initiative carried out over the course of 20 years.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Canadian Funding for Protected Areas

The government of Canada has provided Honduras with 52,000 dollars to enhance the management of protected areas, through the Forest Conservation Institute (ICF).

Ecobreves – CUBA: Promoting the Use of Biogas

Cuba plans to expand the small- and medium-scale use of biogas, according to the Cuban Society for the Promotion of Renewable Energy Sources and Respect for the Environment (Cubasolar).

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Voluntary Collection of Disposable Materials and E-Waste

Venezuelan environmental organization Ecoclick coordinated the collection of several tons of disposable materials and equipment in middle-class and working-class neighborhoods of the capital in a single weekend.

Cloud Seeding, an Uncertain Solution for the Mexican Drought

The artificial creation of rain has moved from the realm of science fiction to real life, but doubts remain as to whether cloud seeding is truly effective - or safe.

Progress in River Clean-Up Praised – With Reservations

Visible progress is finally being made in the clean-up and reforestation of the banks of the Riachuelo River, which for years had been a virtual open sewer running through Buenos Aires.