ECONOMY-EU Portugal, Greece Pose Risk of Contagion

The flood of economic woes devastating Greece and Portugal are evidence that the German prescription imposed by a troika of multilateral creditors is not working, and that both countries are heading into a blind alley, says economics professor Mario Olivares.

Survivors Recall the Horrors of Auschwitz

Igor Malitski, an 87-year-old professor of mechanical engineering from Ukraine, stands in the snow underneath a metal gate. He is wearing a thick winter jacket and big plastic headphones. A blue and white cap covers his head.

Instant Infant HIV Diagnosis to be Rolled Out in Rural Kenya

Jesse Mtembe, a nursing officer at the Akithenesit Health Centre in Teso North, in Kenya’s Western Province, cannot wait for his centre to be connected to a new software system for diagnosing HIV in infants that is being developed in the country’s leading private university.

Op-Ed: How Gender Values Point the Way for a More Effective U.N.

A growing list of U.N. Security Council Resolutions acknowledges the importance of gender in processes for peace. Resolutions 1325, 1820, 1888, 1889 and 1960 note that women continue to be marginalised in peace negotiations and their potential is not fully utilised in humanitarian planning, peacekeeping operations, peace building, governance and reconstruction.

Karzai Demand on Night Raids Snags U.S.-Afghan Pact

Nearly a year after the Barack Obama administration began negotiations with the government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai on a U.S. military presence in Afghanistan beyond 2014, both sides confirmed last week that the talks are still hung up over the Afghan demand that night raids by U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF) either be ended or put under Afghan control.

Native Farmers in Mexico Drive Local Eco-Friendly Farming

The largely invisible work of small local groups of indigenous farmers in Mexico who are spearheading the defence of their territory and identity and of native seeds is strengthening ecologically sound family farming, experts say.

PODCAST: CHINA – Radio Keeps Tibetans Tuned In

MCRS, a government-approved community station, is one of a handful of localised radio stations providing China’s minorities with news and entertainment in their native languages. Presently, local state-run stations serve five out of 46 ethnic minorities and all programming is approved by the state.

Placing Dignity Above Food

JERUSALEM, Feb. 19, 2012 (IPS) – On the day Israel released some 550 Palestinian prisoners in the second half of a swap for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit who had been held for five-and-a-half years by Hamas in Gaza, an Islamic Jihad activist started an agonising hunger strike.

Q&A: ‘World Bank in Tiger Territory – No Greenwashing’

BANGKOK, Feb 20, 2012 (IPS) - When World Bank president Robert Zoellick steps down in June, the tiger will lose an ally who worked to prevent the decimation of Asia’s iconic animal by a voracious demand for its bones and parts in newly affluent China.

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Transforming Garbage Into Art

Fundación La Tortuga, an environmental organization based in the northern Venezuelan city of Barcelona, is hosting an exhibition by visionary artist Leopoldo Cardozo, who integrates plastic bags, used phone cards, bottles and other waste into his works.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Nitrogen in Soil Increases Carbon Absorption

The presence of nitrogen in soil speeds up plant growth, reducing the amount of carbohydrates in the leaves of plants and allowing them to live longer and absorb more carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, concludes a recent study by the Biosciences Institute at the University of São Paulo.

Ecobreves – CENTRAL AMERICA: German Loan for Renewable Energy

The Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), based in Honduras, has received a loan of 65 million dollars from the German bank Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau to promote renewable energy and combat climate change in the region.

Building Sustainable Future Needs More Than Science, Experts Say

Contrary to popular belief, humans have failed to address the earth's worsening emergencies of climate change, species' extinction and resource overconsumption not because of a lack of information, but because of a lack of imagination, social scientists and artists say.

Order Comes Slowly to Libyan Patchwork

A year after the Libyan uprising that overthrew dictator Muammar Gaddafi, the National Transitional Council (NTC) has yet to provide adequate security. Many armed groups are still calling the shots, as the NTC moves to restore normalcy.

EU Moves on Myanmar Questioned

Extraordinary political changes in the year since former army general Thein Sein came to power in Myanmar have prompted European powers to ease restrictions on the isolated nation, raising questions whether such rewards are too little or too much.

Iran’s Leadership on Edge as Parliamentary Elections Near

While the general public here is anxious about the increasingly harsh sanctions imposed by Western powers on Iran's financial and oil sectors, the leaders of the Islamic Republic appear more consumed by the upcoming parliamentary elections to be held Mar. 2.

Rights Groups Warn Against Diluted Arms Trade Treaty

After a week of tense negotiations, a United Nations preparatory committee concluded a final round of talks on Friday to define the rules of procedure for a global Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), which is expected to be finalised in July this year.

ENVIRONMENT: Weed Threatens Indian Rhino’s Last Refuge

While shoot-at-sight orders are now effectively keeping rhinoceros poachers at bay, an aggressive weed is threatening the one-horned ungulate in one of its last retreats - the Kaziranga National Park (KNP) in eastern Assam state.

MIDEAST: After 25 Years, Cinema Comes to Divided Town

Palestinians in East Jerusalem can once again go to the movies, after Al Quds Cinema reopened its doors this week after being closed for 25 years. Organisers say this signals the rebirth for Palestinian arts and culture in the city.

MALAYSIA: ‘Cowgate’ Turns Opposition Fodder

With the 83-million-dollar ‘cowgate’ scam refusing to die down, a shadow hangs over Prime Minister Najib Razak’s plans to call elections ahead of April 2013, when they are due.

U.S.: Amid Escalating Israel-Iran Tensions, a Glimmer of Hope?

After weeks of rapidly escalating tensions, particularly between Israel and Iran, signs emerged this week both here and in Tehran that serious negotiations over Tehran's controversial nuclear programme may soon get underway.