AGRICULTURE: Cattle ‘Black Death’ Banished to History

An animal 'black death' that has devastated livestock around the world for thousands of years, causing famine and untold human misery, is about to be permanently consigned to the history books.

LIBERIA: New Army Faces Greatest Challenge

More than a year ago several hundred newly trained Liberian soldiers staged a one-day strike at the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) headquarters.

AFRICA: Drying, Drying, Disappearing…

Lake Chad was bigger than Israel less than 50 years ago. Today its surface area is less than a tenth of its earlier size, amid forecasts the lake could disappear altogether within 20 years.

U.S.: Triage for a Terminally Ill Health System

Early on Christmas Eve morning, the United States Senate will vote on the health care reform legislation that has been at the forefront of President Barack Obama's domestic agenda since he was sworn into office just over 11 months ago.

US-LEBANON: Hard Line on Hezbollah Clashes with Political Reality

Lebanese President Michel Sleiman visited Washington last week, for his first visit with President Barack Obama. The meeting was a quick one, tucked in amongst the myriad of domestic issues that are demanding Obama's attention.

NEPAL: Witch Tag Only on Dalits, Minorities

Just 40 kms away from the capital Kathmandu, in Thasingtole, Lalitpur District, Kalli Kumari B.K., 46, a local Dalit woman, was mercilessly beaten up. She was accused of being a 'witch', imprisoned in a shed and forced to eat her own excreta

UGANDA-CORRUPTION: Where ‘Kitu Kidogo’ is Cheaper than Facing the Law

You are driving through the streets of the Ugandan capital and suddenly a traffic police officer waves you down. He immediately notices that the side-mirror on the passenger’s side is missing. He threatens to give you a penalty ticket that costs 50,000 shillings (25 dollars).

MIDEAST: ‘’What About the Mailboxes?’’

The sun is about to set over Jabel Mukaber. The call of the muezzin envelops the valley beneath Naim Aweisat’s balcony and, rolling from the mosques of Abu Dis across the wall in the West Bank, rebounds from the stark concrete Israeli security wall to answer the minarets that peer over the walled Old City.

MIDEAST: Gaza March Puts Spotlight on Civilian Suffering

More than 50,000 people are expected to take to the streets of Gaza on Dec. 31 for a mass march designed to send a message to the United States, a key supporter of Israel's army, that the situation in Gaza violates international human rights laws.

POLITICS: Nobel Laureate’s Burma Visit: ‘Moment of Hope’?

To activists more accustomed to working against Burma’s military junta than with it, any engagement with the recalcitrant regime will amount to nothing. But to 2001 Nobel Prize winner Josepth Stiglitz, it is a window of opportunity for a country that has known only poverty and repression.

RIGHTS-US: Death Sentences Hit 30-Year Low in 2009

The global recession has brought pain to many, but good news for at least one group - opponents of the death penalty in the United States.

Latin America’s Green Path Forward

Aside from the impact on biodiversity Andes glacier disappearance will have a tremendous economic impact on some of the Latin America's poorest residents.

CAMBODIA: Media Still Struggling to Break Gender Barriers

Cambodia's media organisations are a 'battleground' for old ways and new approaches when it comes to gender.

RIGHTS-FRANCE: Homeless Prefer Streets to Gov’t Shelter

They huddle in the doorways of buildings with their few belongings, trying to keep warm. Or they sleep in covered shopping centres, accompanied by their pets - usually dogs. Some, reluctantly, make their way to government-run shelters.

Tierramérica talks to Juan Carlos Soriano

 

Stephen Leahy, environmental journalist, gives his views on the climate conference

 

Tierramérica talks to Frode Gjedrem

 

Tierramérica talks to Tommy von Pein

 

MEDIA: 2009 Deadliest Year Ever For Journalists

The election-related killings of more than 30 media workers in the Philippines made 2009 the deadliest year ever for journalists, according to a major press freedom advocacy group.

Yasuni-ITT Initiative

TerraViva talks to Derek Leahy