RIGHTS-US: Lawsuit Probes Role of Psychologists in Terror War

The state board responsible for licensing - and disciplining - psychologists in Louisiana is accused of turning a blind eye to serious allegations of abuse against one of its members, including complicity in beatings, religious and sexual humiliation, rape threats and painful body positions during his service as a senior advisor on interrogations for the U.S. military in Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib.

MIDEAST: Israel Divided Over ‘Illegal’ Children

"Migrant workers bring with them a profusion of diseases - hepatitis, measles, tuberculosis, AIDS and drug addiction: Our critics can be as sanctimonious as they like, but unless we stop the wave of migrant workers, the whole character of the State of Israel, its Jewish character, will be under threat."

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Oil Spill Under Control

The Honduran authorities were able to control a spill of 150 barrels of fuel, which affected flora and fauna in the Bay of San Lorenzo, on the Pacific coast.

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: 80 Years of Research

The Venezuelan Society of Natural Sciences, the country’s oldest non-governmental organization, one that has made the most contributions to studying Venezuela’s biodiversity, reach its 80th anniversary on Oct. 29.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: German Power Plants Burn Amazon Coconut

The babasú coconut (Orbignya phalerata martins), a typical palm species of the Brazilian north and northeast, will replace 17 million tons of coal Germany’s thermal power plants by 2015.

MOZAMBIQUE: Quiet Progress Against HIV/AIDS

When Dorothy Kakongwe smiles, her creases tell stories no history book can recount. This elderly nurse can reflect on numerous changes in the landscape and people around her.

COTE D’IVOIRE: Without Better Storage, We Are Farming to Feed Insects

Every year, Robert Assalé, a farmer at Tangamourou in the Bondoukou region in east-central Côte d'Ivore, produces an impressive amount of yams. He harvested 30 tonnes in 2007, 42 tonnes in 2008 and has almost surpassed 50 tonnes this year.

CHINA: Tide of Opposition Swells as Largest Dam Nears Completion

Fifteen years after dynamite blasts first shattered the peace of China’s breathtaking Three Gorges, the Three Gorges Dam—the pride of China’s engineering progress—is nearing completion. But the cannonade of criticism bombarding the world’s largest and costliest dam in history is far from over.

GRENADA: Libel Case Sends “Chilling Signal”, Groups Warn

Grenada Today did not have the staff nor circulation associated with most major Caribbean publications.

EL SALVADOR: Clandestine Graves Are Back

Spatula in hand, forensic scientist Israel Ticas carefully excavates a decomposed human foot protruding from a shallow grave in rough terrain in the mountains of Las Crucitas, close to Ciudad Arce in the west-central Salvadoran province of La Libertad.

WORLD: IMF Has Long Way to Go – Even After "Istanbul Decisions"

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) may be performing better during the current economic crisis than during the Asian crisis of the late 1990s, but it still has "a long way to go".

RIGHTS: Before the Olympics in Brazil…

Athletes competing for Olympic gold speak to the imagination of most of us. Homeless people playing an international football tournament may be a less familiar sight. Brazilians in Rio de Janeiro will get a chance to see both.

DEVELOPMENT: More Food May Not Mean Less Hunger

Achieving ambitious Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) production targets to meet growing world demands will not suffice to feed the world, and focusing too much on churning out crops may even be damaging, experts warn.

MIDEAST: Demolishing Hope for Peace

"We knew something bad was about to happen when we saw the roadblocks being thrown up, and police everywhere. It soon came down the grapevine - the Israelis were demolishing more houses."

RIGHTS-UGANDA: Colliding with the Fourth Estate

Charles Odobo Bichachi, editor of the Independent Newspaper has in a span of a year, been summoned to the police several times accused of publishing seditious statements. And just last month, Bichachi fell into trouble again: this time over a cartoon.

KENYA

: Practical Measures Needed on Teen Sexual Education

Kenyan teenagers are having sex. And they appear to have no clue how to go about it.

RIGHTS: Women Still Sidelined in Economic Decision-Making

Gender equality contributes to economic growth, but economic growth does not always contribute to gender equality, says the United Nations World Survey on the Role of Women in Development launched Tuesday, a message well timed in the context of the current financial crisis.

US-ECUADOR: Luring Migrants Home an Uphill Battle

Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa has a Ph.D. in economics, though it may not have prepared him for the recent financial turmoil that beset his coastal country.

MIDEAST: Is Jerusalem Burning?

Déjà vu on one of the world's most volatile religious sites, a site deeply revered by both Muslims and Jews.

CARIBBEAN: Media Up in Arms over Licensing Plan

Caribbean media groups have drawn a line in the sand, warning regional governments that they will face strenuous opposition to proposed legislation requiring media workers to obtain a license to practice their profession in the 15-member Caribbean Community (Caricom) grouping.

DEVELOPMENT: For a Greener Green Revolution

A new Green Revolution that is truly green is needed to prevent efforts to eradicate hunger colliding with climate change goals, environmentalists say.