Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Approval of Mining Operations to be Decided Through Plebiscites

The use of plebiscites has been included in the bill for a new mining law that is expected to be passed by the end of the year in Honduras.

Ecobreves – CHILE: FAO Promotes Bioenergy

The Latin America regional office of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has recommended that Chile incorporate bioenergy into its energy mix.

Mexican Communities Fight Mini-Dams

Small-scale hydroelectric dams with a capacity of under 30 MW are seen by the authorities in Mexico as an important alternative for generating energy. But local communities reject them on the argument that they would cause social, economic and environmental damages.

Using Cameroon’s Community Grapevine to Prevent Mother-to-Child Transmission

For nearly two years, not a single child with HIV has been born at the public hospital in the Cité-Verte district of Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon. Dr Emilien Fouda, the hospital’s director, says this proud record is the result of combined effort by his staff and community support groups.

Salvadoran Civil Society Groups Opposed to Carbon Credit Plan

Civil society organisations are asking the World Bank to reject the Salvadoran government’s proposal to join a programme for reducing greenhouse gas emissions linked to deforestation, on the argument that it will actually harm the environment.

UZBEKISTAN: Tashkent’s Sticky Fingers Spoiling Foreign Investors’ Appetites

(EurasiaNet) - The recent travails in Uzbekistan of Russian cellphone giant MTS – hit by employee arrests and a three-month suspension – highlight the perils for foreigners of doing business in Central Asia’s most populous country.

Somalia Adopts Provisional Constitution by Overwhelming Vote

Somalia adopted a  Provisional Constitution Wednesday setting a date for the political transition of the country.

HIGH-LEVEL PANEL ON POST-2015 DEVELOPMENT AGENDA

As a follow up to the Rio+20 summit, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Tuesday announced the appointment of a High-level Panel to advise on the global development agenda beyond 2015, the target date for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Online Discussion on Prevention of Violence Against Women

UN Women [http://www.unwomen.org/ ], which  has launched an online discussion about violence against women,  is offering a chance to civil society organizations worldwide to provide their views from their own cultures.

Teachers’ Strike Does Not Mean Political Liberation for Swaziland

Swazis should not see the ongoing nationwide one-month teachers’ strike as a movement capable of overthrowing the political regime here, despite the fact that civil servants and nurses have joined the action, according to political analyst Dr. Sikelela Dlamini.

Iran Diplomacy Runs into Sanctions-Happy U.S. Congress

Congress’s rush to pass new sanctions against Iran ahead of the August recess comes amidst an intensified drive to pin the Iranian government to deadly acts of international terrorism and amplified moves by U.S. politicians to demonstrate their support for Mideast ally Israel ahead of the November presidential election.

Caribbean Sees Progress on HIV/AIDS, Fears Funding Cuts

Ian McKnight, executive director of the Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition (CVCC), used one word – “tokenistic” – to sum up his perspective on the 19th International AIDS Conference that ended here over the weekend.

Ecobreves – MEXICO: Cultural Program to Promote Natural Heritage

The National Commission of Protected Natural Areas has launched a cultural program to strengthen the conservation of natural heritage in Mexico.

Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Sale of Materials Contaminated with Cyanide Denounced

An environmental organization in the central Argentine province of Córdoba has accused a company devoted to the final disposal of hazardous waste of illegally selling contaminated materials.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Support for Community Forestry

The International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) has ratified its support for forest protection initiatives in Honduras, and especially those that involve communities in responsible forest management, the country’s vice president, María Antonieta Guillén, told Tierramérica.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Indirect Energy Consumption Is Double Household Electricity Bill

The monthly light bill paid by Brazilians represents only 32 percent of what they actually spend on electricity. All of the rest is paid for through the goods and services they consume, according to the Economic Research Institute Foundation at the University of São Paulo.

Banksters Hijack Microfinance

For several decades, microcredit presented itself as a magical and benign financial tool for the poorest people in the world, who were otherwise completely excluded from conventional commercial banking services, to secure easy access to loans in order to set up their own businesses and live a dignified life.

Children Injured in Police Crackdown on Chile’s Mapuche Indians

“We have been trampled by this racist Chilean state, which oppresses us. The police force represses all Mapuche people…they shoot at us in cold blood.”

Bolivia’s Indigenous Women Seek the Political Kingdom

A growing number of Bolivia’s indigenous women are participating in politics, ready to break the barriers of gender and ethnicity.

Papua New Guinea Casts Wide Net Against Malaria

In Papua New Guinea, a Pacific Island nation located south of the equator, 90 percent of the population is at risk of malaria and 1.9 million cases are reported every year.  But, according to a recent medical study, a programme to distribute long-lasting insecticide treated mosquito nets to every district in the country has dramatically reduced malaria infections.

Cultivating Toxic Crops

At a time when spiraling input costs and perennial shortages of irrigation water are breaking countless farmers’ backs, a small village community on the outskirts of Lahore appears to have been spared.