KENYA: Govt Fails to Keep Word on Tribunals

The Kenyan government has reneged on its commitments to call on independent, international tribunals to try perpetrators of 2007 post-election violence. This move is being criticised by Human Rights Watch (HRW), a New York City-based organisation that advocates against human rights abuses.

MIDEAST: ‘Lay Not Thine Hand Upon the Boy’

"And He said, Lay not thine hand upon the boy, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God" (Genesis 22:12). Not so much in fear of God as in fear of their own conscience, Israeli leaders have given temporary relief to hundreds of children of foreign workers who were facing deportation with their parents.

POLITICS-NEPAL: Women Push for Gender Equality in New Constitution

A political crisis, which has dragged on for months, crippling progress in drafting a new constitution for Nepal by the Constituent Assembly (CA) has considerably dampened the euphoria of women's organisations here.

Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Applause for Maritime Rules in Antarctica

The non-governmental Whale Conservation Institute of Argentina is celebrating the International Maritime Organization's decision to regulate navigation in Antarctica's waters in order to protect the environment.

Ecobreves – MEXICO: Transgenic Oversight Agency Awakens Doubts

Mexico has set up an agency to monitor the presence of genetically modified organisms, but environmentalists see it as a cosmetic effort.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: In Pursuit of Illegal Cattle in the Amazon

Seven meatpacking plants and two exporters in the northern Brazilian state of Pará have pledged not to accept meat or livestock from illegally deforested areas of the Amazon.

HAITI: Aid Flowing, But Food Crisis Drags On

Though beleaguered with their own financial problems, donor countries say they are not planning to withdraw financial support for cash-strapped Haiti.

TANZANIA: Solutions to Dar's Water Problems in the Pipeline

In the nine months since she moved to the Dar es Salaam neighbourhood of Kinondoni, Anna Christopher has only seen water running from her taps once.

EDUCATION: Liberty, e-Quality, Humanity

This city of 100,000 people in the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul is named after the leader of the 1835-1845 Revoluçao Farroupilha (Ragged Revolution), which under the slogan "Liberty, Equality, Humanity" resulted in the independence of the state from the Brazilian empire. At an international conference here today, peaceful revolutionaries are furthering similar ideals.

POLITICS: U.S. Officials Disagree Over Sudan Strategy

With the need for a comprehensive approach toward Sudan growing more urgent every day, U.S. policy remains a topic of disagreement amongst top Washington officials and even within the Barack Obama administration itself.

MEDIA-ASIA: Editorial Cartoonists Turn to Pens – and Mice

Against the backdrop of challenges ranging from the global financial crunch to the popularity of new media, editorial cartoonists are drawing up ways to be creative in more ways than one.

RIGHTS-US: Jawad Case Uncertain Despite Release Order

One of Guantanamo's youngest prisoners, ordered by a federal judge to be released after almost seven years in detention because his "confession" was obtained through torture, may face further hurdles before being set free.

CHINA: U.S. Nervous About China's Growing Footprint Across Africa

China’s "no strings attached" financial assistance to developing countries in Africa and Asia has come under scrutiny during the recent high-level talks between Chinese and US leaders.

IRAN: Mourners for Neda's '40th' Undeterred

In line with the Shia tradition of paying respects to the dead, tens of thousands of Iranians went to Behesht Zahra cemetery on Thursday to mourn the death of Neda Agha Soltan – an iconic victim of post-election violence in Iran.

MIDEAST: Israel Prepares for War Over Reports

Six months after Israel's devastating assault on Hamas, its south-western border with Gaza has not been as quiet in a decade - only two rockets in the past six weeks on Israeli towns. Yet, the plight of Palestinian civilians in Gaza continues to haunt Israel.

MIDEAST: As U.S. Winds Down, Iraq Tilts Toward Iran

A raid by Iraqi security forces on a camp of Iranian dissidents is widely seen as a sign that Iraqi authorities are establishing their independence as the U.S. occupation winds down – and tilting instead towards Iran.

AGRICULTURE: Disease Threatens Afghan Wheat Crop

Agronomists and crop experts fear that an aggressive disease that attacks wheat crops could soon reach Afghanistan, potentially threatening food security and initiatives to curb the cultivation of illicit crops.

MOLDOVA: Opposition Steps Ahead of Communists

After eight years of communist rule, four Moldovan opposition parties won a majority percentage of parliamentary seats during Wednesday's nationwide elections.

CLIMATE CHANGE: Publics See Warming as Urgent, Govts as Failing

A poll of 19 nations released here Wednesday reveals that majorities in most countries believe climate change should be a high priority for their governments, but relatively few thought that their leaders were doing enough about the problem.

URUGUAY: Schoolgirls Access Computers but Can’t Shake Gender Stereotypes

The girls who attend the school of Villa García, a township on the outskirts of the Uruguayan capital, are still playing dolls and dress up - only now they do it on their laptop computers.

CHINA: Xinjiang Crisis Creates Ripples Overseas

In recent days, China’s mainland intellectuals have publicly displayed a wave of patriotic support for the Xinjiang cause. They have expressed anger against "hostile foreign forces", whom they blame for inciting the recent violence in the ethnic Muslim area.