Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Progress and Delays in Clean-Up of the Riachuelo River

Four years after the Supreme Court of Argentina ordered the clean-up of the Riachuelo River basin, in the province of Buenos Aires, environmentalists recognize that progress has been made, but there are still numerous challenges pending.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: U.S. Donation for the Conservation of La Mosquitia

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has approved a donation of 405,000 dollars for Honduras, aimed at promoting the ecological and sustainable conservation of the tropical rainforest region of La Mosquitia, on the country’s Atlantic coast.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Residential Solar Power Is Now Competitive

Generating solar power for individual residential use is now economically viable for 15 percent of Brazilian households, according to the Energy Research Company (EPE), a government agency.

TURKMENISTAN: Ashgabat Quietly Builds Up Caspian Military Might

WASHINGTON, Jul 12 2012 (EurasiaNet) - When it comes to the brewing arms race in the Caspian Sea region, no one can accuse Turkmen leader Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov of navel-gazing. Ashgabat is now able to back its claims to some energy-rich patches of the sea with considerable firepower.

Post-Genocide Rwanda Demonstrates Re-building is Possible

UNITED NATIONS July 12 (IPS) – Eighteen  years after the genocide,  Rwanda demonstrates that rebuilding a nation is possible. On Thursday the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) launched the world premiere of the short documentary: “Rwanda - Reaching New Heights”  which  was followed by an online  discussion with film-maker Zak Mulligan and UNDP Rwanda Country  Director Auke Lootsma, who was on video call from Kigali, the capital of Rwanda.

Uses of Technology to Educate Children and Young Adults in Uganda

The Uganda Scouts Association, described as a youth development organization, is spearheading a nation-wide campaign to reach young people in schools and out of school through their programmes targeting  the health of students and their  households, according to Cleopatra John Byarugaba,director of the U Report in Uganda.

Youth grow flowers to get money

Farming flowers in slums is becoming an option for jobless youths in cities across Cameroon. Flowers and ornamental trees are planted to decorate compounds ,roadsides, lanes and tourism sites. Aaron Kaah reports.

Snails boost food, medicine production

Starting plantation farming in Cameroon in the 1980’s, and the spraying of pesticides, almost drove certain snail species to extinction. But farmers in the coastal regions of Cameroon are now cultivating the animals for food, traditional medicine and income.

Paradise island fights poverty

“Every child born on this island has got a potential and we have to nourish it through education. This is the answer to poverty and exclusion,” says the Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam.   Audio Slide Show

Asian Mussel Invasion Largely Ignored by Southern Cone Governments

The governments of most of the countries that share the Río de la Plata basin are doing little or nothing to halt the golden mussel invasion, despite the serious damages and losses it is causing.Limnoperna fortunei, an inedible freshwater bivalve mollusk, is native to the rivers and streams of China and Southeast Asia. From Asia, it travels around the world as a “hitchhiker” or “stowaway” on ocean-going cargo vessels. It first appeared in South America in 1991.

Iowa Firm Accused of Displacing Tanzanians for Profit

A major U.S. energy company, AgriSol Energy, is accused of engaging in land grabs in Tanzania that would displace more than 160,000 Burundian refugees who have lived there for decades, according to a report by the Oakland Institute, an organisation focused on environmental issues.

Cameroon farmers plant trees for bees

Honey producers in Cameroon are looking to restore bee habitats by planting trees in areas where deforestation have left the countryside bare.

Southern Africa’ fruit and vegetables come here

The Johannesburg Fresh Produce Market is the hub of fruit and vegetable trade in Southern Africa, with some 10 000 buyers getting their wares here. Siphosethu Stuurman compiled this sound slide.   Audio Slide Show

Scientists Declare State of Emergency for World’s Coral Reefs

Coral reef scientists urged local and national governments to take action to save the world’s coral reefs and said they’d be “on call 24/7″ to assist politicians and officials.

Small Minority Gains Big Voice in Arms Trade Negotiations

The slow progress of the first week of arms trade treaty negotiations has sparked concerns among strong treaty advocates who sense the delaying tactics of a sceptical minority.

‘Reforms’ Legacy Rocks Romania Again

WARSAW, Jul 7 2012 (IPS) - Romanian President Traian Basescu is close to being impeached after the Parliament suspended him Friday. The political crisis, however, distracts from citizens’ calls for a more responsive political class and a halt to declining standards of living.

South Africa’s National Health Insurance Sites Underfunded

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, Jul 6 2012 (IPS) - Experts say that underfunded pilot universal healthcare sites to be set up by South Africa as part of its proposed national health insurance may be doomed to fail as debate rages about how the move to more equitable healthcare will be funded.

NEWSBRIEF: South Sudan Celebrates a Troubled First Birthday

The streets have been swept clean and lined with flags to mark the first anniversary of South Sudan’s independence. But cosmetic changes in the capital, Juba, mask deep concerns about the future of the world’s newest nation.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Metro Cuts Air Pollution in São Paulo by Three Quarters

The concentration of air pollutants in São Paulo would be 75 percent greater if it were not for the city’s underground rapid transit system, according to a study by the Federal University of São Paulo.

Ecobreves – CHILE: New Environmental Courts Welcomed

Environmental organizations praised the adoption of a law to create special environmental courts in Chile, which grants the Superintendency of the Environment the power to prosecute environmental violations.

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Birds in the Classroom

The Audubon Society of Venezuela and the government of the northern state of Miranda are offering “Birds in the Classroom” workshops to teach dozens of teachers in rural and coastal areas about the importance, care and enjoyment of bird species.