Ecobreves – CUBA: Natural Insecticide Production Gets a Boost

A Havana cooperative, beneficiary of the Global Environment Facility's Small Grants Program, is planning an increase in natural insecticide production in order to supply several Cuban provinces.

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Women Defend Coastal Wetland

Dozens of women from the town of Tacarigua, 80 kilometers from Caracas and located within the boundaries of a 39,000-hectare national park, have begun a project for collecting and recycling garbage.

US-LATAM: We Can't Be Trapped by History

President Barack Obama had promised that his administration would be different. His, he said, would be a listening, caring one, even though like previous United States leaders, he came to the Fifth Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago bearing gifts - no doubt hoping for support for his new initiatives.

AFRICA: Developing Stronger Protection Against Gender-Based Violence

When heads of districts describe efforts to fight sexual violence as a waste of resources, it raises questions about the leadership’s commitment to deal with the matter.

RIGHTS-US: CIA Director Asked to Preserve Secret Prisons

Lawyers for a Guantanamo detainee who claims he was held and tortured in one of the "black site" secret prisons run by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency is demanding that the CIA preserve cells and interrogation paraphernalia there as evidence of mistreatment.

US-IRAN: A Kinder, Gentler Policy?

After an initial period of putting policy-makers in place, the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama is slowly rolling out its strategy for dealing with Iran. But the process is a work in progress, said several experts at a policy conference here, happy to dole out advice for what the administration’s next moves should be.

RIGHTS-US: No Impunity for Torturers, Groups Urge

Human rights advocates were quick to praise President Barack Obama for Thursday's release of the infamous "torture memos" used by the Bush-era Justice Department to justify cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of war-on-terror prisoners. However, they appear unanimously critical of the president’s decision not to prosecute the Central Intelligence Agency operatives who used these techniques.

CHINA: Macau Gaming Boom at a Cost

Beijing’s decade-old flirt with lucrative gambling in the booming casino town of Macau has gone decidedly sour.

MIDEAST: More Doors Closing Than Opening

Israel is digging in its heels. Government officials said Wednesday that Israel does not intend to cooperate with the upcoming United Nations investigation into whether Israel and Hamas both committed war crimes during the recent Gaza war.

MEXICO-US: More Rhetoric for Change

Reiterated promises of cooperation and respect marked U.S. President Barack Obama’s visit to Mexico Thursday. But activists and analysts from both countries told IPS that there have been enough words and that it is time for concrete action from Washington.

RIGHTS: Ivory Tower Not Always a Safe Haven

Universities are places for teaching, studying and learning, but for a prominent scholar in Belarus, researching and publishing on topics that the government considered unpopular led to a progression of abuse that began with being snubbed by academic conferences and isolated at the university and ended with his termination and even death threats.

RIGHTS-US: Struggle Brews Over “Torture Memos” Immunity

The Justice Department Thursday released four secret memos used by the George W. Bush administration to justify torture.

IRAQ: More Than Two Million Refugees Waiting to Come Home

The government of Iraq and the international community must establish safe conditions for the return of 2.6 million displaced Iraqis, says a new field report by the non-profit group Refugees International.

POLITICS: Officially Absent, Cuba Looms Large at Americas Summit

U.S. President Barack Obama may be the star attraction at the three-day meeting, but the U.S. embargo on Cuba – which has not been invited to attend – remains a major issue at this weekend’s Fifth Summit of the Americas to be held for the first time in an English-speaking Caribbean country.

RIGHTS: UN Protects Israel From Racism Charges

As the wreckage from Israel's recent siege on Gaza continues to smoulder, international civil society organisations are assembling this week in Switzerland to address Israel's crimes of military occupation and racism.

RIGHTS-US: Abu Ghraib Victims Can Sue Interrogators

In a ruling that could have widespread implications for government contractors overseas, a federal court has concluded that four former Abu Ghraib detainees, who were tortured and later released without charge, can sue the U.S. military contractor who was involved in conducting prisoner interrogations for the Pentagon in Iraq.

US-CUBA: Public Supports Free Travel, Diplomatic Ties

A majority of U.S. citizens feel that it is time to try a new approach to Cuba, according to a recent national poll by WorldPublicOpinion.org.

INDIA: Not Easy For Women in Politics

Sumitra Mitra has been a Communist for over 45 years. She has seen the party grow from its days of radical activism to its present powerful establishment phase - leading the government in West Bengal state for an uninterrupted 30 years.

POLITICS: Spotlight on Gender Equality at IPU Meeting in Addis Ababa

The Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) started its assembly in the Ethiopian capital on Apr. 5 with a debate called by women parliamentarians.

MIDEAST: Aid Rots Outside Gaza

Hundreds of thousands of tonnes of aid intended for the Gaza Strip is piling up in cities across Egypt's North Sinai region, despite recent calls from the United Nations to ease aid flow restrictions to the embattled territory in the wake of Operation Cast Lead.

DEVELOPMENT: Making Sanitation Sexy

Though the issue of human excreta is often taboo in polite company, human waste and sanitation are starting to take their rightful place in debates about development and human health.