RIGHTS-US: ‘We Shouldn’t Depend on Others to Clean Up Our Mess’

Human rights organisations and legal scholars are applauding the efforts of Spanish lawyers in seeking the indictment of six former officials of the administration of President George W. Bush in connection with the torture of detainees at the U.S. military's Guantanamo Bay prison.

TURKEY: Obama Offers Islam a Handshake

On his first visit to a Muslim country this week, U.S. President Barack Obama proposed "a new chapter" in U.S. engagement with the Islamic world. He drew much praise, while some remain skeptical.

MIDEAST: It Will Take the World to Save These Homes

Orthodox Israeli settlers, backed by soldiers and police, attacked Palestinian residents of the Sa'diyya neighbourhood of occupied East Jerusalem Sunday evening, four days after the settler group invaded the home of the Jabir family and extra-judicially evicted them.

PERU: Rights Groups Applaud Fujimori Conviction

Human rights groups welcomed the conviction of former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori, who was sentenced to 25 years in prison Tuesday on charges of murder and kidnapping.

RIGHTS-US: Medics and Interrogations Don’t Mix

Human rights advocates are expressing alarm about recent disclosures that medical professionals assisted the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency in harsh interrogations at secret prisons overseas and at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. It has also been brought to light that judges have ignored the mental health problems of government witnesses in terror-related trials.

PHILIPPINES: Government Must Stop Davao Death Squad

Alleged "death squads" are responsible for hundreds of targeted killings in Davao City and other cities on the Philippine island of Mindanao, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report released Tuesday.

ECONOMY-EL SALVADOR: Passing the Poisoned Chalice

Warnings about the dire state of the Salvadoran economy and its weak position for coping with the global recession were ignored by outgoing President Antonio Saca for political reasons in an election year, analysts say, as they point out the difficulties that lie ahead for the new government.

AFRICA: G20 Summit’s Trade-Related Commitments Disappoint

The Group of 20’s pledges of trade finance and aid for trade are too vague, according to the editors of the e-book ‘‘Rebuilding Global Trade’’, published last week. And the London summit of this group of developed and developing economies last week failed to make a strong commitment to the multilateral trade regime.

NORTH KOREA: Pyongyang’s ‘Show of Strength’ Provokes Big Powers

The timing of North Korea’s rocket launch on Sunday, designed as a show of strength, was as provocative as the launch itself. It occurred on the day U.S. President Barack Obama made a speech calling for an end to nuclear arms and committed himself to reducing the U.S. nuclear arsenal.

Ecobreves – CHILE: Foreign Experts Examine Energy Matrix

Ten experts from the International Energy Agency (IEA) visited Chile as part of an in-depth study being conducted of the country's energy situation and policies.

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Environmental Education Travels by Truck

A white truck carrying books, toys, videos and ecologists is promoting the organization of eco-brigades in Venezuela's primary schools, focusing on fourth, fifth and sixth grade students.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Cyanide Spill Under Investigation

The Honduran Government Prosecutor's Office announced an exhaustive investigation into the causes of a cyanide spill in the Lara River, which supplies water to several communities in the western department of Copán.

SRI LANKA: Escalated Conflict Takes Toll on Children, Civilians

The escalation since December of the conflict in Sri Lanka’s north between government forces and the Tamil Tigers is taking a heavy toll on children and civilians, many of whom are still trying to escape the combat zones.

EAST TIMOR: Power Situation Better, But Problems Lie Ahead

Residents in East Timor’s capital used to suffer from daily power blackouts last year, sometimes occurring two or three times a day.

HEALTH-SOUTH AFRICA: 'Our Lives Are Most Important'

The Fourth South African AIDS conference ended in Durban Friday with optimism over progress in research and policy on AIDS prevention but serious concerns over finding the resources to effectively implement the country's national strategic plan of action.

TURKEY: Poll Win a Setback for AKP

Turkey's ruling party won the local elections last week, but the reduced majority comes as indicator that its popularity may be in decline.

EUROPE: Made in Israeli Settlements, But Never Mind

European Union officials are seeking evidence to support claims that fruit and vegetables from Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories are being exported under false pretence.

CARIBBEAN: Region Cautious on Free Trade with Canada

Two years ago, newly elected Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper acknowledged his country’s neglect of the Caribbean in recent years.

RIGHTS: U.S. Judge Gives Bagram Prisoners Right to Appeal

In what could become an historic decision, a federal judge has ruled that non-Afghan citizens rendered by the U.S. to Bagram prison in Afghanistan have a constitutional right to challenge their detention in U.S. civilian courts.

POLITICS: U.S., Russia Affirm Ideal of “Nuclear-Free” World

In a meeting on the eve of the G20 summit in London, the leaders of the U.S. and Russia set out to take the first concrete steps towards a "reset" of relations between the two countries.

MIDEAST: All Unclear Over Israeli Policy

How genuine is Israel's new leadership about peace when the Prime Minister says that he will go a long way towards striving for a settlement with the Palestinians, but purposefully omits to endorse an independent Palestinian state; and, when his foreign minister warns, "If you want peace, prepare for war", a blunt statement on which the prime minister stays studiously silent?