Ecobreves – MEXICO: Pet Slaughter

Dozens of cats and dogs that had been rescued from the street and were living in a 60-meter-square apartment in the state of Mexico were brutally killed by a group of hooded men armed with sticks and machetes.

Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Neighbors Fed Up with Garbage

Tired of putting up with a nearby dumpster, the communities of Bouwer and Potrero del Estado, in the central Argentine province of Cordoba, filed a complaint against the provincial capital for diverting its garbage to that site.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Communities Promote Eco-Tourism Project

Three municipalities in Honduras’ central Comayagua valley are building their first eco-tourism center, with the aim of generating income for the region and developing conservation and management programs for the wildlife reservation of the PANACOMA national park.

Ecobreves – Brazil: Digitally Mapping the Amazon Region

A total of 1,815 digital maps will be completed this year to provide a greater knowledge of Brazil’s Amazon region, contributing data on official and clandestine roads, rivers, settlements, haciendas and schools.

ENERGY-CHINA: On Oil Shopping Spree

The major coup scored by Chinese diplomats in sealing a string of bulk volume energy deals in the past few weeks signals a new phase in Beijing’s energy diplomacy, deployed to secure long-term resources for the country’s power-hungry economy, according to analysts here.

MINING-LIBERIA: Steel Town Blues For Yekepa

Three exhausted railroad workers sip beer and talk on the back porch of a makeshift bar in Liberia's rural Nimba County, concealed by nightfall and the deafening din of motorcycles and a generator nearby.

BOTSWANA: Media Laws Stir Dissent Within Ruling Party

There is growing dissent in the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) over laws that enable the government to regulate the media. Member of parliament, Keletso Rakhudu, broke ranks with his party by publicly criticising the Media Practitioner’s Act as an "assault" on the "fundamentals" and "undermining" free and independent media. He claims a number of his colleagues shared his dismay but were fearful of speaking out.

DEVELOPMENT: Mauritians Also Competing For Land in Africa

Soaring food prices and lack of land have forced Mauritius, a net food importing country, to launch an ambitious initiative. The island state is starting to grow its food in other African states where land is lying fallow and labour is cheap.

ECONOMY: As the EU Regulates, or Does Not

Faced with a crisis that sent shockwaves through the markets and continues to cause immense pain in the real economy, the European Commission charged eight bankers and economists with drafting a blueprint for how financial regulation should be approached in the future. It might seem odd, then, that all members of this panel, which presented the results of its discussions this week, have displayed an aversion to regulation in the past.

MIDEAST: Early Jitters for Netanyahu

He's yet to be installed as Israel's prime minister, let alone starting to govern through the customary 100 days of grace, and already Benjamin Netanyahu is being allowed no respite: neither by those whom he envisages as his potential coalition partners nor by the international community, most pertinently the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama.

US-RUSSIA: Let’s Be Frenemies

A long list of top U.S. officials is urging renewed diplomatic ties between the U.S. and Russia.

MIGRATION-MEXICO: Where Is My Son?

Ana Celaya from El Salvador has been desperately searching for her son Rafael since he went missing in Mexico in May 2002, as he was trying to make it to the United States.

RIGHTS: Britain Admits Complicity in U.S. Rendition

In a stunning reversal, Britain’s government admitted Wednesday that it participated in the ‘extraordinary rendition’ to Afghanistan of two terror suspects captured in Iraq.

MADAGASCAR: Closed-Door Talks Over Political Impasse

Both parties agreed not to release any details after a second direct meeting between President Marc Ravalomanana and his principal opponent, Andry Rajoelina, the deposed mayor of Madagascar’s capital Antananarivo, on Feb. 23 with no official being issued.

MIDEAST: Under the Bombing, A Girl Child Called Hope

Ghalia Hussein's husband refused to evacuate their Rafah home near the Israeli border amid heavy bombardment during the recent 22-day siege. Struck by a missile at the top of their stairs, he bled to death while ambulances attempted to reach him. He left Ghalia three children, a destroyed home, and no income to speak of.

DEVELOPMENT: Food Is Not Another Commodity

Food should be treated differently to other economic goods during international trade talks, a new United Nations report has recommended.

POLITICS: Shadow Meet to Challenge Elites at Americas Summit

The organisers do not expect newly elected U.S. President Barack Obama to attend their parallel three-day meeting, even though he is likely to be in Trinidad and Tobago at the official Fifth Summit of the Americas in April.

RIGHTS-US: What About Bagram?

While human rights and legal advocacy groups applauded President Barack Obama’s decision to close the military prison at Guantanamo Bay within a year, many immediately raised another thorny question: "What about Bagram?"

ECONOMY-US: Job Creation Key to Recovery, Obama Stresses

In his first speech before a joint session of Congress, U.S. President Barack Obama gave a hopeful assessment of the country’s future and defended his economic recovery plan to get there.

BOTSWANA: High Profile Trial Could Open Can of Worms

The high profile trial of former Debswana Managing Director, Louis Goodwill Nchindo, could open a can of worms about the shady activities of senior government officials in Botswana, officially Africa's least corrupt country.

UAE: Women’s Participation is the Norm

In the gender-sensitive Gulf milieu, efforts by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to empower women and recognise them as partners in the nation-building process has received praise, but experts stress that the scope for improvement is limitless.