US-MIDEAST: Anti-Hamas Policies Stymie Gaza Recovery

Despite a desperate need to rebuild the Gaza Strip, viewed by many as a key ingredient to reuniting the Palestinian territories and building a two-state peace deal with Israel, it appears that the U.S. and the international community are poised to continue old, politically-charged policies that will impede progress.

ISRAEL: Many Candidates, No Leaders

Along the ironic lines of "Something Funny Happened on the Way to the Forum", the old Broadway musical about democracy in ancient times, something "funny" happened to Israelis on their way to the polling stations.

RIGHTS-CHINA: Path to Modernisation Disastrous – Charter 08

When China’s human rights record comes up for review before a key United Nations panel on Monday, this nominally communist country will have two contrasting accounts of its human rights situation.

Ecobreves – CHILE: Conflict Over Petroleum Storage Site

Residents, fishers and salmon workers, including the indigenous population of Calbuco, in the southern Chilean region of Los Lagos, have announced a mobilization against a fuel storage plant of the Chilean oil company Copec.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Biosphere Destruction Denounced

Humanitarian and environmental groups have reported the continued logging in the Honduran biosphere reserve of the Plátano River, where clandestine sawmills operate.

Ecobreves – CUBA: Applause for Ozone Therapy

A million patients with chronic illnesses were treated with ozone therapy in Cuba over the past two decades. Eighty percent of the cases responded with satisfactory results.

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Wetlands Not So Protected

Venezuela has reached the 38th anniversary of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands with mixed results.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Partial Ban on Asbestos

Brazil's environment minister, Carlos Minc, has banned the use of asbestos in public works and in all vehicles associated with his portfolio, due to the health dangers the fire-resistant mineral poses.

TRADE: Financial Crisis Makes Liberalisation Less Rosy

With the current economic crisis, questions are being asked about the viability of further liberalisation as envisaged in the Doha Round at the World Trade Organisation (WTO). In particular, the North’s pressure on poor countries to open financial markets may be ‘‘obsolete’’ because of the role of the financial sector in the crisis.

TRADE: South Africa in Growing Conflict With EU

Brussels officials have rejected calls from three southern African governments for a reassessment of a new trade accord with the European Union.

ENVIRONMENT: Sharks Need to Fear Humans

Ever since the horror movie Jaws was released in 1975, sharks have been regarded as deadly creatures in the public imagination of many countries. The deep irony - as a senior European Union official stressed Feb. 5 - is that humans pose a far greater danger to sharks than vice-versa.

INDIA/PAKISTAN: Artists Take On Post-Colonial Partitions

With national boundaries continually being redrawn in the post-colonial world, it’s time to deal with the reality of partitions and find a way "to make peace with our partitioned selves", contends international banker-turned-art curator Hammad Nasar.

MIDEAST: Israel Heads Right

And then there were four.

ZIMBABWE: Obama Cautious on Power-Sharing Deal

As the Zimbabwean parliament approves the power-sharing deal between President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, the new administration of U.S. President Barack Obama says it will look for concrete change in the way the country is governed before deciding U.S. policy.

RIGHTS-US: The Children of Guantanamo

Legal experts and human rights advocates are challenging the public to remember Guantanamo's "child soldiers" when the detainees there are characterised as "the worst of the worst".

ECONOMY-US: Advocacy Groups Fear New Wave of Homeless

Homeless advocates in the United States say if the new Congress and the Barack Obama administration do nothing, many more low-income people already teetering on the brink could end up living on the streets over the next two years.

EUROPE: Police Cooperation With Israel Challenged

A European Union body has cast strong doubts over efforts to boost police cooperation between the 27-country bloc and Israel.

RIGHTS-US: Indefinite Detention Case to Test Obama’s Pledges

In what promises to be the first major test of the Barack Obama administration's new approach to the rule of law, the Supreme Court will soon hear what could be one of the most consequential cases in U.S. history.

SRI LANKA: Tamils Fearful For the Future

As Sri Lanka celebrates 61 years of independence from British colonial rule on Wednesday, the enthusiasm is understandably not shared by minority Tamils living under the military jackboot in the north of the country.

RIGHTS-US: Racist Ideology Permeates Anti-Immigrant Lobby

The Southern Poverty Law Centre (SPLC) said Tuesday that its research has connected three mainstream U.S. anti-immigration groups to racist ideas.

CARIBBEAN: Major Conglomerate in Line for Bailout

When it opened its doors to the public in 1936, the Colonial Life Insurance Company (CLICO) adopted the motto: "Give a man value, give a man service, and he will support you."