Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Seeking Funds for Renewable Energy

The Honduran government is seeking 400 million dollars to build two hydroelectric dams to meet the country's energy needs, and to promote alternative renewable energy projects, like biofuels, with Brazil as a consultant.

MIDEAST: Shock, Awe, and a Belated Soul-Search

"If only my three daughters will be the last victims of this horrible conflict," wept Dr. Ezzadin Abu Al-Aish, a Palestinian gynaecologist recovering from his wounds in Tel Aviv's Tel Hashomer hospital. An Israeli tank shell killed three of his nine children aged 20, 15 and 14 as well as a 14-year-old niece in their home in the Jebaliya refugee camp Saturday. Israel says its forces were responding to sniper fire.

RIGHTS: Senegal Media Gets a Taste of Taser

A French weapons firm has acknowledged for the first time that it has sold stun-guns to Senegal, where they have been reportedly used against journalists covering football matches and political protests.

DR CONGO: Ugandan Rebels Add to Woes in the Northeast

Reports from non-governmental organisations and the United Nations on the humanitarian situation in the north-eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) state that over 400 civilians were killed at the end of last month by the Lord’s Resistance Army, a Ugandan rebel faction with bases in that part of the country.

MALAYSIA: By-Poll Will Test Political Drift

Following the political tsunami in March, which propelled a disparate opposition alliance to power in five of 13 Malaysian states, voters in the capital of oil-rich Terengganu state will determine Saturday if an 'east coast monsoon' will drive the alliance closer to national power.

LIBERIA: Life a Struggle for Ex-Combatants

Hajah Kamara's life of violence began when she was not yet a teenager. After rebels butchered her father and pregnant mother in their Voinjama home, they forced her to become a ‘wife’ and a fighter in their warring faction.

DEVELOPMENT-AFRICA: Better Education Improves Health of Mothers and Children

A new UNICEF report reveals there is still much to be done to reduce infant and maternal mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. Failure to improve care for pregnant women and newborns threatens to undermine progress on all health-related development goals.

POLITICS-US: The Youth Are Getting Restless

Young voters were an important factor in Barack Obama's victory last Nov. 4, but will their new political enthusiasm stand the test of time?

RELIGION: Catholic Church Family Meet Slams Door on Diversity

The social diversity and broad range of thinking among Catholics is conspicuously absent from the Sixth World Meeting of Families taking place in the Mexican capital this week, say observers.

CULTURE-PAKISTAN: Artistes Caught in Crossfire

Arson attacks and killings have shut down girls’ schools and brought a thriving entertainment industry to its knees in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP).

MIDEAST: GCC in Security-Sympathy Fix Over Gaza

As Israel’s assault on Gaza continues into a third week, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries remain distressed on two fronts - mounting Arab anger over Palestinian causalities and concern over Tehran and Tel Aviv using Hamas to settle their differences.

MIDEAST: Coming Up to Crunch Time

"The war isn't yet over, but it's the beginning of the final chapter," said Eytan Ben-Eliyahu, former Israeli air force chief, on Israel Television Wednesday night. "This is the crunch moment," he added.

SRI LANKA: Journos Vow to Carry on Slain Editor's Legacy

Every Tuesday the editors of ‘The Sunday Leader’, the investigative Colombo-based newspaper, go through a ritual. Throughout the morning editorial staff amble in and out, tension levels rising as deadlines near.

POLITICS-DR CONGO: Talks Resume

Direct talks between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) government and rebels have resumed in Nairobi with discussions on a joint cessation of hostilities currently underway. The talks seek to bring calm to the troubled eastern part of the country.

TRINIDAD: President in Power Grab, Citizen Groups Say

As it stands now, the office of the president of Trinidad and Tobago is largely ceremonial. But if the draft document on a new constitution released by the Patrick Manning government last week is anything to go by, that could change dramatically.

MIDEAST: Thousand Deaths Do Not Put Off EU

Senior European Union figures have signalled that they could push ahead with plans to strengthen formal ties with Israel, even though more than 1,000 have now been killed by the bombardment of Gaza

RIGHTS: New U.S. Leadership Offers Ray of Hope

As human rights abuses continue around the world, global power shifts have created new coalitions that often successfully seek to deflect criticisms of their own and their allies' human rights records, says the comprehensive annual report issued by Human Rights Watch (HRW).

RELIGION-INDIA: Reviving Buddhism Where It Was Born

Over 50 years ago, the author of India’s constitution, B. R. Ambedkar, set in motion a Buddhist socio-political movement which many believe is now ready to fructify through Mayawati, chief minister of northern Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state.

RIGHTS-US: Fate of Guantanamo Detainees Still Murky

Human rights groups are hailing reports that President-elect Barack Obama plans to issue an executive order on his first full day in office directing the closing of the Guantánamo Bay detention camp in Cuba. But they are urging him to provide details on when and how it will be done and what will happen to those now imprisoned there.

ECONOMY-TANZANIA: Investing The Money Under The Mattress

Omari Saidi heard bad news about the global financial crisis, but the 34-year-old Tanzanian taxi driver felt too far removed from the world market to worry.

CANADA: Paper Mill Seizure Boosts Populist Premier

The man dubbed "Canada's Hugo Chavez" is in the hot seat again.