POLITICS-US: Obama’s Momentum Carries Congress

When U.S. president-elect Barack Obama takes his historic oath of office on the steps of the Capitol at his inauguration in January, he can know that the building he's standing before will be filled with allies.

MIDEAST: For Peace, the U.S. Will Have to Change

Barack Obama has been elected U.S. President at a time when the number of extremists has risen dramatically since the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, going by the resistance to Western forces in the region. The U.S.-led 'war on terror' has itself now become a threat to peace.

POLITICS-US: Europe Too Looks for a New Way Forward

If 'change' and 'hope' were the watchwords of Barack Obama's election campaign, they were echoed strongly on the other side of the Atlantic, where his victory was swiftly applauded by Europe's political leaders.

NEPAL: Militarising or Demilitarising?

Fighting a decade long ‘People’s War’ for the revolutionary transformation of a feudal monarchy meant that the Maoists had to militarise Nepali society, including women and youth.

RELIGION-INDIA: Secular Fabric Under Threat

Police in India have unearthed a well-organised terrorist network inspired by intensely Hindu-chauvinist ideas, which they suspect, has been involved in a series of bombings since 2003, primarily targeting mosques and intended to kill Muslims.

MEDIA-US: Massive Iraqi Death Toll Ignored by Tabloid Culture

The year is 1994. Pictures of Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley cover the pages of prominent U.S. newspapers and magazines. Yet hidden from national view is the attempted elimination of the Tutsi ethnic group in Rwanda.

POLITICS: Civil Society Demands Voice at Americas Summit

Caribbean civil society groups say they want to have direct input at the Fifth Summit of the Americas to be held in Trinidad and Tobago next April, and are urging hemispheric governments to begin implementing some of the 600 recommendations that have been agreed upon at previous summits dating back to 1994.

VIETNAM: Scant Interest in US Elections

While the US Presidential election has gripped the world, there is little interest in this city where Republican candidate John McCain spent over five years as a prisoner of war.

RIGHTS-SPAIN: Demolishing Memory

The wrecking balls have begun to smash into the walls of the notorious Carabanchel prison, built by the dictatorship of Francisco Franco (1939-1975) to hold its opponents.

POLITICS: ‘New US President Must Review Pakistan Policy’

Tensions between the United States and Pakistan - on the eve of the keenly-watched U.S. Presidential elections - accompanying a visit by U.S. commander Gen. David Petraeus over unabated air strikes into Pakistani territory bode ill for peace in the region say analysts.

RIGHTS-US: Mental Heath Concerns Grow for Thousands of Condemned

The length of time convicted murderers wait for their execution is steadily rising in the U.S., raising concerns that more will suffer from the mental illness known as "death row syndrome".

HEALTH: Suicide Crisis Absent from National Agendas

With a million people dying by suicide every year and two suicide deaths per minute, it remains a major preventable cause of death worldwide, mental health experts say.

POLITICS-US: Can Naturalised Citizens Tip the Balance?

Juan Carlos Jimenez had already lived legally in the United States for nearly 40 years when he became a citizen in October, at 44. He joined hundreds of other immigrants at a New York courthouse to take his oath.

POLITICS-US: Racism Won’t Keep Arab Americans From Polls

Arab Americans are expected to vote in large numbers Tuesday, despite concerns over voter intimidation and weak outreach from the presidential candidates, representatives of major community organisations say.

POLITICS-MOZAMBIQUE: Ready To Roll

The posters and flyers are ready, and so is Marta Simango. Ready for Nov. 4, when the municipal elections campaign officially kicks off in Mozambique.

RIGHTS: Security Council Could Produce Insecurity

International institutions like the World Trade Organisation or the International Monetary Fund are slowly adapting to the growing economic impact of emerging countries. Even the informal club par excellence, the G8, is bound to open its doors for developing countries. There is one powerful institution though, that seems unable to adapt to the changing realities: the Security Council of the United Nations.

FINANCE: Watchdogs Criticise World Bank, IMF Mega Projects

The World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) came under fire last week for failing to adequately promote transparency in extractive industry operations in resource-rich countries where the two institutions work.

CHINA: Dam Casts Long Shadow Over Idyllic Valley

The town at Tiger Leaping Gorge is a ghost town. Clusters of new apartments in mock-Tibetan style with whitewashed walls and ornate flat roofs sit all empty, with gaping windows. The newly widened streets are free of traffic and the surrounding beauty of nature makes for an eerie contrast to the emptiness of the place.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Elite Forest Troops

The Honduran Armed Forces announced the creation of a specialized elite military team to defend the forest and fight illegal trafficking of timber.

Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: More and More Whales

Studies released in Argentina show that the southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) population is on the rise in the Atlantic, thanks to greater protection of the species.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Costly Urban Pollution

The polluted air in Brazil's largest cities is costing the public sector at least one billion dollars a year, according to the University of Sao Paulo's air pollution laboratory.