PAKISTAN-POLITICS: Testing Times for Democracy

Political opposition against President Asif Ali Zardari -fuelled by the recent U.S. military incursions into Pakistani territory and rising food prices - appears to be tempered by the realisation that the only alternative to the current democratically elected dispensation is military rule.

CUBA: "Few Deaths Do not Mean Storm Damages Were not Massive"

More than 2.5 million Cubans were evacuated by the civil defence system when hurricane Ike lashed the island this month. And although only seven people were killed, more than one million no longer have an intact home to return to.

MEXICO: Bloody Independence Eve Celebrations

If there ever was a tacit agreement between organised crime and the authorities in Mexico to respect certain boundaries, as some analysts argue, there is now no doubt that it has been breached. Several grenades exploded in Morelia during the country’s Independence Day celebrations, killing at least eight people and injuring 100.

POLITICS-MAURITIUS: Women Still Seeking the Political Kingdom

Mauritius - along with Botswana, Malawi and Madagascar - did not sign the Gender Protocol at the Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit in August. While the island nation has made some recent progress in political representation of women at the level of Parliament, much remains to be done to allow women to enjoy their full rights in the political arena.

HEALTH: Goal to Halt AIDS by 2015 Recedes Further

What if HIV/AIDS was just another chronic disease instead of a widespread epidemic? This could be the case if the world community takes serious action, according to Human Rights Watch and other activists. But today, the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) on HIV/AIDS is nowhere near being realised.

DEVELOPMENT: Less Than Half of EU Aid Tackles Poverty

Less than half of development aid approved by the European Commission is explicitly linked to international objectives on reducing poverty, a new study has found.

CANADA: Energy Politics Could Make or Break Liberals

While U.S. media pundits dub the race for the White House as a battle between the "warrior" and the "orator", Canada's current election campaign might be characterised as "the meanie" versus "the weenie".

EUROPE: Can’t Keep the Peace in Chad

The European Union's peacekeeping force in Chad is "ill-suited" to deal with the banditry and criminality that is plaguing the country's refugees, the anti-poverty group Oxfam has stated.

ZIMBABWE: New Deal Faces Challenges

Violent clashes broke out between supporters of the Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front (Zanu PF) and the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) outside the Rainbow Towers Hotel following the signing of a historic power sharing deal.

TRADE: Africa’s Export Performance Still Dismal, Says UNCTAD

Despite the liberalisation of trade over more than two decades, the level and composition of Africa’s exports have not substantially changed, according to the 2008 report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) on economic development in Africa.

Q&A: "Freedom of Expression Goes Hand in Hand with Justice"

Social inequality is "the main" problem for freedom of expression in Latin America, said Frank La Rue Lewy, who was named United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression on Aug. 1.

TRADE-CARIBBEAN: Guyana Stands Alone Against Europe

In the end, Guyana's President Bharrat Jagdeo was the stubborn holdout.

POLITICS-US: The Most Secretive Govt Ever?

The administration of President George W. Bush continues to expand government secrecy across a broad array of agencies and actions - and at greatly increased cost to taxpayers, according to a coalition of groups that promote greater transparency.

ENVIRONMENT: Big Donors Shifting Green Agenda

"Philanthro-capitalists" and more traditional foundations are addressing global problems like climate change with unprecedented zeal. But are their money and efforts being put to the best use?

Q&A: Unravelling the Knots of Tied Aid

The forum on aid effectiveness in Accra has delivered "profound" decisions to change the way aid is structured, OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria told IPS in an interview.

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Transit and Garbage on the Electoral Agenda

The combined problem of garbage and transit in Caracas awaits solutions in the final stretch of municipal and regional elections to take place in November across Venezuela.

Ecobreves – CHILE: Progress on Native Forest Law

Chile's Ministry of Agriculture opened the registration period until Sep. 29 to run for a post on the Consultative Council of the Law on Native Forest Recovery, published in the Official Newspaper of Jul. 30.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Amazon Boat Runs on Solar Power

The first solar-powered boat is already navigating rivers in the Brazilian Amazon. Weighing 250 kilograms and a capacity to carry four people, the Siesuí 1 serves a hotel on the Araçá River in the northwestern state of Amazonas.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Adiós to Controversial Forestry Agency

The much-criticized Honduran forestry development agency, Cohdefor, officially halted operations on Monday, Sep. 15, after more than three decades, and ceding the way for the new governmental body, the Forest Conservation Institute (IFC).

MONTREAL PROTOCOL: A Global Partnership for Global Benefits

The elimination of some of the substances that deplete the ozone layer could also mean reducing emissions of up to 25 billion tons of carbon dioxide, the principal greenhouse gas, writes expert and UNEP official Silvie Lemmet.

INDIA: Empowering Women is About Basic Funding

Kudumbasree (Family Prosperity) is India’s one success story in getting down to the job of helping poor women take care of their own basic needs - from health care and housing to self-employment.