Ecobreves – MEXICO: Mexico City Aquifer Could Be Recharged

The aquifer that supplies water to Mexico City could be recharged in eight areas, according to a new university research study.

DR CONGO: Women Candidates Needed

Women make up just 12 percent of the roughly 18,000 candidates who will stand for election to parliament in the Democratic Republic of Congo's Nov. 28 elections.

117,000 hours of U.N. history caught on tape

MIDEAST: UNESCO Becomes a New Battleground

Palestine’s bid to become a member of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has created a tense atmosphere here, as the United States threatens to cut financing if the application is approved.

WEST AFRICA: Solar Panels Light Up Remote Villages

Frequent power cuts have led people in rural areas of Burkina Faso, Mali and Senegal to turn to solar energy for electricity.

MIDEAST: Israel Evicting the Indigenous

As Israel moves ahead with a plan to forcibly displace tens of thousands of Palestinian Bedouins in the occupied West Bank, Mohammad Al-Korshan and his family are facing the real prospect of not only losing their home, but their traditional way of life.

SOUTH SUDAN: Protecting Cattle Saves People

With his bright orange hair, Angelo Waranyang cuts a striking figure as he strides amongst his cattle. His hair colour – dyed with a mixture of cow urine and ash from burnt dung – is symbolic of the close connection that he and the majority of South Sudanese have with their revered animals.

PAKISTAN: Diplomatic Tensions over U.S. Talks with Militant Groups

Assurances by visiting U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton here late last week that Pakistan has a major role to play in future peace talks in Afghanistan have helped ease growing tensions between Islamabad and Washington.

Youth fair helps entrepreneurs to network

The Global Youth Innovation Network, GYIN, recently brought 60 entrepreneurs to Benin to find ways to combat poverty. Sponsors of the event and the participants say the four-day helped the youth to build networks that will help them get closer to reaching this goal. Sam Olukoya reports from Cotonou. [podcast]http://traffic.libsyn.com/ipsaudio/20111024_samagric_olukoya.mp3[/podcast]

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Manatee Born in Captivity

A manatee (Trichechus manatus) that has been living since Oct. 13 at the Bararida Park Zoo in Barquisimeto, in west-central Venezuela, is the third member of this endangered species to be born in captivity in South America.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: The High Cost of Environmental Vulnerability

Honduras devotes around 30 million dollars a year to confronting disasters caused by its environmental vulnerability and assisting their victims.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Brazilians Oblivious to Rio+20

When questioned in a recent survey about Rio+20, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development taking place in 2012, two decades after the historic Earth Summit held in the same city, a mere 11 percent of Brazilians knew what it was.

"We Are Facing the Threat of a Social and Health Catastrophe"

The health of families enrolled in Brazil’s “Bolsa Familia” cash transfer program has improved and infant mortality has decreased, reports physician Paulo Buss in this interview.

TUNISIA: Women Seek to Set Their Stamp

Nine months after a popular election toppled the dictatorship of former Tunisian president Zine Abidine Ben Ali, voters headed to the polls Sunday to cast their ballots for fresh leaders to rewrite the laws of the country's political system.

U.S. Looks Increasingly Irrelevant as Mideast Peace Broker

While a growing number of influential voices here and in the region insist that the nearly 20-year, U.S.-sponsored "peace process" has reached its terminal phase, the administration of President Barack Obama remains committed to reviving direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO).

TUNISIA: Islamist Violence Rises Ahead of Elections

Violent and increasingly common protests organised by far right Islamists are shocking and dividing the nation, and potentially threatening stability in the birthplace of the Arab spring.

PAKISTAN: Treatment Centre Begins to Break AIDS Stigma

"Today is the best day of my life," Gul Hamid, 40, told IPS. "Finally my family members are convinced that HIV/AIDS can’t be transmitted through handshakes or shared meals and utensils."

Chinese Film Festival Forced Underground

A Chinese independent film festival showcasing the work of some of the most daring Mainland directors has been forced underground following a police visit to the event’s launch last Saturday.

SPAIN: ETA Announces End to Europe’s Last Armed Conflict

"This is probably the most important day ever for us, the Basque people, since the death of (dictator) Franco in 1975," journalist and historian Urko Apaolaza told IPS.

Jamaica’s Prime Minister Steps Down Under Cloud

As he sits in a New York jail cell awaiting sentencing on a racketeering conviction, Christopher "Dudus" Coke has all the time in the world to reflect on the role he played in the downfall of at least two prominent Jamaican politicians, none more so than Prime Minister Bruce Golding.

Cooperatives Face Hard Times Without New Support

Many workers' cooperatives are struggling to stay afloat and need increased public support, said experts gathered at the 2011 International Forum on the Social and Solidarity Economy in Montreal.