Study shows women need more prominence in the newsroom.

Study shows women need more prominence in the newsroom.

Eleven Million at Risk in Horn of Africa

"I have never seen anything like it. Many mothers have lost three or four children. It's a tragedy out here," Austin Kennan, regional director for the Horn of Africa for Concern Worldwide, told IPS from within the crisis zone.

Sanitation Moves Up Global Development Agenda

With nearly 40 percent of the world's population lacking adequate sanitation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announced an initiative Tuesday to invest 42 million dollars in new grants to help "reinvent the toilet".

Execution Videos Strike Terror in Pakistan

A video showing a group of 16 Pakistani policemen, hands tied behind their backs, being executed by Taliban gunmen in the Dir district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is only the latest in a series showing brutal acts designed to strike terror in the areas bordering Afghanistan.

SOUTH SUDAN: Time to Start Learning

Being educated during the country’s civil war was almost impossible. But Victoria Maja wanted to become a doctor, and in order to do so she had to leave South Sudan and live and study in the north. She was one of the lucky ones.

SRI LANKA: Film Reveals Atrocities in Final Months of Civil War

A new documentary showing graphic footage from the end of Sri Lanka's war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2009 is rejuvenating calls for an investigation into war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Biodiesel Byproduct Also a Source of Energy

A waste byproduct of biodiesel production can be transformed from a source of environmental pollution into a source of energy, according to a study conducted by the São Carlos School of Engineering at São Paulo University.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: New Geological Risk Zones Identified

Students and geologists from Costa Rica will undertake the mapping of new areas at risk of landslides and flooding in the Honduran capital.

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Protests Against Oil Refinery

Residents of the town of Las Piedras on the northern outskirts of Punto Fijo, the site of a major oil refinery complex on the Paraguaná peninsula in northwestern Venezuela, have staged street protests over the coke residue and other toxic contaminants emitted by the refinery.

MIDEAST: Marching in Step for Peace

For the first time in over 20 years, thousands of Israeli and Palestinian peace activists marched peacefully together on Friday to support the Palestinian drive for statehood expected to be endorsed at the UN General Assembly in September.

COTE D’IVOIRE: Disagreement Over Scope of ICC Investigation

Government and civil society in Côte d'Ivoire are divided over the scope of the investigations to be undertaken by the International Criminal Court into atrocities and serious violations of human rights committed during the post- electoral crisis.

SOMALIA: Will the Prime Minister Uphold Media Freedom?

The appointment of a new prime minister in Somalia amid protests and a media crackdown will do nothing to resolve the country’s problems of corruption and cronyism, political analysts say. But they hope the new appointee may be able to do something about media freedom in the country.

HEALTH: Israeli Takes a Step Forward

"One step at a time," this fairy tale says. "Wonders and miracles, these shoes brought me back my life!" For Miriam Gilebsky, walking is no simple thing, it’s an achievement greater than life, like walking on the moon, perhaps. One small step for health is one giant leap when you suffered a stroke.

Lao Women Take A Bow

Lao women artists have been trying to create more space in arts, literature and performance circles for discussion of issues relevant to women, but the path to doing this has not always been easy. Against this backdrop, the recognition that they received in the 2011 artist awards in Laos was a long-awaited one. Video report by Vannaphone Sitthirath for IPS Asia-Pacific.

Burmese Convict Brutality Spurs Calls for International Probe

Burmese convicts forced into military service have endured mistreatment that warrants a U.N. investigation into war crimes in the country, according to a new report released by Human Rights Watch (HRW) Wednesday.

Turning Education From a Privilege into a Right

Going to school and receiving an education are opportunities most people usually take for granted. But for 67 million children around the world, such possibilities do not exist.

PAKISTAN: Religious Scholars Called In to Promote Peace

The government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in northwestern Pakistan is calling on religious scholars to help end the violence in the militancy-wracked province, in a desperate attempt to restore peace.

SOUTH SUDAN: Born into Crisis – Violence Against Women Continues

Violence against women is rampant, devastating and tolerated in South Sudan and the new country needs to address these gross human rights violations and train people, especially soldiers, to respect women’s rights.

U.S.: Execution of Mexican Citizen Draws Wide Condemnation

"I'm ready. Let's get this show on the road," Humberto Leal Garcia told a prison warden minutes before his execution in Texas on the night of Jul. 7.

/CORRECTED REPEAT*/: U.N. Seeks Controls on Private Armies

With U.S. and Western military forces planning to gradually withdraw their troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, there will be an increasing demand for private military contractors to provide security in both politically-troubled countries.

SOUTH SUDAN: A Country Split – But What Happens to the People?

When the Republic of South Sudan gained independence from the north, it was more than a geographical split. Families in South Sudan and Sudan could be forced apart as both countries wrangle out the issue of citizenship and who belongs where.