Mental Health Work in Humanitarian Crises

When the devastating ‘Boxing Day' tsunami hit Sri Lanka in December 2004, claiming over 35,000 lives and rendering 1.5 million people homeless, the World Health Organization (WHO) was confronted by a second disaster soon after it arrived to begin relief efforts in early January.

The latest statistics on HIV and Aids show large numbers of youth in sub-Saharan Africa are affected by the pandemic.

The latest statistics on HIV and Aids show large numbers of youth in sub-Saharan Africa are affected by the pandemic.

Women’s Groups Unite Ahead of Busan Aid Forum

Twenty women from four continents consider the words discussion leader Anne Schoenstein, of the Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID), has written on a flip chart. She strikes out in blue ink a previous sentence. She begins writing a new one - a demand aimed at aid donors - dictated by Nurgul Djanaeva.

ICC Urged to Accept ‘Ecocide’ as an International Crime

Images of the immense, dark stain of oil covering the waters of the Gulf of Mexico made their way across the globe last year as one of the largest oil spills in history unfolded. Other images - of the ‘Great Pacific Garbage Patch’, a gigantic pile of litter floating in the North Pacific Ocean; of countless felled trees in the Amazon; of tar sands in Canada - have gained much fewer headlines, but are likely to remain as monuments to the price tag of wanton human appetites.

Africa Becoming More Attractive to Indian and Other Investors

A reduction in red tape and an improvement in political conditions means that sub-Saharan Africa is becoming a more attractive destination for foreign direct investment, especially from India.

India Looking to South Africa to Anchor its Involvement in Africa

Some Indians and Africans believe Africa is on the verge of becoming a world economic power, but changes are needed to ensure that the continent takes up its rightful place in the global economy. From India’s perspective, South Africa is vital to its engagement with the continent.

Sewing project gives women a chance to empower themselves

Sewing project gives women a chance to empower themselves

Corporate Influence Clouds Vaccine Pledging Conference

Between 2011 and 2012, 6.4 million children could die of preventable diseases, a number greater than the total population of Denmark or Norway.

IRAN: Protests Mark Two-Year Anniversary of Contentious Polls

A silent protest through the streets of Tehran under the watchful eyes of a heavy security presence marked the second anniversary of Iran's June 2009 contested polls Sunday, amid a growing rift between Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and among different conservative wings preparing to compete in the March 2012 Parliamentary elections.

CARIBBEAN: Key Committee Pushes Forward Trade Pact with Europe

The inaugural meeting of the Trade and Development Committee (TDC) of a sweeping trade pact between Caribbean nations and the European Union is being hailed as a success by regional diplomats.

Dam Project in Turkey Breeds Controversy

The tranquillity and mystery of this town on the banks of Tigris River will not last long. The millennia-old town will be nearly totally destroyed once the nearby Ilisu dam, built for energy and irrigation, is complete.

Ecobreves – MEXICO: Air Quality Rules Not Obeyed

Mexican regulations to improve air quality are either ignored or outdated, and this has a serious impact on human health, according to a complaint filed by five non-governmental organizations.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Reuse of Wastewater for Agriculture

In the southeastern Honduran department of La Paz, a project for the reuse of wastewater for irrigation of food crops will be implemented as part of a plan to promote more environmentally friendly practices.

Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Better Classification of Agrochemicals Demanded

Social and environmental organizations in Argentina are threatening to hold a street protest if the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries does not respond to calls for more precise classification of the toxicity of agrochemicals.

Three Meals a Day

Eating is such a fundamental aspect of our existence, that I find it strange that anyone should question the wisdom of proposing that FAO should do all in its power to ensure that everyone can eat three meals a day, says Brazilian José Graziano da Silva.

INDIA: A School of Hope for Nomad Children

High up in the Himalayan mountains, 13-year-old Mohammad Junaid helps his family collect fresh fodder for their buffaloes, all the while dreaming of the day he could once again play cricket.

ZIMBABWE: Import of Second Hand Japanese Cars to be Banned

For Mathew Marufu, who has a disabled 10-year-old son, owning a second hand Japanese car has been an ‘answer from God’.

Death Penalty Popular in China

Despite government efforts to curb the number of people it puts to death, China continues to execute more people than the rest of the world combined, and corporal punishment remains popular among the citizenry.

As Britain Sees a Needy Child

The British Home Office has ruled that a severely disabled five-year-old girl should be returned to Algeria. The ruling demonstrates just how tough some European governments are getting on immigration.

Thirty Years On, AIDS Epidemic a Women’s Battle

As world leaders gather in New York for a high-level conference on HIV/AIDS, United Nations agency heads, goodwill ambassadors and activists alike hope they will remember the virus's most vulnerable victims: women and girls.

ZIMBABWE: They Live by the Sword, But Should They Die by the Sword?

In her glory days, death-row inmate Rosemary Khumalo (66) lived life dangerously on the edge. She was a sanguinary fortune hunter who would resort to anything, even murder, to land her loot, according to court records of her trial.