Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Agrotoxics Used to Save Biodiversity

Environmental organisations have turned to an old enemy, toxic agrochemicals, as an extreme measure to combat invasive plant species that are threatening native flora in conservation areas.

U.S.: Activists Fight Deportation of Bi-national Gay Couples

After Erwin de Leon successfully defended his dissertation, he felt relief at being closer to earning his doctorate in public and urban policy. But the achievement also meant that time was running out to find a way to stay in the United States.

DEVELOPMENT: IBSA Fund Packs Small But Sustainable Punches*

Despite only three million dollars a year coming into the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Fund for Poverty and Hunger Alleviation, it aims to pack punches above its weight with small but sustainable projects.

Globally 75 million girls remain out of school and robbed of a fulfilling future.

Globally 75 million girls remain out of school and robbed of a fulfilling future. Poverty and early marriage are some of the contributing factors to early pregnancy.

Washington Failing to Understand Iran’s Opposition

The popular uprisings that have brought turmoil to Arab countries across the Middle East and North Africa have also underscored Washington's dearth of knowledge about forces on the ground in authoritarian states in the Middle East. One of the largest questions bedeviling policy makers has been the composition of various emerging opposition movements.

GCC Brokers Power Transfer for Yemen’s Embattled Leader

The official Yemeni opposition group, the Joint Meetings Party (JMP), has announced it will sign a deal brokered by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on Wednesday which will officially transfer President Ali Abdullah Saleh's powers, temporarily, to his vice president Abd al-Rab Mansur al Hadi.

MIDEAST: Israel Awaits Palestinian ‘Tsunami’

A small rally by prominent Israeli left-wing intellectuals in support of Palestinian statehood revived the dormant debate about the morality and sustainability of Israel's 43-year occupation. Neither the choice of site nor timing was coincidental.

PORTUGAL: Commemoration of Revolution Turns into Protest Against IMF

The traditional celebration of the anniversary of the 1974 Carnation Revolution in the Portuguese capital turned into a massive protest against the extreme austerity measures imposed by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as a condition for the imminent financial bailout.

BURKINA FASO: Training Gives Domestics Hope of Escaping Their Lot

Emeline Djigma, a twenty-year-old domestic worker, is preparing for the entrance exam to the National Teachers' College this year. She hopes she'll make it, having finally obtained her secondary school certificate thanks to five years of evening classes.

NIGERIA: Uneasy Finale to General Elections

Nigerians will return to the polls Tuesday to elect state legislators and governors. Government at this level plays a key role in delivering services and infrastructure, but in northern states the choice of credible leaders could be overshadowed by lingering anger over the Apr. 16 presidential election.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Agro-ecological Techniques Lower Production Costs

Agro-ecological techniques make it possible to produce organic food at a cost that is 84 percent lower than through traditional agricultural methods, according to a research study conducted by the Luiz de Queiroz Higher Institute of Agriculture at the University of São Paulo in Piracicaba, Brazil.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: IFAD Funding for Food Security Programmes

The government of Honduras will receive 37 million dollars from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) for sustainable agriculture and food security projects that will benefit 40,000 families in 64 poor municipalities.

Ecobreves – CUBA: New Economic Model Includes Seed Conservation

At the sixth congress of the ruling Communist Party of Cuba, held in Havana Apr. 16-19, a proposal was adopted to include measures to guarantee the production, improvement and conservation of seeds within the country’s economic policy.

ECONOMY: Portugal Negotiates Draconian Bailout Plan

The strangling of the Portuguese economy by the international capital markets has led to what was expected: a bailout with tough conditions that will bring the country to its knees.

ENVIRONMENT: Kiss of Life for DR Congo Pygmies

"Most of the houses in our villages are still made with small branches that we have collected, while our timber and our medicinal plants are taken by people who are enriching themselves elsewhere," said Ampiobo Amuri, a traditional pygmy chief.

China Puts Its Mark on Malawi

Driving through Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe, it is difficult to miss the imposing building under construction in the city centre. It's the country’s first five-star hotel, 90 million dollars worth of well-appointed rooms, a state-of-the-art conference centre and 14 opulent presidential suites.

EAST AFRICA: Women Breaking Through Trade Barriers

For 12 years now, the women around Tsangano in Malawi’s southern district of Ntcheu have put together their tomato harvest, selling some 20 tons at the outdoor markets that abound in Lilongwe, the capital. But they have very little to show for their hard work.

COTE D’IVOIRE: Hesitant Steps Towards Normal Life

The prime minister of Côte d'Ivoire, Guillaume Soro, held his first cabinet meeting away from the Golf Hotel on Tuesday. The meeting - at the Prime Minister's Office in the Plateau d'Abidjan - was symbolic, intended to signal a return to normal life in a city that endured heavy fighting between Mar. 30 and the fall of former president Laurent Gbagbo on Apr. 11.

ZAMBIA: High-Tech Border Post Transforming Trade

A few weeks ago, a truck driver got the shock of his life when his employer called from South Africa asking why he had siphoned fuel from his vehicle while awaiting clearance at the Kasumbalesa Border Post between Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

ISRAEL: Defenceless Against the Political Rocket

The 130,000 residents of this balmy Mediterranean city can breathe a sigh of relief. Their sky is now better protected against sporadic rocket attacks launched from the Gaza Strip, some 12 kilometres away.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: More Military Troops to Fight Forest Fires

The Honduran Congress has authorised the creation of a contingent of 2,000 military troops specialised in controlling and combating forest fires.