Ecobreves – HONDURAS: New IDB Loan for Disaster Management

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has granted a five-million-dollar loan to Honduras to help it more effectively confront natural disasters like hurricanes and earthquakes.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Unregulated Urbanization Threatens Remaining Atlantic Forest

Coastal preservation areas in the north of the state of São Paulo are endangered by the increase in population and facilities installed for oil exploration and the expansion of two ports, according to a report by the Sustainable Coasts Project.

Floods Dampen Thai Adaptation Plans

Thailand’s flood-management blueprint received a jolt when the dykes in Sukhothai were breached by the rain-swollen Yom river last week, submerging large stretches of the former royal capital.Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra toured the flood-damaged historic city 430 km north of Bangkok, reliving relief operations that were mounted last year when the central plains, including the capital, were hit by the worst floods in the country’s history.

In Zambia, children with disabilities are often hidden at home”

Oscar Pistorius has double below-knee amputations. And he entered the men's 400 meters race in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, competing for South Africa.

IUCN Puts the Accent on Business

The outcome of the June Rio+20 UN conference on sustainable development was the undisputed inability of governments to come to an agreement on moving ahead to protect the planet. Three months later, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is proposing what can be done as a collective.

U.S. Guns Bring Mexican Casualties

Mexican activists winding down a month-long U.S. tour warned Tuesday that guns licensed in the United States were playing a massive part in gang- and drug cartel-related violence in Mexico.

UNICEF – EU Partnership Active in Syria

The European Union Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, Kristalina Georgieva, discussed the barriers to aid initiatives in Syria during a press conference held at the United Nations on Tuesday.

Malian Farmers Want Their Land Back

A group of smallholder farmers in Mali have turned to the courts to try to recover land they say they have lost to big private investors. The legal action comes as foreign investors are losing interest in Mali due to political instability and an armed rebellion in the north.

U.N. High-Level Forum on Culture of Peace

The High Level Forum on Culture of Peace,  scheduled to take place Friday, is being organized by the Office of the President of the 66th UN General Assembly in cooperation with the Foundation Culture of Peace, Inter Press Service (IPS) news agency and the Global Movement for the Culture of Peace (GMCoP).

Are Death Tolls Ringing for Newspapers?

Two different points of view about the future for print media were represented at a debate held on Monday, and organised by United Nations Academic Impact.

Microfinance Brings Hope to Myanmar’s Farmers

After decades of grinding poverty under successive military dictatorships, Myanmar’s rice farmers have a chance at a better future through rural reforms ushered in by the country’s quasi-civilian government. Microfinance is at the root of it.

Ecobreves – MEXICO: Consultations on New Motor Vehicle Efficiency Standards Completed

New standards for motor vehicle efficiency will enter into effect in Mexico in 2013. The public consultations on the proposed new rules, which began in July, ended on Sep. 9.

Ecobreves – ARGENTINA : Conservationists Concerned Over Fate of Guanacos

The possible declaration of the guanaco (Lama guanicoe) as a “harmful species” to cattle farming in the southern Argentine region of Patagonia could lead to its extinction, warn conservationists and academics.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: New Regulations for Batteries

Manufacturers of batteries in Brazil will now be responsible for their products throughout their entire lifecycle, from production, transportation and storage until their final safe disposal, in accordance with new regulations adopted by the national environment authority.

Losing Land, and Finding a Roof

Asmahan Ramadan and her family have taken thousands of photos on the rooftop of their home. Not of themselves, or of the overcrowded Dheisheh refugee camp they see every day.

Military Conflicts Impact Negatively on Literacy Rates, Says UNESCO

The Paris-based U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) warned that military conflicts are having a negative impact on literacy rates.

Deadlock Over Nukes Poses Serious Threat to Global Stability

As delegates and experts from several countries gathered Thursday to commemorate the International Day against Nuclear Tests, readiness to abandon nuclear arsenals by some world powers seems to be far from reality.

Caribbean Seeks Leg Up from Economic Doldrums

As governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) that groups seven countries, Sir Dwight Venner is all too aware of the low economic growth, debt and financial instability confronting the wider Caribbean.

Smart Chemicals Management – Valid Tool For Achieving Sustainable Development

Long-term chemical management is urgently needed to ensure sustainable development and protect human health worldwide, particularly in the developing countries, according to the 'Global Chemicals Outlook' launched Wednesday.

Thousands of Senegalese Producers Living off Market Gardening

Thousands of farmers are earning a living growing fruit and vegetables in the Niayes, a strip of fertile land running north along Senegal’s western coastline from the outskirts of the capital, Dakar. But land speculation threatens the future of this market gardening.

Small Step to Set Up the Biggest Marine Park

The world’s largest marine park is due to be launched in the Cook Islands located in the Pacific Ocean about 3,000 km from New Zealand. Covering an area of almost a million square kilometres, the park will be three times the size of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and twice as large as the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean that topped the list of marine protected areas (MPAs) for two years.