Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Seeds to Restore Burned Forests

A government program for tree seedbeds, with community participation, began last week in Mochima National Park and the coast and islets of northern Venezuela.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Food Aid Arrives

The drought that affects some 150,000 people in six of the 18 departments in Honduras has led to stepping up aid with the support of the World Food Program, Lisandro Rosales, coordinator of the government's Permanent Contingency Committee, told Tierramérica.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: When the Internet Saves Energy

A new Internet-based control system developed in Brazil allows greater energy efficiency in public buildings, homes and machinery.

PHILIPPINES: On Eve of Poll, Voters Long for a Clean President

The cheers from the final campaign rallies of nine presidential candidates have faded away, and it is just hours before Filipinos go to the polls on Monday. But voters like Roberto Mendoza doubt that the next president can tackle problems like corruption that have long hounded this South-east Asian country.

EL SALVADOR: Tribute to Late Poet Marred by Sons’ Accusations

As the 35th anniversary of Salvadoran poet and revolutionary Roque Dalton’s death approaches, his sons allege that two of his killers are currently working for the governments of El Salvador and Mexico, respectively, and have demanded their dismissal.

MALI: Farmers Restore Forests

Villagers in the interior delta of the Niger River, already experiencing the harsh impacts of climate change, have a good understanding of the need to restore forests decimated by drought. Where forest cover has been rehabilitated, it is already reshaping the surrounding environment - and economy.

RIGHTS-FINLAND: Tough Asylum Policy Opposed by Civil Disobedience

Juha Suoranta had until recently been a professor of sociology, pursuing a quiet academic career in the University of Tampere, unconcerned with issues surrounding asylum for foreigners in trouble.

ENVIRONMENT: Small Islands Urge Action at UN Oceans Meet

Faced with rising sea levels, dying coral reefs and decreasing fish stocks, small island developing states (SIDS) are feeling the effects of ocean decline, and they want wealthier countries to do more to ensure the survival of the world’s seas and other waterways.

POLITICS: East Timor-Australia Urged to Dialogue Over Gas Fields

The prickly issue of where to pipe and process gas from the Timor Sea between Australia and East Timor must be resolved through open dialogue, say members of civil society in East Timor.

AUSTRALIA: For Some Refugees, Not Yet the Land of ‘Fair Go’

After nearly 10 years of living in Australia, Sri Lanka-born Ramesh Fernandez is convinced nothing much has changed for refugees in the land of the ‘fair go’.

The Bittersweet Dreams of Uruguay’s Beekeepers

Beekeepers in the small South American country of Uruguay are facing climate change and a complex web of problems that threaten their livelihoods.

ENVIRONMENT: Oil Spill Gives Urgency to UN Oceans Meet

The disastrous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has given increased urgency to the fifth Global Oceans Conference taking place here at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

Will Arizona Give Immigration Reform a Shot in the Arm?

Advocates for comprehensive immigration reform are working against time to transform a groundswell of popular support into concrete legislation that the U.S. Congress can pass this year.

Jerusalem Divided Between Hats and Hearts

There's a Jerusalem saying that the city wears too many hats -- Jewish hats, Muslim hats, Christian hats -- so it's difficult to get at its brain.

NPT Meet Draws Thousands of Anti-Nukes Activists

Japanese women in kimonos carrying signs urging "No More Hiroshima", an 80-year-old grandmother, and 18 mayors from around the world were just some of the almost 15,000 people who marched in New York City Sunday to rally for the abolition of nuclear weapons.

Indian Farmers Won’t Say Cheese

India is facing strong pressure to open up its markets to cheese and other dairy produce from Europe, even though the New Delhi government has expressed fears about how small farmers could be forced into deeper poverty as a result.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Freshwater for the World

The Amazonas Aquifer, the largest known in the world, is a strategic reserve of potable water, say Brazilian authorities.

Ecobreves – MEXICO: Incentives to Modernize Public Transport

A loan from the World Bank will allow Mexico to plan public passenger transportation and promote it as an alternative to the traffic jams of individual cars that are a problem in at least 40 cities in this country with a population of more than 500,000.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Mining Co. Sued for Polluting

The Honduran Environmental Prosecutor Aldo Santos reported that the mining company Entremares, subsidiary of the Canadian consortium Glamis Gold, will be charged with polluting the central valley of Siria and of hiding information from the authorities.

Indigenous Forum Closes on Note of Hope, and Caution

Friday marked the last day of the two-week Ninth Session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, with attendees expressing optimism but also concern about the ongoing encroachment of industrial and development projects into native lands.

Security Council Faulted for Gender Hypocrisy

Ten years after a United Nations Security Council resolution aimed at re-evaluating women's roles in U.N.-brokered peacekeeping efforts, women are still underrepresented in the peacekeeping process.