Q&A: Cuban Census “Will Show a Very Diverse Reality”

Thirteen hurricanes, three of which had a major impact on housing; increased access to goods and services; and the start of the so-called "updating" of the country’s economic and social policies are a few of the aspects that make Cuba different from what it was a decade ago.

Schoolchildren and Teachers Under Fire in El Salvador

Wilber Geovany Hernández was gunned down as he left his night classes at a school in the capital of El Salvador. He was the 11th murder victim among the country's schoolchildren since the school year began on Jan. 23.

Children Lost in Aftermath of Congo’s Arms Dump Explosion

Five-year-old Vianey hasn't seen his parents since a series of explosions ripped through an ammunition dump in Brazzaville on Mar. 4. A stranger, Jules Bomboko, said he found Vianey days later, wandering around the Tréchot neighbourhood, a few hundred metres from the site of the blasts.

Q&A: Cultural Sensitivity Key to Reaching Rural Women

Empowering rural women in the Iraqi marshlands, who mostly remain off the radar of international support, must involve local languages and dialects as well as local women trainers, says Mishkat Al Moumin, founder of the Iraqi group Women and the Environment Network (WATEO).

The soul of ‘Save Maldives’ now in the sea of silence

Fathulla Jameel, who passed away after a brief illness in Singapore last week, had the distinction of being Foreign Minister of the Maldives for more than 27 years, second only to his counterpart in Bahrain back in the 1990s. At the U.N. delegate's lounge, he was once blessed with the title: "Dean of foreign ministers." And he missed finding a place in the Guinness Book of World Records as "Foreign Minister for Life."

‘Sons of Iraq’ Orphaned

"We have not been paid since the Americans left Iraq last December. If nothing changes, I will abandon this checkpoint," Saif Ahmed tells IPS. He is one of the militiamen who claim to have defeated Al Qaeda in Iraq.

Angola’s Police Silence the Media

Rights groups and activists are warning of a rapidly deteriorating political climate in Angola following a police raid on a private newspaper and a violent crackdown on anti-government protests.

A Growing Illicit Trade Threatens Jamaica’s Wildlife

News of Vienna's Schoenbrunn Zoo's newest attraction shocked Jamaican authorities. The unlikely stars: a flock of 45 endangered Jamaican Amazon parrots, hatched from eggs smuggled out of the island in rum-cake boxes.

Argentine Dictatorship’s Economic Crimes Coming to Light

While the trials against members of the military and police for human rights abuses committed during Argentina’s 1976-1983 dictatorship move ahead, the regime’s economic crimes have also begun to come to light.

For Caribbean Bloc, It’s Adapt or Perish

More than a decade of efforts to promote closer socioeconomic cooperation among the 15 nations of the Caribbean Community are threatened by stagnant funding and a grim global financial situation, experts warned here.

Alleged Photos of “Clean-up” at Iran’s Parchin Site Lack Credibility

News stories about satellite photographs suggesting efforts by Iran to "sanitise" a military site that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said may have been used to test nuclear weapons have added yet another layer to widely held suspicion that Iran must indeed be hiding a covert nuclear weapons programme.

Euribor Under Scrutiny by People’s Campaign in Spain

Two Spanish lawyers have launched a campaign on social networking sites to prise out information about Euribor, the reference interest rate used for calculating mortgage payments in Spain, and to draw attention to the lack of transparency surrounding the way the rate is set.

Questionable Wisdom of Ban Ki-moon’s Visit to Lumbini

Reports of United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s planned visit to Lumbini, the birth place of Lord Gautam Buddha, and a UNESCO World Heritage site in Nepal in April 2012, have caused a mixture of excitement and apprehension in Kathmandu.

Fresh Warning of Water Wars

As non-governmental organisations question the relevance of the World Water Forum being held here this week and slam its "corporate" nature, the United Nations says that a coordinated approach to managing and allocating water is critical.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Research to Monitor São Paulo Aquifers

The State University of São Paulo (UNESP) and the Environmental Company of the State of São Paulo, a government agency, have signed an agreement for the monitoring of underground water resources in this southern Brazilian state.

Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: NGOs Demand Protection for Glaciers

Environmental organizations in Argentina have called on the country’s Supreme Court of Justice to order a halt to the activities of a mining company operating in a glacier area.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Fires Destroy 127,000 Hectares of Forests

In the last two years alone, Honduras has lost 127,000 hectares of forests in 2,400 fires, reports the Independent Forest Monitoring Committee of the National Human Rights Commission.

Ecobreves – MEXICO: Scientists Call for Regulation of Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology, which is currently unregulated in Mexico, could pose serious threats to human health and the environment, cautions a new study.

Israel Faces an Army of the Ultra-Orthodox

The High Court of Justice in Israel has annulled the 2002 Tal Law that had allowed Yeshiva students - scholars of Jewish religious texts - to avoid an otherwise mandatory service in the Israeli army. While politicians on the left and right welcome the court’s decision, the Haredim community considers it an assault on their way of life.

Gales, Cyclones Follow the Tsunami

The gentle waves of Weligama bay that lap at the small, tight-knit fishing village of Kaparratota, 140 km south of Colombo, can be deceptive.

Q&A: ‘Returning to Burma is OK, Not for Journalism’

When he returned home after over two decades as a political exile, Aung Zaw, a prominent figure among Burma’s exiled media community, was served a slice of truth by the country’s notorious censorship board.