Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Genetic Alternations Detected in Amazon River Dolphin

A study undertaken in Brazil has detected genetic alterations in the Amazon river dolphin (Inia geoffrensis), an endangered aquatic mammal found only in the Amazon and Orinoco river basins of South America.

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: New Environmental Journalism Manual

A new digital publication, “Environmental Communications and Best Practices”, has just been published in Venezuela, aimed at journalists, students and environmentalists.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Flood Prevention Works Begin

Japanese technicians have initiated works aimed at reducing the risk of flooding in four areas of the Honduran capital which are home to 8,000 people.

Hospitals That Come Home

With no money to see a doctor, Gul Lakhta,50, had resigned himself to blindness when a ‘mobile hospital’ drove into his village in the Bajaur Agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), on Pakistan’s rugged border with Afghanistan.

Little Money to Promote Gender Equality in Eastern Europe

Despite pushes from international bodies such as the United Nations (UN) or the European Union (EU) to promote gender equality in Central and Eastern Europe, access to funding for such initiatives remains largely conditional upon national governments’ willingness to embrace this agenda.

Pictures Worth a Thousand Memories

There’s a story behind each of the 1,100 photos. Each photo is worth a thousand words and memories. Seventy-four-year-old Bracha Aris is a Holocaust survivor. She’s always kept her lips sealed about the past – until recently...

Will Bibi Have Barack Over a Barrel (of Oil)?

While Israeli leaders historically have enjoyed not insignificant influence with their U.S. counterparts, Prime Minister Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu will likely arrive at the White House next week with a little extra boost in his efforts to get President Barack Obama to toughen his already hard line against Iran.

U.N. Chief Exercises Selective Transparency in Key Posts

As Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced Friday the appointments of two of his most senior officials, he has also broken new ground in his global search for a new team: an advertisement in a British weekly calling for applicants for vacant high-ranking jobs in the Secretariat.

Argentine Women Refused Legal Abortions in Cases of Rape

For over 90 years, a law in Argentina has allowed women who become pregnant as a result of rape to have an abortion. However, hospitals often refuse to carry out the procedure, instead referring the women to the justice system.

Q&A: Needed: Common Caribbean Strategies Against Climate Change

Subject to the double impact of the global economic crisis and climate change, the Caribbean island nations are in need of adaptation strategies in which international cooperation and citizen participation play key roles, says Cuban expert Ramón Pichs.

Hard to Stay in Libya, Difficult to Return

At the battered terminal of Tripoli’s tiny Mitiga airport, over 150 young men and women jostle to be repatriated home to Nigeria on Libya’s Buraq airlines. This journey to Lagos is one of hundreds the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has facilitated since the start of the uprising against Gaddafi’s regime over a year ago.

U.S. Wins Release of NGO Workers, Aid to Egypt Still Vulnerable

After weeks of political pressure from the U.S., Egyptian officials announced Wednesday that the remaining employees of two U.S. government-supported organisations facing a criminal investigation would be permitted to leave the country.

Spanish Cities Far From Sustainable

Though Vitoria-Gasteiz, capital of the Basque Country, was elected the European Green Capital of 2012 – an award presented by the European Union to promote and reward efforts to mitigate climate change – Spain still has a long way to go to earn the label of ‘sustainable’ for others cities around the country.

SOUTH AFRICA: Rural School Running on Methane Bio-Gas

Tucked against the rolling hills of South Africa’s Eastern Cape province, a small rural school has been turning its kitchen scraps, and agricultural and human waste into methane gas for cooking, and nutrient-rich fertiliser, and is even recycling its water.

North Korea’s Pivot

After three years of frozen relations between North Korea and the United States, the two longstanding adversaries are on the verge of a thaw.

No Magic Solutions for the Extinction of Species

The Earth's life support system, which generates the planet's air, water and food, is powered by 8.7 million living species, according to the latest best estimate. We know little about 99 percent of those unique species, except that far too many are rapidly going extinct.

Brazil, Emerging South-South Donor

The Brazilian government is stepping up South-South aid, to strengthen the South American giant’s status as a donor country and its international clout. It now provides assistance to 65 countries, and its financial aid has grown threefold in the last seven years.

GUINEA: Working to Provide Water and Electricity For All

Guinea faces acute problems in the supply of clean water and electricity to its citizens, slowing the country's economic development. A major project to address this is now under way, but some Guineans are sceptical of its promises.

Israeli Poll on Iran Undercuts Netanyahu on Eve of Major Meet

On the eve of a critical set of meetings here between top U.S. and Israeli officials, a new survey finds little backing among the Israeli public for a military strike against Iranian nuclear facilities without Washington's approval.

Latin America, Testing Ground for Chinese Yuan

China is looking to Latin America to experiment with the yuan, or renminbi, to replace the dollar, taking advantage of the growth in Chinese trade and investment in this region. But because the volume is still insignificant, it is not yet clear what impact the currency will have on economies in the region.

Drought in Sahel Affects Urban Cameroonians

Sala Aminata, a housewife from the Logone and Shari Division in Cameroon’s Far North Region, looks at her six kids with apprehension as she tries to figure out how to feed them with her meagre salary.