News Briefs — NGOs Urge “Solution from Within” For Somalia

BRUSSELS/JUBA, Feb 25 2012 (IPS) - While the international community discusses Somalia’s future in London and Brussels, European and Somali non-governmental organisations are calling for a radical shift from a military to a humanitarian approach as the only solution to the country’s war-torn condition.

News Briefs — SPAIN: Demonstrators Protest Bank Bailouts and Spending Cuts

MÁLAGA, Spain, Feb 25 2012 (IPS) - Demonstrators in nearly two dozen cities in Spain raised their voices Friday to protest against the use of public funds to bail out banks while the budgets for basic services like education and health are being slashed.

Ecobreves – CENTRAL AMERICA: German Loan for Renewable Energy

The Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), based in Honduras, has received a loan of 65 million dollars from the German bank Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau to promote renewable energy and combat climate change in the region.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Nitrogen in Soil Increases Carbon Absorption

The presence of nitrogen in soil speeds up plant growth, reducing the amount of carbohydrates in the leaves of plants and allowing them to live longer and absorb more carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, concludes a recent study by the Biosciences Institute at the University of São Paulo.

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Transforming Garbage Into Art

Fundación La Tortuga, an environmental organization based in the northern Venezuelan city of Barcelona, is hosting an exhibition by visionary artist Leopoldo Cardozo, who integrates plastic bags, used phone cards, bottles and other waste into his works.

Thailand Charges Iranian Suspects Over Blast

Two Iranians have been arrested and charged with plotting a bomb attack in Bangkok, according to Thailand's foreign minister.

Israeli Envoys Targeted in India and Georgia

Israeli diplomats have been targeted by car bombs in India and Georgia, leaving three injured and Israel's foreign minister promising a response.

Two-Decade Research Decodes Dialogue Between Amazon Rainforest and Water

The Large-Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia arose from the need to understand and explain the rainforest by integrating different scientific fields.

Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Quality Standards for Waste Oil Biodiesel

Argentina’s National Institute of Industrial Technology (INTI) has developed standards that will enable the certification of small plants that produce biodiesel from used cooking oil.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Increased Protection of Coral Reefs

Environmental organizations and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Honduras have launched a program to conserve the coral reefs off the country’s Caribbean coast, considered the most beautiful in the world after the Great Barrier Reef of Australia.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: 64 Million Used Tires Removed From the Environment

During 2011 some 320,000 tons of used and scrap tires, corresponding to 64 million tires from tourism vehicles, were taken out of circulation through environmentally correct treatment by Brazilian industry.

Ecobreves – MEXICO: NGOs Demand Respect for the Right to a Healthy Environment

The public but autonomous National Commission of Human Rights (CNDH) of Mexico should take action to defend the right to a healthy environment, say two non-governmental organizations.

Q&A: U.S. Women’s Commissions Under the Budget Axe

State and local Commissions on the Status of Women (CSW) are facing shrinking budgets and even total elimination at a time when women are some of the hardest hit by the financial crisis, says Susan Rose, vice chair of Human Rights Watch's Santa Barbara Committee.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL : Study Reveal Limits of Amazon Basin’s Resilience

The Amazon basin shows signs of a transition to a "disturbance-dominated regime", including changing energy and water cycles, concluded the Large-Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia (LBA), a research initiative carried out over the course of 20 years.

Progress in River Clean-Up Praised – With Reservations

Visible progress is finally being made in the clean-up and reforestation of the banks of the Riachuelo River, which for years had been a virtual open sewer running through Buenos Aires.

Cloud Seeding, an Uncertain Solution for the Mexican Drought

The artificial creation of rain has moved from the realm of science fiction to real life, but doubts remain as to whether cloud seeding is truly effective - or safe.

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Voluntary Collection of Disposable Materials and E-Waste

Venezuelan environmental organization Ecoclick coordinated the collection of several tons of disposable materials and equipment in middle-class and working-class neighborhoods of the capital in a single weekend.

Ecobreves – CUBA: Promoting the Use of Biogas

Cuba plans to expand the small- and medium-scale use of biogas, according to the Cuban Society for the Promotion of Renewable Energy Sources and Respect for the Environment (Cubasolar).

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Canadian Funding for Protected Areas

The government of Canada has provided Honduras with 52,000 dollars to enhance the management of protected areas, through the Forest Conservation Institute (ICF).

BANGLADESH: Coup Bid Reveals Extremism Within Army

Bangladesh’s army has won paludits as leading United Nations peacekeepers, but the January coup attempt against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government has exposed lurking religious extremism within its ranks.

India Weighs Social Media Curbs

After India's agriculture minister Sharad Pawar was slapped by a young Sikh man at a function in New Delhi, to record his protest against corruption in high places, social media sites went viral with musical spoofs and caricatured images of the incident.