Pakistan Denies “Intimate” Taliban Links

Pakistan has rejected as "frivolous" a leaked NATO report which claims that the country's security services are helping the Taliban, and suggesting that the group believes it is poised to regain power.

U.S.: Building Communities Around Sustainable Food

With more and more communities in the U.S. South turning to cooperatives as a way to produce and consume food in a sustainable manner, several cooperatives are hoping to expand on what they view as more than just a "shopping experience" but a way of life.

Green Economy Takes a Beating at Civil Society Forum

Activists gathered in Brazil from around the world doubt the political will of governments to attack the root causes of the environmental crisis, and demand drastic changes in the system of production and consumption.

After Durban, Latin America Looks Towards Rio+20

The upcoming summit in Rio de Janeiro presents an opportunity to reach agreements that can prevent the world from passing the point of no return in the unsustainable use of natural resources.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Local Communities Lead Up Mitigation Efforts

The residents of Costa de los Amates, a region of Honduras near the border with El Salvador, are gearing up for community work aimed at preventing the flooding of the Goascorán River during the winter season.

Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: First Energy Efficient Neighborhood

A multi-stakeholder forum made up by civil society organizations, private companies, academic researchers and the government plans to create a neighborhood in Argentina with 100 solar-powered homes.

Ecobreves – MEXICO: Future of Cities Depends on Sustainability

Sustainability is decisive for the future of Mexican cities, concludes a new book on conditions in the country’s urban areas.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Analyzing the Impacts of Plastic Bags

A study undertaken by the Technological Research Institute of São Paulo (IPT) will assess the impacts of plastic bags on a typically Brazilian environment. The statistics currently used in the country to measure these impacts come from foreign research.

Only Civil Society Can Save Rio+20, Say Activists

Porto Alegre is preparing to receive thousands of activists for a Thematic Social Forum aimed at preventing the international environment summit in June from turning into another major disappointment.

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Victory Over Yellowtail Moths

Significant advances were made last year in the battle against yellowtail moths (Hylesia metabus) in towns along the northeastern Venezuelan peninsula of Paria. The moths inhabit the mangrove swamps of the Gulf of Paria which separates Venezuela from the islands of Trinidad and Tobago.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: New Website on Endangered Animals

The Chico Mendes Institute for the Conservation of Biodiversity (ICMBio), a Brazilian national government agency, has launched a new website with information on endangered species found in the various conservation units for which the institute is responsible.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Regional Loan for Wastewater Treatment

The Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) has approved a one-million-dollar loan to finance a wastewater management project in the Honduran capital, aimed at combating pollution in the Guacerique River basin, one of the city’s main sources of water.

Ecobreves – CUBA: Therapeutic Cancer Vaccine Available in Clinics

Some 500 lung cancer patients at 65 polyclinics in Cuba have begun to receive treatment with the CimaVax-EGF therapeutic vaccine, developed by the Center for Molecular Immunology (CIM) on the western outskirts of the country’s capital.

RUSSIA: ‘Repression May Lead to Revolt’

The Russian opposition movement which has risen to prominence since the Dec. 4 parliamentary elections has not said its last word, says 35-year-old Sergey Udaltsov, one of its most visible figures.

OP-ED: Climate Change – A Faltering Step Forward in Durban (?)

After much huffing, puffing, loss of sleep and negotiations that set a record for Conference of the Parties (COP) meetings, (the longest COP ever!), the 17th UN Convention on Climate Change COP in Durban last December produced a modest outcome. A bemused Sri Lankan delegate observed that it was like digging a mighty mountain and finding a tiny mouse.

U.S.: Obama Rejects Giant Keystone Pipeline Scheme

In a decision fraught with political risk, U.S. President Barack Obama Wednesday rejected the permit for the proposed giant Keystone XL pipeline project, insisting that his administration needed more time to determine whether it served the national interest.

Websites Black Out over “SOPA Censorship”

The number one rule young journalists are taught when starting radio broadcasting is simple: No dead air. Cough into the microphone if you must, but don't allow silence to creep in.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: New Earthquake Shelter Opened

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has joined forces with the local beneficiary population to build the first earthquake shelter in Honduras.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Sea Level Rising More Rapidly Near São Paulo

The sea level of the Atlantic Ocean is rising increasingly rapidly on the northern coast of the southern Brazilian state of São Paulo, according to a new university research study.

Ecobreves – MEXICO: Air Pollution Standards Demanded

The poor air quality in the Mexican capital points to the urgent need for regulations on the use of clean fuel and the control of motor vehicle emissions, warned a non-governmental organization.

SRI LANKA: Female Unemployment Rises With Education

Every weekend it has been the same ritual for so many months. Buying the newspaper, going through the classified and the employment sections inch by column inch, marking job offers that could offer a chance, even remotely.