GUATEMALA: Discrimination Undermines AIDS Prevention

"At the clinic we were attended to by a woman who criticised us and only talked to us about religious questions," says Carlos Valdez of Proyecto Unidos, an NGO in Guatemala that fights for access to HIV/AIDS prevention services by homosexuals and sex workers.

U.S.: Protestors Occupy Ports in Oakland and Beyond

Occupy movements in Oakland, California; Portland, Oregon; and Longview, Washington claimed victory Monday when they prevented workers from loading or unloading ships at the three ports.

Cranes Overstaying Their Welcome as Weather Grows Warmer

As a result of warmer autumn temperatures, cranes are remaining in Germany longer than usual, causing damage to crops and sparking conflicts between farmers and environmentalists.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Landslide Risk Areas to be Stabilized

The city government of Tegucigalpa will allocate 12 million dollars to the stabilization of areas prone to landslides in the neighborhoods of El Berrinche and El Reparto.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Record Increase in Transgenic Crops

The land area planted with genetically modified seeds in Brazil has increased 20.9 percent over the last year, reaching 31.8 million hectares, according to a study by the consulting firm Céleres.

Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Fundraising Drive for the Creation of a National Park

A campaign was launched at the beginning of December in Buenos Aires to raise the funds needed to expropriate a private landholding in northeastern Argentina and turn it into a national park.

Ecobreves – MEXICO: Growing Opposition to Urban Freeway

Non-governmental organizations have called on the left-leaning government of Mexico City to halt construction of the Supervía freeway in the southeast of the capital, after a court revoked the environmental permit for the project.

Brussels Summit Rejects EU-Wide Treaty Change

A bid to change the EU treaty to resolve the eurozone debt crisis has foundered at a crunch summit in Brussels, after Britain refused to sign up without major concessions in return.

CARIBBEAN: Castro Comes Calling as U.S. Tries to Pull the Plug

Even the rains seemed to have joined forces against Cuban President Raul Castro.

Cuba Strengthens Regional Ties

With the recently-created Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), Cuba is strengthening its regional reinsertion, while progress towards normal ties with the United States would appear to remain a distant prospect, and the return of the right-wing Popular Party to power in Spain could reopen tensions on that front.

Q&A: South-South Cooperation Complements North-South Cooperation

South-South cooperation can play a key role in boosting the economies of developing countries, but it is not going to replace North-South cooperation, says Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, president of the 66th session of the U.N. General Assembly.

SOUTH AMERICA: To Beijing with Love

South America has managed to withstand the knock-on effects of recession in the EU and U.S. thanks to the protection offered by the soaring Asian demand for commodities. But many things could change in the medium term.

Shale Gas May Be a Mexican Mirage

In spite of mounting scientific evidence about its negative aspects, Mexico is getting ready to intensify exploration for shale gas, natural gas found trapped in shale, a sedimentary rock.

BOOK-BURMA: On the New Road to Mandalay

Condemned for decades as an international pariah, Burma is enjoying a diplomatic spring with droves of former critics heading towards the Southeast Asian nation.

Biofuels Are Not the Solution

The fact that agrofuels have triggered a new scramble for Africa is no longer news. Millions of hectares are being grabbed with little concern for the poor who are bound to face displacement, says the chair of Friends of the Earth International, Nnimmo Bassey.

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Overflowing Lake Valencia Poses Threat to Nearby Communities

The rising water level in Lake Valencia in northern Venezuela poses a threat to tens of thousands of families in the surrounding area due to the risks of water damage, road washouts, burst water pipes and spilled sewage.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Sugar Producers Expand Generation of Clean Energy

Sugar producers in Honduras will invest over 35 million dollars to generate up to 300 MW of electricity from sugar cane bagasse.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Air Pollution Causes Nervous System Damage

Excessive exposure to air pollution can harm the embryonic development of the nervous system, reveals a new study conducted by the University of São Paulo, Brazil.

CLIMATE CHANGE: Marching for 100 Percent Change

Chanting loudly, thousands of demonstrators marched through the streets to the venue of the 17th United Nations Climate Change Conference to demand that their voices be heard for "immediate and drastic" carbon emission reductions to save the planet.

Rejecting Apology, U.S. May Hasten End of Pakistan as Client

President Barack Obama has sided with U.S. military and Defence Department officials in rejecting a proposal by the U.S. ambassador to Pakistan for a U.S. apology for last weekend's attack on two Pakistani border posts, and approving an investigation into the attack that won't be completed until Dec. 23 at the earliest.

U.S. Inaction on Climate is “Criminal”, Activists Say

The United States' delegation at the 17th annual Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UN FCC) in Durban, South Africa has come under heavy fire from civil society leaders and activists around the globe for standing in the way of real solutions to climate change.