THE NEW “GLOBAL SYSTEM”

Ten years from the attacks of September 11 and three years from the collapse of Lehman Brothers, what are the features of the new "global system"?

LIBERIA: Former Warlord Backs Johnson-Sirleaf for Second Term

Former warlord Prince Johnson, who placed third in Liberia’s election last week, has endorsed the re-election bid of President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, who was named a joint winner of the Nobel Peace Prize just days before the vote.

U.S. Hawks Behind Iraq War Rally for Strikes Against Iran

Key neo-conservatives and other right-wing hawks who championed the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq are calling for military strikes against Iran in retaliation for its purported murder-for-hire plot against the Saudi ambassador here.

U.S. and South Korea: A Rosy Relationship, With Thorns

The United States and South Korea maintain a close military alliance. Congress just passed a free trade agreement that will boost economic ties with Seoul. And the leaders of the two countries form a small but very powerful mutual admiration society, which The New York Times has termed a "presidential man-crush".

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Cattle Farmers Aid in Reforestation

The Cattle Farmers Association of Apacilagua, in the southern department of Choluteca, will join in the efforts for the reforestation and recovery of river basins to mitigate the soil degradation caused by livestock raising in this region of Honduras.

Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Temporary Ban on Shrimp Fishing

The Argentine Subsecretariat of Fisheries has placed a temporary ban on fishing in two areas rich in shrimp, the country’s main fisheries export, due to the appearance of undersized specimens.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Studying the Effects of Climate Change on Coffee

An experimental study by the state-run Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) will attempt to determine the impacts of climate change on coffee crops.

U.S.: Alleged Iranian Assassination Plot Suspicious, Experts Say

U.S. Justice Department charges that elements of Iran's government were behind a foiled plot on the life of Saudi Arabia's U.S. ambassador have boggled the minds of many Americans knowledgeable about both Iran and terrorism.

BRAZIL: Shark Attacks Attest to Environmental Sins of Suape Port

The Suape port complex may be eternally absolved of its environmental sins for ushering in unprecedented prosperity in the impoverished northeastern Brazilian state of Pernambuco, and for having been built before stricter requirements were introduced.

TRANSFORMING FINANCE TO GROW GREEN SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIES

"We recognize finance as part of the global commons," affirms the Transforming Finance statement, signed by financial professionals worldwide critical of today's casino capital markets. Financialization has produced the global debt bubble. Needed now are write-offs and haircuts to bond-holders and bank shareholders, a curb on bettors buying credit default swaps, as well as below 1% financial transaction taxes to limit volatility and high-frequency trading by computers ?now 60% of all transactions.

Iranians Charged in Alleged Plot to Kill Saudi Envoy

In a move certain to escalate tensions on a number of fronts, the U.S. Justice Department Tuesday charged a dual Iranian- American national and an alleged member of the Islamic Republic's special operations unit of conspiring to assassinate the Saudi ambassador here.

Shark Attacks Attest to Environmental Sins of Suape Port

If the Suape port project in northeastern Brazil were initiated today, instead of the 1970s, it would be subject to much stricter environmental standards.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: First Wind Park Ready for Operation

The first wind power plant in Honduras will enter into operation in late October, following successful testing carried out in September.

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Activists Condemn Dog Killings on Margarita Island

Environmental organizations have condemned the mass killing of stray dogs on the beaches of Margarita Island, Venezuela’s top tourist destination, ordered by the Ministry of Health to prevent the spread of canine diseases.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: The Role of Amazon Basin Rivers in the Carbon Cycle

The Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture at the University of São Paulo is studying the role played by the rivers of the Amazon Basin in the carbon cycle.

Pressure Builds on Iran at Nuclear Watchdog Agency

As Iran continues a slow march toward potential nuclear weapons capability, diplomatic action to contain the programme is likely to shift to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), whose director general, Yukiya Amano, has taken a harder line than his predecessor about alleged military research by Iran's nuclear scientists.

Anti-Nuclear Struggle Has Large Fallout

The anti-nuclear struggle in India did not gain the same national prominence as the hunger strike waged by Anna Hazare against rampant corruption among India’s top politicians. Yet a landmark it surely was in the history of India’s nuclear programme.

HAITI, OCCUPIED AGAIN

Look it up in any encyclopedia: what was the first free country in the Americas. The answer is always the same: the United States. But the United States declared its independence when it was a nation with 650,000 slaves that remained slaves for another century and their constitution originally held that a black slave counted as only three-fifths of a citizen.

BANKS DO NOT LEARN THE LESSONS OF HISTORY

There is not one day going by now without devastating news of the eternal tug-of-war between finance and states. Now we are informed that the Greek government, in order to continue receiving useless subsidies (since it won't solve its problems) will lay off another 30,000 employees. It is difficult to understand how a country that is suffering a critical contraction of its consumption will be able to exit a cruel downward spiral that will cause serious social deficits, without solving its fiscal deficit. However, the banks are not willing to eliminate any of their bad practices that have caused the current crisis.

Desert’s Wealth is Wasted in Mexico

Jojoba and guayule are just two examples of plants found in Mexico’s deserts that offer significant untapped economic potential.

"The Future of Brazil is the Natural Knowledge Economy"

Brazil has the potential to explore a new model of tropical development, but it also faces all of the global risks posed by climate change, says climate expert Carlos Nobre.