OBAMA AND OSAMA: VIOLENT OPPONENTS

There is no evidence that Osama bin Laden planned the attacks of September 11, 2001, just as there was no evidence that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, the pretext used for the 2003 US attack on Iraq. Osama applauded 9/11, but that falls under freedom of speech.

THE POST-NUCLEAR AGE

Fukushima marks the end of the era of atomic energy illusions and the beginning of the post-nuclear age. Now classified at level 7 on the international scale of nuclear accidents (INES), the Japanese disaster is comparable to the Chernobyl meltdown in Ukraine 1986 in terms of its "considerable radioactive effects on the human health and on the environment".

INTEGRATED COMMUNICATIONS AND CHANGE IN NORTH AFRICA

Was Al Jazeera the key factor in the fall of the governments in Egypt and Tunisia, in the protests in Bahrain, Yemen, Algeria, and Syria, and in the rebellion in Libya? I don't think you can make this claim: the changes arose not from communications but objective conditions, though communications played a powerful role.

Accusations Mount Against Pulp and Paper Giant

Civil society protests and legal actions continue to fire controversy over the impacts of the wood pulp industry in the Brazilian state of Bahia.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Authorities Crack Down on Illegal Activities in Amazon

An operation carried out by the Brazilian national environmental authority, IBAMA, in the Amazon region has led to the seizure of 19,000 hectares of illegally deforested land and the confiscation of 5,400 head of cattle and close to 51 million dollars.

Ecobreves – CUBA: Eco-Materials Help Improve Housing Conditions

Thanks to dozens of workshops now producing eco-friendly building materials in Cuba, the housing and living conditions of 3,383 families have been improved in the last year alone, according to academic sources.

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Rescuing the Remains of the Caparo Forest

The University of the Andes in Venezuela is calling for urgent action to salvage the remains of the Caparo Forest, located in the southwestern lowlands and fed by tributaries of the Orinoco River, which has suffered from uncontrolled logging since the late 20th century.

COULD A PRIMEVAL PLANT BECOME A FUTURE FUEL, FOOD, AND BIO-PLASTIC?

At a time when most conventional fuels cast ever longer shadows of unintended consequences, algae ­that lowly pond scum-- offers a pleasant surprise: a near-term, low-tech alternative with apparently few of the hidden costs of more elaborate, expensive and exploitive energy sources.

Endosulfan Ban Highlights Need for Alternatives

Eliminating the use of the insecticide endosulfan raises the challenge of finding less toxic but effective substitutes.

Mexico’s Use of “Green” Financing Questioned

Activists say greater transparency is needed around Mexico’s use of international financing to combat climate change.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Agrotoxics Used to Save Biodiversity

Environmental organisations have turned to an old enemy, toxic agrochemicals, as an extreme measure to combat invasive plant species that are threatening native flora in conservation areas.

Ecobreves – MEXICO: Forest Management Demanded to Prevent Fires

A non-governmental organisation is urging the Mexican government to promote sustainable forest management as a means of preventing serious forest fires.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Europe Offers Assistance to Protect Forests

The European Union has donated close to 31 million dollars to Honduras to strengthen the national institutions responsible for the preservation and management of forests, which have been hit by an upsurge in forest fires this year.

PEACE: THE ONLY SOLUTION TO HUNGER IN NORTH KOREA

On April 28, former US President Jimmy Carter and three former European heads of state landed in Seoul after travelling to Pyongyang to help reopen dialogue between the two Koreas. Known as the Elders, they carried this message to the leaders of South Korea and the United States: "Chairman and General Secretary Kim Jong-il said he is willing and the people of North Korea are willing to negotiate with South Korea or with the United States or with the six powers on any subject any time and without any preconditions."

UNITED STATES: WALKING THE TRAIL OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT

Recently, I joined some of our nationÂ's heroes walking the trail of the civil rights movement in Alabama. No one has done more to stop hate groups in the United States over the past three decades than Morris Dees through the Southern Poverty Law Center. Morris pioneered the strategy of holding hate groups accountable through civil suits awarding damages so expensive that the defendants are forced into bankruptcy and closed. Over thirty people have gone to prison for plots to assassinate him.

“Brazil Doesn’t Need Poisons to Maintain Food Production”

The Landless Workers Movement in Brazil needs to address problems that go beyond agrarian reform, “which is why we are now involved in agro-ecology and education,” explains MST leader João Pedro Stédile in this interview.

Algae: Could a Primeval Plant Become a Future Fuel, Food, and Bio-Plastic?

Algae are rapidly gaining traction in the private sector and academia as their potential becomes clear.

Ecobreves – CUBA: New Economic Model Includes Seed Conservation

At the sixth congress of the ruling Communist Party of Cuba, held in Havana Apr. 16-19, a proposal was adopted to include measures to guarantee the production, improvement and conservation of seeds within the country’s economic policy.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: IFAD Funding for Food Security Programmes

The government of Honduras will receive 37 million dollars from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) for sustainable agriculture and food security projects that will benefit 40,000 families in 64 poor municipalities.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Agro-ecological Techniques Lower Production Costs

Agro-ecological techniques make it possible to produce organic food at a cost that is 84 percent lower than through traditional agricultural methods, according to a research study conducted by the Luiz de Queiroz Higher Institute of Agriculture at the University of São Paulo in Piracicaba, Brazil.

EUROPE: THE FISCAL DEFICIT VS THE SOCIAL DEFICIT

President of the Council of European Finance Ministers and Prime Minister of Luxembourg, Jean Claude Junker, won sudden fame when he stated, "We all know what we have to do, but if we did it we would all lose in the next elections." This comment reflects the impotence of politics and the road that Europe now finds itself on.