TerraViva Europe

Nationwide Protests Rage against Colombia’s Economic Policies

By Constanza Vieira and Helda Martínez
A strike declared nearly two weeks ago in Colombia by farmers and joined later by truck drivers, health workers, miners and students spread to include protests in the cities before mushrooming into a general strike Thursday, demanding changes in the government’s economic policies.

Argentina Seeks to Restructure Debt Held by Vulture Funds

By Marcela Valente
As a sign of Argentina’s willingness to repay its bondholders, President Cristina Fernández introduced a bill for a new swap of the foreign debt held by “holdout” creditors who refused earlier restructurings after the country’s late 2001 default.

U.S., U.N. in Diplomatic Cross-Talk Over Syria

By Thalif Deen
When the administration of President George W. Bush launched a military attack on Iraq in March 2003, it was nearly 18 months before Kofi Annan, then-U.N. secretary-general, described the invasion as "illegal" and in "violation of the U.N. charter" because the United States did not have Security Council authorisation.

U.S. Executives’ Pay on “Inexorable Upward Climb”

By Carey L. Biron
Three years after the passage of landmark legislation aimed at strengthening regulation of major U.S. companies, one of the most criticised disparities characterising today's corporate culture – the outsized compensation offered to top executives – continues to grow.

Cuban Doctors Bring Eyesight, Healthcare to Haiti

By Patricia Grogg
It's Saturday, and the entrance hall of a police station in front of the busy market in Salomon in the Haitian capital has become an improvised health post. In a few minutes there is a long queue of people waiting to be seen by the Cuban medical brigade.

Israeli Lobby Looks to 2008 Law to Justify Request for More U.S. Aid

By Mitchell Plitnick
Israel and its domestic U.S. lobby are already in the early stages of the next 10-year aid package, which would not go into effect until 2017 and will be the first since Congress passed the Naval Vessel Transfer Act of 2008, which requires in part that U.S. military aid to Israel ensure that Israel maintains its "Qualitative Military Edge" (QME) over any combination of states and non-state actors.

World’s Top Chefs Cook for Change

By A. D. McKenzie
For Denmark’s leading chefs, it’s not only the “taste” that counts. Many have an ambitious goal to “revise the relationship between people and food,” use local ingredients, produce less waste and go completely organic.

German Sun Beats Swiss Water

By Ray Smith
Water power is the backbone of Alpine countries' energy supply. Despite its important role in Europe's energy shift, further development of hydroelectric infrastructure in Austria and Switzerland is on hold.

Zimbabwe Sails Close to Economic Rocks

By Jeffrey Moyo
For President Robert Mugabe to defeat the opposition in the Jul. 31 election by hook or by crook may have been a walk in the park, but beating the economic crisis will be another matter. The stock market fell 11 percent the day he was sworn in, the biggest fall in a day since 2009.

New York’s Stop and Frisk Tactic Leaves Lasting Mark

By Kim-Jenna Jurriaans
A colourful mural occupies the full left side facade of a three-storey house on the corner of Irving and Gates Avenue in the Brooklyn neighbourhood of Bushwick. It depicts a group of youths taking cellphone footage of an arrest scene. Above it, a message reads, "You have the right to watch and film police activities."

Rwanda Tribunal Digs Up Partial Truth

By Ephrem Rugiririza
The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) based in Arusha, Tanzania, is due to conclude its business at the end of 2014 following several deferrals. A United Nations Security Council Resolution set up the tribunal in 1994.

Censorship Threatens to Re-emerge in Myanmar

By Roger Hamilton-Martin
One year after the government officially struck down laws obstructing free press in Myanmar, a parliamentary bill could allow previous censorship practices to re-surge.

Widows Celebrate a Little At Last

By Sudeshna Sarkar
Namuna Gautam was among millions of Indian women who celebrated Rakshabandhan this year, but one thing set her apart. It was the first time the 80-year-old took part in the festival, in which sisters pray for the long life, health and happiness of their brothers.

Major U.S. Debate Over Wisdom of Syria Attack

By Jim Lobe
While some kind of U.S. military action against Syria in the coming days appears increasingly inevitable, the debate over the why and how of such an attack has grown white hot here.

U.S. Sells Attack Helicopters to Indonesia amid Rights Concerns

By Carey L. Biron
U.S. Secretary of Defence Chuck Hagel announced Monday that Washington is going forward with a controversial sale of eight attack helicopters to the Indonesian government, despite concerns that the gunships will be used for internal repression.

U.N.’s New Phone Network Vulnerable to Surveillance

By Thalif Deen
The U.S. National Security Agency's (NSA) surveillance and telephone data collection programme has come under heavy fire for violating privacy laws, even as the U.N.'s new telephone network appears vulnerable to hackers and eavesdroppers.

Uruguay Prepares for Iron Rush

By Inés Acosta
A bill that would regulate large-scale mining operations is making its way through Uruguay’s two houses of parliament, despite a lack of political consensus and vocal opposition from environmental organisations and other sectors of civil society.

Brotherhood Cornered, Not Crushed

By Sam Kimball
With the sun inching closer to the horizon on Friday afternoon in the Mohandiseen neighbourhood of Cairo, the call to prayer from Mostafa Mahmood mosque goes out over a street empty of all but a few soldiers lingering beside their tanks.

Opening Books Beneath Bombs

By Mutawalli Abou Nasser
The school system in Syria’s largest Palestinian refugee camp Yarmouk, located in capital Damascus, has been shattered by the fighting that now bedevils the community and the siege that strangles the district. Some tenacious teachers are, however, refusing to leave the camp and are battling against odds to provide education to an ever-growing number of youngsters.

Civil Society Calls for Vote on Drilling in Ecuador’s Yasuní Park

By Ángela Meléndez
The Ecuadorean government’s decision to allow oil drilling in the Yasuní National Park, one of the most biodiverse areas of the planet, has caused alarm among environmentalists and indigenous people, who are calling for a referendum on the issue.

Roma See the Writing On The Wall

By Pavol Stracansky
The European Commission (EC) has demanded that Slovakia’s second city, Kosice, tear down a wall put up to segregate Roma – the 14th such wall in the country and the eighth built in the last four years.
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