Cuba’s Stray Dogs Have Their Champions

The stray cat’s fur was burned and its eyes were hanging from its sockets when pensioner Neida González found it on a street in the Cuban capital. The cat, which she named Grenlito, now lives with her eight other pets.

Native Americans Take Lead in Tar Sands Resistance

Native American tribes in the United States have taken the lead in opposing the expansion of the Athabasca Tar Sands in Alberta, Canada, engaging in civil disobedience to the point of arrest and attempting to physically block shipments of construction equipment from passing through their native lands.

Filming Uganda’s Own Stories

For four years Isaac Godfrey Nabwana made and sold bricks in Kampala’s Wakalinga slum. But now, thanks to his labours, he is building what he hopes will become Uganda’s answer to Nollywood.

Pugwash condemns chemical weapons use as abhorrent

The Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs has condemned the possession and use of chemical weapons, as with all weapons of mass destruction (WMD), abhorrent.

Global survey on violence against female journalists launched

The International News Safety Institute (INSI) has launched a global survey on violence against women journalists in collaboration with the Pairs-based UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) as part of promotion of the safety of journalists and the issue of impunity. All news media workers, and particularly women journalists, are invited to participate in the survey, which will run until 20 September 2013.

Cuban Doctors Bring Eyesight, Healthcare to Haiti

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.

German Sun Beats Swiss Water

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.

U.S. Court Ruling Boosts Vulture Funds at Developing World’s Expense

A recent U.S. court ruling over a fight between Argentina and its creditors on Wall Street will increase global poverty by making it easier for “vulture funds” to seize the assets of indebted nations, according to anti-debt campaigners who are urging the U.S. government to overturn the decision.

Israeli Raid Kills Palestinians in West Bank

(Al Jazeera) - Israeli forces have killed three Palestinians, including a UN worker, in an early morning raid on the Qalandiya refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. Medical sources told Al Jazeera that at least 15 others were wounded, six of them seriously, during clashes between the Israeli forces and Palestinians that erupted after the raid on Monday.

New Initiative Aims to Integrate Agriculture and Conservation

It took Brazil four decades to overcome food insecurity and earn a place as a major global food supplier. Now its experiences will contribute to the evidence base for a new initiative that seeks to reconcile agriculture and the conservation of biological diversity.

Cheap Power Stymies Renewables in Kyrgyzstan

(EurasiaNet) - Almost five years ago, as his village in northern Kyrgyzstan endured daily power outages, rays of light always emitted from Sabyr Kurmanov’s garage. They came from his egg incubator, a 12-volt contraption powered by something he and his neighbours have in abundance – wind.

Nicaragua’s New Canal Threatens Biggest Source of Water

The law passed in Nicaragua to grant a concession to a Chinese company to build a canal between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans repealed legislation that protects Lake Cocibolca and its tributaries.

Crisis in Colombia’s Peace Talks ‘Temporary’

Colombia’s FARC guerrillas announced Friday a “pause” in the peace talks in Havana, which formally opened a year ago. But analysts say it is only a temporary glitch.

Higher Temperatures, More Dengue

The spread of the virus that causes dengue fever has created an emergency situation for institutions, governments and scientists in Latin America seeking sustainable solutions for a health problem that could worsen as a result of climate change.

U.S. Major Holdout on Landmark Maritime Labour Convention

A landmark international agreement on labour standards for seafarers came into effect this week, marking the first comprehensive international effort aimed at ensuring safe and decent working conditions for the world’s 1.5 million-plus maritime labourers.

Swazi Chiefs Shut Women Out of Parliament

Archaic and chauvinistic practices are being used to prevent Swazi women from taking part in the upcoming primary elections, despite the country having a constitution that guarantees their rights, says political analyst Dr. Sikelela Dlamini.

Media Law Hits Somali Journalists

Somalia’s journalists say that the government is not serious about reviewing the country’s new, controversial media bill that requires them to reveal their sources, despite a series of recent consultations.

U.S. Task Force Urges Climate Change Preparations

The United States government is recommending new preparations aimed at protecting vulnerable communities from climate change-related disasters, a year after a major hurricane devastated swaths of the country’s East Coast. On Monday, a presidential task force released a report that details a strategy it says will both rebuild the region devastated in October by Hurricane Sandy and guard the nation from future climate change-related extreme weather.

Killer Smoke Blows Through Pacific Islands

Governments in the Western Pacific Islands, believed to be home to a third of the world’s smokers, have begun a long battle with the growing crisis of non-communicable diseases. Such diseases currently account for 75 percent of the region’s fatalities.

Ecological Cuban Recipes Boost Sustainable Agriculture

Vilda Figueroa and her husband, José Lama, live in Marianao on the outskirts of Havana, where they share hundreds of recipes based on Cuban-grown foods and sun-drying, along with other ecological food preservation methods.

Crossing Borders with Trade

Experts are agreed that the key to unlocking the economic potential of the Southern African Development Community lies in easing cross-border flows of people, goods, capital and services. But even if border restrictions can be lifted, a lot more needs to be done in terms of enhancing road, rail, electricity supply and other infrastructure within the region.