ECONOMY-MEXICO: Sunny Today, Cloudy Tomorrow

So far, the Mexican economy has not fallen prey to the ills affecting its principal trading partner, the United States, and is surviving internal political tensions arising from government initiatives to reform the state-owned oil company. But conditions could deteriorate in the second half of the year.

NICARAGUA: A Hard Rain Is Gonna Fall

Having been hit by three hurricanes and 25 tropical storms in less than 10 years, Nicaragua is looking ahead to the next rainy season, due to begin in May, with wariness and trepidation.

BRAZIL: The Body Beautiful – Women’s Ladder to Success

Brazilians, especially women, are among the global leaders in taking meticulous care of their bodies and exhibiting them to advantage. This is a significant factor in climbing social and economic ladders, establishing identities and competing successfully in markets, from employment to romance.

ARGENTINA: Museum Charts Roller Coaster of Foreign Debt

Anyone wondering why a country as rich in natural resources as Argentina has such a large proportion of its population living in poverty should definitely visit a cultural enclave that is virtually hidden away in the bustling capital city: the Foreign Debt Museum.

IRAQ: Five Years On, Fallujah in Tatters

Fallujah remains a crippled city years after the November 2004 U.S.-led assault.

RIGHTS-PORTUGAL: Neo-Nazis on Trial

Neo-Nazis are on trial in Portugal for their "pathological and irrational hatred of ethnic minorities," according to the charges filed by the Attorney-General’s Office against 36 members of the small but active local chapter of an international white supremacist organisation.

MEXICO: “Emos” Under Attack

"We are a komplex organisation, kapable of eliminating EMOS in this world, if you want to kontact us, our email is (...)" On-line messages like this one have been fanning a wave of intolerance against one of the lesser-known young counterculture groups in Mexico.

CUBA: Women Put On the Masonic Apron

More than 30 women have become pioneers of female Freemasonry in socialist Cuba, founding two lodges under the auspices of the Women’s Grand Lodge of Chile, which will provide them with support and advice until they can function independently.

RIGHTS-CAMBODIA: Property Boom Forces Evictions of Urban Poor

Sitting in a wooden house in the urban poor community of Dei Krohome, Touch Ratha recounted a tale of intimidation, secrecy and the blurred line between police, government officials and the private company that she says has been trying to evict her and her neighbours.

BOSNIA: To the Future, With the Past Following

Close to 15 years after the siege of Sarajevo began, the city has recovered much of its past prosperity. But the wounds and memories of war are still around.

NICARAGUA: Houses Without Water or Water Without Houses?

Authorities in Nicaragua are facing the dilemma of generating thousands of jobs through the development of the construction and real estate industry in the capital or putting a priority on future water supplies for the city’s 1.2 million people.

MIGRATION: Brazilians Start Heading to Spain Instead of Portugal

Portugal’s economic crisis and extremely strict border policing, and the availability of cheaper flights from South America to Madrid, are the main reasons for the increasing number of Brazilians choosing to emigrate to Spain instead of the country with which they share cultural and language ties.

ARGENTINA: Farm Strike Exposes Fernandez’s Weak Flank

The conflict with the rural associations has highlighted political weaknesses of the new Argentine government of President Cristina Fernández and shown that economic recovery is necessary but not sufficient to remedy latent social tensions.

HEALTH-BRAZIL: Education, the Only Weapon Against Dengue

After taking a number of emergency measures to combat the current dengue epidemic in Rio de Janeiro, health officials in Brazil have committed themselves to investing in education and awareness-raising in the future, as the only effective means of preventing further outbreaks of the disease.

EL SALVADOR: Gangs Recruiting Younger and Younger Members

Youth gangs in El Salvador are changing their recruitment methods, targeting ever younger potential members in the slum neighbourhoods of the capital, authorities report.

PERU: The Price of Mining Competitiveness

Peru has climbed from the 52nd to the 28th position in an international study on competitiveness in the global mining industry, surpassing Brazil, Argentina, Russia, South Africa and Bolivia. But how much is the local population in mineral-rich zones benefiting from the growth in competitiveness, and how does this phenomenon impact the environment?

ENVIRONMENT-CHILE: Experts Call for Stronger Anti-Smog Measures

"It’s as if we were swimming at a beach unfit for bathing. For four or five months a year, the air is unfit to breathe in the Chilean capital, and the government throws out a lifejacket when people are in difficulties, so that they don’t drown," Patricio Pérez of the University of Santiago told IPS.

ARGENTINA: The Return of the “Cacerolazo”

Thousands of middle-class Argentines took to the streets late Tuesday in a "cacerolazo" or pot-banging protest, this time against the centre-left government of President Cristina Fernández, showing that the methods learned in the crisis that broke out in late 2001 are still alive.

NICARAGUA: Fighting Over Society’s Scraps

Thousands of people who eke out a living by selling recyclable trash scavenged from the municipal dump in the Nicaraguan capital are staging a protest over control of the city’s waste, blocking access to the dump by the garbage trucks.

FILM-US: Latino Festival Celebrates Its Quinceañera

Smack on the U.S.-Mexico border, the city of San Diego is also in the centre of one of the hottest debates in U.S. culture - immigration and the "browning" of California. According to the most recent census, Latinos, people who list their origins as being from Latin America or Mexico, now make up 35.9 percent of the population.

ENVIRONMENT-PORTUGAL: Enjoying the Outdoors in a Greener Lisbon

Steered by a city government that proudly proclaims its environmental credentials, the Portuguese capital is planning to develop wind energy, restore and connect its green areas, and promote clean transport and the outdoor life.