PARAGUAY: Environmentalists Up in Arms Over Mega-Port

Residents, environmentalists and local and national authorities in Paraguay are at odds over the pros and cons of a port complex being built by U.S. agribusiness giant Cargill on the outskirts of the capital.

BRAZIL: Green-Friendly Image Yields Dividends for Business

One company is offering reforestation services for areas damaged by soil erosion, another advises factories on how to become carbon neutral, and a third offers environmental laboratory services to assess ecological damage. This new generation of business values the "eco-efficient lifestyle."

MEXICO: Most Dangerous Latin American Country for Journalists

"Journalist’s Murder Condemned", "Newspaper Editor Reported Missing", "Organised Crime May Lurk Behind Disappearance of Newscaster". Headlines like these appear ever more frequently in Mexico, the most dangerous country in Latin America for journalists to ply their trade.

SOUTH AMERICA: Call Against Poverty Takes Aim at Inequality

More than two years after the launch of the Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP), social movements in South America are putting the accent on the fight against social inequality and criticism of the neoliberal economic model, which they see as hindering development.

ENERGY-SOUTH AFRICA: The Poor Fly Under the Solar Water Heating Radar

Earlier this year, IPS reported that the South African coastal city of Cape Town was debating a "first of a kind" bylaw that would make solar water heating compulsory for relatively costly new buildings, and certain renovations. This got us thinking: what of solar water heating for less expensive structures - especially homes being built under the country's extensive low cost housing programme...Are any initiatives on the drawing board in this regard?

RIGHTS-COLOMBIA: Defying Threats, Thousands Take to the Streets

Arbitrary arrests, menacing warnings from the army and harsh crackdowns on protesters did not daunt the tens of thousands of Colombians who took to the streets over the last three days to protest against the rightwing government of Álvaro Uribe.

CUBA: Social Beefs, Proposals Voiced in Widespread Debates

Like Pandora’s box, the popular debates promoted by acting Cuban President Raúl Castro have brought to light countless problems that affect the daily lives of Cubans, who are now hoping to see their proposals for solutions on the official agenda in the short or medium term.

HEALTH-SWAZILAND: Septic Tanks Preferred to the Latest in Sewage Treatment

Located on the outskirts of Swaziland's commercial hub, the state of the art Manzini Waste Treatment Centre was built to end the city's sewage disposal problems. A World Bank loan was secured by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development to construct the 16 million dollar facility: a spotless, landscaped plant which has a lifespan of 25 years.

ECONOMY-US: Stemming the Trickle-Up Effect

When he took office last year, U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said he was increasingly concerned about the widening gap between the nation's rich and poor.

CUBA: Ecomaterials for Low-Cost, Hurricane-Proof Housing

Low-income Cuban families now have a greater chance of having a home of their own thanks to a prize-winning construction method that uses strong, locally-produced alternative materials.

LATIN AMERICA: Revving Up for Bicentennial Celebrations

Several Latin American countries have set in motion plans for celebrating the bicentennial of their independence from Spain, many of which will fall between 2008 and 2010. But the festivities will not take place without controversy.

ENVIRONMENT-PERU: Joining Forces to Save the Mantaro River

Social organisations in Peru have joined forces to save the Mantaro river, which is being killed by pesticides, untreated sewage, and the waste products dumped by the mining industry.

EL SALVADOR: A Battery of Charges Over Lead Poisoning

Environmentalists and residents of this Salvadoran city are demanding the closure of a car battery factory that has been contaminating them with lead for 12 years.

DEVELOPMENT-INDIA: Lack of Water, Lack of Education

While social taboos may hinder the education of girls in India’s poor communities, the experience in some slum communities in this southern Indian city indicates that the lack of access to water could be just as responsible.

BRAZIL: Community Action Beats Back Adversity

When the town of Pintadas dared elect a mayor from the leftist Workers Party (PT) in 1996, the retaliation was immediate: the conservative government of the state of Bahia closed the only bank in this small, impoverished town in northeastern Brazil.

HEALTH-PARAGUAY: Hopes of Meeting Millennium Goals Slipping Away

In spite of official claims to the contrary, it is becoming less and less likely that Paraguay will meet the health goals the United Nations member countries committed themselves to achieve by 2015, experts say.

ENVIRONMENT-PAKISTAN: Pay-Toilets? When the Walls Are Free?

At a pay-and-use toilet at Karachi’s Civil Hospital, Rustom Ali asserts: "I’m an employee here so why should I pay?" Hari Ram, the 60-year-old caretaker, is too meek to argue and lets Ali in. "Very few people pay," Ram mutters.

CUBA: Citizen Action Transforming the Barrio

Two women set out nine years ago to help the barrio of Balcón Arimao, on the outskirts of the Cuban capital, tackle its numerous problems through community participation.

PORTUGAL: Black Actors Coming Into Their Own

Africans and dark-skinned Brazilians and Portuguese, who already have a strong presence in the fields of dance and music, are now appearing ever more frequently in films, television serials and plays in Portugal.

CORRUPTION-PERU: Profiting from Misfortune

Federal, provincial and municipal authorities in Peru benefited from the disaster caused by the Aug. 15 earthquake, lining their pockets with public funds and misusing humanitarian aid sent by foreign and local donors.

ENVIRONMENT-PAKISTAN: Residents Solve Own Sanitation Woes

Unlike his neighbours in the opposite lane, Muhammad Salam lets his children play out in the street without the slightest worry.