ENVIRONMENT-SRI LANKA: In Denial Mode on Sanitation Issues

Compared to the rest of South Asia, Sri Lanka has impressive sanitation statistics with 90 percent of the population having access to latrines. But what happens to human waste thereafter is another story.

ENVIRONMENT: Women Demand Voice in Climate Debate

Calls for increased participation of women in policy-making decisions are on the rise as world leaders prepare to attend an international meeting on climate change to be held at U.N. headquarters next week.

ENVIRONMENT-BRAZIL: Earth Summit Score Card, 15 Years On

Fifteen years after the 1992 Earth Summit, Brazil is again playing host to representatives from around the world who are assessing the results of the actions that arose from that landmark conference.

POLITICS-SIERRA LEONE: A Sea of Challenges for the New Government

A voting process that has stretched over more than a month came to an end this week with the announcement that Ernest Bai Koroma of the All People's Congress (APC) had won the presidency in Sierra Leone's general elections.

BRAZIL: Amazon Logging Means Short-Lived Prosperity

Devastation, violent land conflicts and rapid - but short-lived - economic growth are the traces left by deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon over the last 30 years, according to a new study.

TRADE-KENYA: Flower Industry May Wilt If EPA Deadline Is Missed

Failure to conclude an economic partnership agreement (EPA) with the European Union (EU) by the end-of-year deadline will have serious implications for Kenyan exporters, including those in the booming horticultural industry.

US-LATIN AMERICA: Next President Must Pursue “Fresh Approach”

With Washington's image in Latin America at its lowest ebb in memory, President George W. Bush's successor must pursue a "fresh approach" to the region - one aimed, in particular, at reducing poverty and the yawning gap between rich and poor , according to a new report by the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) released here Tuesday.

ENVIRONMENT-LATIN AMERICA: Coming Together to Rescue the Reserves

Many reserves in Latin America are walking a tightrope between degradation and isolation. To overcome these problems and appreciate the contribution of natural heritage areas to fighting poverty, Argentina will host an international congress attracting wide participation at the end of this month.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Remittances for Development

Civil society organisations suggest that a plan be designed so that the money sent home by Dominicans abroad, known as remittances, will be used to foment development instead of simply going towards daily expenses.

CORRUPTION: World Bank, U.N. Target Kleptocrats

The United Nations and World Bank launched a bid Monday to strip crooked leaders of the money they steal from poor countries, and to plough the sums into health and development efforts.

Q&A: “It’s a Brave Politician Who Will Talk About Toilets”

When it comes to discussing the critical health problem of inadequate sanitation, few politicians want to take the lead, despite the mountains of scientific evidence that poor hygiene and lack of proper toilet facilities are the cause of many deadly but preventable diseases.

Q&A: Who Should Europe Aid, And How

The challenge of distributing and managing aid is inevitably controversial. And with the EU the largest aid donor in the world, the decisions it takes are hugely significant.

DEVELOPMENT-INDIA: Women Hold Key to Accepting Indoor Toilets

Like other women in this largely tribal, central Indian state, Draupati Bhosale was averse to the idea of having toilets built within homes, but went along because the government was building them at heavily subsidised costs. ‘’I thought it would give me extra storage space,’’ she said.

HEALTH-WEST AFRICA: Rural Areas Said To Be in the Shadow of AIDS Efforts

Certain West African researchers have expressed concern at the disparities between rural and urban areas in their countries as regards HIV/AIDS services and prevention initiatives.

HONDURAS: Small Improvements in Hurricane Preparedness

With the 2007 hurricane season well underway, Honduras shows improved reaction capacity, but the country still lacks policies to reduce its vulnerability to natural disasters, such as preventing people from building in flood plains like those devastated nine years ago by Hurricane Mitch, say experts.

Q&A: "The Involvement of the Government Is Still Mixed"

Some cause for optimism, but several reasons for concern...That's the message from Amadou Wassouni as regards efforts to address desertification in Cameroon.

LATIN AMERICA: Women Victims of Violence Face Hurdles to Justice

Violence against women "is one of the most serious public safety problems in the region," the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) Rapporteur on the Rights of Women said in the Chilean capital.

Q&A: "Drug Addicts Are Victims, Not Criminals"

This week, Stephen Lewis, the outspoken former U.N. special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, was invested as Knight Commander of the Most Dignified Order of Moshoeshoe - a knighthood which is Lesotho's highest honour.

CULTURE-JAPAN: Flushing Away Toilet Taboos

The evolution of the toilet in Japan, from the humble squat latrines of a few decades ago to today’s hi-tech, cockpit-like contraptions, parallels the dramatic rise of this country from post-war ruination to global technological leadership.

ENVIRONMENT: Parliaments Said to be "Weak" in Fighting Desertification

Legislatures have been taken to task over their track record in addressing desertification, this at the eighth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (COP8), currently underway in the Spanish capital, Madrid.

ENVIRONMENT: Worst Places on Earth Are Home to Millions

Rapidly industrialising India and China have claimed four of the top 10 most polluted places on the planet for the first time, according to a report by U.S. and European environmental groups.