GUATEMALA: Whitewash for ‘Adoption Paradise’

Guatemala may begin to shed its reputation as a paradise for international adoption now that its parliament has ratified a global adoption treaty and is preparing to pass a law that would regulate the phenomenon in a country where the trafficking and sale of babies have become widespread.

G8: Bush Struggles to Regain Leadership at Summit

An ever-deteriorating situation in Iraq, a hostile Democratic Congress and a changing of the guard in some key allies may all combine to bring about a more cooperative, and perhaps more subdued, President George W. Bush at the summit of the Group of Eight most industrialised nations.

ENVIRONMENT-CHILE: From One Conflict to the Next

In what was hailed as a landmark ruling, the Chilean Supreme Court ordered the state to pay compensation to 356 residents affected by pollution with toxic metals in the northern city of Arica.

HEALTH-RUSSIA: More Funding, But HIV/AIDS on the Rise

Russia's HIV infection rate continues to rise - most notably in the heterosexual and non-drug-using populations - despite steady increases in funds to fight the disease. Experts and medical researchers say dramatic changes in sexual attitudes and behaviour are essential if the trend is to be reversed.

EDUCATION-AFRICA: Learning at the Flick of a Switch

The role of information and communication technologies (ICT) in improving education throughout Africa has been in the spotlight over recent days at the e-Learning Africa Conference.

ENVIRONMENT-BURUNDI: Urban Waste Becomes Urban Fuel

Several months ago, residents of the Burundian capital, Bujumbura, were struggling with disposal of household waste. The Municipal Technical Services (Services techniques municipaux, SETEMU) weren't able to deal with all the refuse - and health conditions in the city were deteriorating.

BURKINA FASO: Giving Political Parties a Legal Nudge

Awareness raising alone hasn't managed to bring about sufficient change...Perhaps quotas are now required. That's the thinking behind a law that will be put before Burkina Faso's parliament later this year, in an effort to increase the number of women in decision-making posts in the West African country's government.

EDUCATION-ARGENTINA: A Library Per Household

A novel programme aimed at fomenting a reading habit among low-income sectors was launched in Argentina: the "Books and Houses" campaign will deliver a bookshelf complete with 18 volumes to each affordable housing unit assigned to families this year through government assistance plans.

ENVIRONMENT-KENYA: Will Good Fences Make for Good Neighbours?

To fence, or not to fence: this debate has been underway for a decade as concerns Kenya's oldest national park, located just 20 minutes from the centre of the capital - Nairobi. With urban development edging closer to the park, however, a decision one way or the other has become a matter of urgency.

ENVIRONMENT: Toward a Green Economy

Humanity is facing historic and truly unprecedented challenges from climate change and the rapid decline of ecosystems that sustain life.

ENERGY-MALAWI: Technology to Save Forests

Malawi's utilisation of energy resources is heavily dominated by firewood, which provides 93 percent of all energy needs. Current annual household consumption of firewood and charcoal are at 7.5 million tons, exceeding sustainable supply by 3.7 million tons.

DEVELOPMENT-SOUTHERN AFRICA: Leaving the Country to Earn a Living

‘‘We have lost a young woman in South Africa. We have raised R3,500 (500 US dollars) but we need R5,000 (714 dollars). We want to transport the body home to her relatives in Zimbabwe. But it is difficult,'' Joyce Dube, director of the Southern African Women's Institute for Migration Affairs (SAWIMA), told a gathering.

Q&A: Russia’s Children Remain “Highly Vulnerable”

"While UNICEF is happy that children's rights are commemorated on Jun. 1, we would like to see every day of the year be 'International Children's Day', particularly in Russia, where children remain highly vulnerable," says Carel de Rooy, the United Nations agency's representative in Russia and Belarus.

LATIN AMERICA: More and More Countries Ban Smoking in Public Places

The 150 million smokers in Latin America and the Caribbean are finding it more and more difficult to smoke in public spaces, as a growing list of countries adopt measures aimed at protecting non-smokers from second-hand smoke.

G8: Sailing Against Ecological Debt

As leaders of the world's eight richest countries prepare to meet in Germany's Baltic resort of Heiligendamm next week, a Fair Trade ship has left the shores of Finland and is on the high seas heading towards the summit venue.

BRAZIL: Homeless Take Fate into Their Own Hands

The occupation of the huge empty lot was carried out at night, by some 300 families. Just a few days later, there were nearly 5,000 families living in a sea of black tents in Valo Velho, a poor, sparsely populated neighbourhood in Itapecerica da Serra, on the outskirts of this Brazilian city.

HEALTH: Bush Urges Doubling of Anti-AIDS Funding

U.S. President George W. Bush Wednesday called for Congress to double spending on his global AIDS programme to 30 billion dollars from fiscal 2009 through 2013.

G8-AFRICA: Farm Subsidies a Taboo Subject?

In the preparations for this year's summit of the Group of Eight most industrialised countries, to take place Jun. 6-8 in the Baltic seaside resort of Heiligendamm, Germany, aid for Africa has topped the agenda. But the farm subsidy factor is likely to be avoided in the debate.

EL SALVADOR: Water Pipes Don’t Mean Water in the Tap

"We have been facing this problem for 36 years; sometimes we have a little, but we actually spend a lot more time without water," says Ana Hortensia Cabrera, who is in fact among the lucky Salvadorans who have piped water in their home.

BULGARIA: A Capital That Can’t Handle Its Mess

On several occasions over the past two years, the streets of the Bulgarian capital Sofia have been literally covered with trash. The city of one million is one of the few European capitals without a waste processing system.

HEALTH-SOUTHERN AFRICA: One Million People Need AIDS Treatment

About one million people in need of anti-retroviral (ARV) treatment are yet to receive it in four southern African states, according to Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF), a global nongovernmental organisation specialising in medical services.