MEXICO: Citizen’s Trial Finds State Guilty in Deaths of 49 Children

"We didn't expect support from so many people in the capital. The authorities have to answer for this, and they must understand that we will not give up until justice is done," Manuel Rodríguez Amaya told IPS, his eyes still wet from bursting into tears at the end of the citizen's trial.

Yemen Jets ‘Bomb Al-Qaeda-Held City’

At least 30 people have been killed by military jet fire in Yemen's southern city, Zinjibar, which is said to be controlled fighters linked to Al-Qaeda.

A Candle in the Darkness – Amnesty Turns 50

Thousands of people worldwide raised glasses in a toast to freedom over the weekend to celebrate Amnesty International's 50th anniversary.

HONDURAS: Zelaya Says Coup Was International Conspiracy

After his return to Honduras put an end to two years of exile, former President Manuel Zelaya said the coup in which he was removed on Jun. 28, 2009 was the work of an "international conspiracy" that should be investigated.

Explosions Greet Nigerian President’s New Term

Bomb blasts hit a military base in the northern Nigerian city of Bauchi on Sunday, killing ten and injuring more than a dozen just hours after the swearing in ceremony of President Goodluck Jonathan in the capital, Abuja. News reports also said three others died in a bombing in Zuba, just outside the capital.

ARGENTINA: Power Still Overwhelmingly in Men’s Hands

In Argentina the overwhelming majority of decision-making posts in the most diverse areas are occupied by men, with the exception of the presidency, held by Cristina Fernández.

UKRAINE: Murder Case Reopens Can of Worms

Accused of being unfriendly towards journalists, Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovich has surprised the world by starting an investigation for abuse of power against former president Leonid Kuchma over the murder of an opposition journalist in 2000.

INDIA: Violations May Hit Vaccination Plans

After a government report confirmed major ethical violations in trials of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccines on Indian schoolgirls, senior doctors are calling for transparency in clinical trials conducted under private-public partnerships.

China Takes Back Seat on IMF, For Now

The sex scandal in the top couloirs of the IMF and the power struggle to find a successor to Dominique Strauss-Kahn has fascinated the Chinese. Rife speculations about political intrigues and shadowy deals behind the scenes have spilled into cyberspace and the usually restrained media.

Peacemakers Swim Against the Tide

Although politicians seem to have put the peace process on ice, there are many different groups in Israel and the Palestinian territories that still believe in reconciliation. They call on the world not to believe in stereotypes. "The minute you choose sides, you become part of the conflict."

Taiwanese Ponder Democracy Deficit

A coalition of Taiwan social activists has warned that the island country's democracy is now in a state of ''stagnation'' after three years of government under the Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang or KMT) administration of President Ma Ying-jeou.

G8: ‘Arab Spring Could Lead to African Drought’

Stressing that there is only so much money to go around, development experts worry that the aid package the Group of Eight (G8) has announced for North Africa may mean fewer funds for the rest of the continent.

INDIA: Kashmir in Search of Lost Culture

While the conflict in Indian Kashmir and the destruction it has caused often makes the news, its impact on culture has hardly gotten any attention.

MIDEAST: Settlers See New Support from Obama

The leader of Israel’s most right-wing government since the establishment of the Jewish state 63 years ago, has returned to Israel with his popularity surging since talks with U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington.

SRI LANKA: Peace Dividend Skips Remote Villages

The road to Unnichchai in eastern Sri Lanka makes for a nerve-wracking journey trying to avoid large crater-like potholes, squeezing across narrow bridges, and passing by a patchwork landscape of paddy fields - both abandoned and cultivated - with not a building in sight.

Amnesty’s Tireless Vigil during South America’s Dark Night

In the 1970s, with no Internet or social networking sites to get information out, Amnesty International managed to become a thorn in the side of the dictatorships of the Southern Cone of South America, several people who benefited from its advocacy work recalled on the occasion of the rights watchdog's 50th anniversary.

G8 Leaders Make Grand but Unconvincing Declaration

As leaders of the Group of Eight ended their two-day summit in this seaside town Friday, non-governmental organisations said the meeting had resulted in few concrete commitments.

Fresh Fatalities as Syrians Brave Crackdown

At least three people have been killed in Qatana, a suburb of the capital Damascus, after Syrian security forces used live fire to disperse hundreds of anti-government demonstrators, activists say.

CANADA: Documenting the ‘Truth’

"I told you the truth, you don't like the truth", Omar Khadr shouts at a Canadian Security Intelligence Service agent. The accused, then aged 16, breaks down: "Ya Ummi! (Mummy!)", he cries in Arabic. This four-day interrogation, captured on CCTV at the notorious Guantánamo Bay prison, lies at the heart of the documentary "You don't like the truth – 4 days in Guantánamo".

BRAZIL: Red Tape Undermines Witness Protection – Part 2

The scarce funds and abundance of red tape that plague Brazil's federal witness and victim protection programme, PROVITA, effectively discourage people from stepping forward with information and hinder criminal investigations, while weakening the protection of the families whose lives depend on the service.

LIBYA: Water Emerges as a Hidden Weapon

Libya’s enormous aquatic reserves could potentially become a new weapon of choice if government forces opt to starve coastal cities that heavily rely on free flowing freshwater.