News headlines in 2009, page 354

Chile has set its sights on producing second-generation plant-based fuels from forest biomass within the next five years. But before that it must consider the environmental and socioeconomic impacts of such an endeavour, warn experts and activists.

The tandem un-negotiated ceasefires that Israel and Hamas announced Jan. 18 across the Gaza-Israel front line remain fragile. Local and international efforts to consolidate the truce have stalled, and officials and analysts around the world warn of a high risk of further escalation.

Despite intensive efforts by Israel, the international community and a number of Arab leaders to weaken and destroy Hamas through economic, punitive and military action, the Islamist organisation continues to be a force to reckon with.

U.S. energy giant Chevron is under fire for failing to disclose the amount of money it allegedly paid to secure rights to drill for offshore oil in corruption-ridden Cambodia.

Laws against female genital mutilation are driving the practice underground and across borders, says a UNIFEM study published last year.

Bark cloth, a fabric historically used by the Buganda in central Uganda to wrap their dead before burial, is making a comeback in the form of trendy crafts, clothing and household goods.

Ever since the horror movie Jaws was released in 1975, sharks have been regarded as deadly creatures in the public imagination of many countries. The deep irony - as a senior European Union official stressed Feb. 5 - is that humans pose a far greater danger to sharks than vice-versa.

Ever since the horror movie Jaws was released in 1975, sharks have been regarded as deadly creatures in the public imagination of many countries. The deep irony - as a senior European Union official stressed Feb. 5 - is that humans pose a far greater danger to sharks than vice-versa.

With national boundaries continually being redrawn in the post-colonial world, it’s time to deal with the reality of partitions and find a way 'to make peace with our partitioned selves', contends international banker-turned-art curator Hammad Nasar.

And then there were four.