News headlines in 2009, page 56

Brazil's decision to adopt voluntary reduction targets for greenhouse gas emissions is an indication that the planet's climate change emergency has joined strategic, economic and ideological issues as a new factor on the global political agenda.

At least half the planet must be protected if humanity is to survive the next century, declared conservationists at the conclusion of 9th World Wilderness Congress on Friday, Nov. 13.

There are two main ways the flop of this week’s United Nations World Food Security Summit in Rome - which has been snubbed by the world’s top leaders, has failed to deliver binding aid commitments, or to set a target date for the eradication of hunger - is being read.

In Malawi, local government elections are as rare and endangered as the country’s black rhinoceros.

Ask any Sri Lankan, and he or she will cringe at the mention of ‘water hyacinth’, infamous in the country, where it is called by its more common Sri Lankan name ‘Japan Jabbara’. The weed-like water plant has spread across the island, and everyone knows its potential to take over any watery home in double quick time.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) published new evidence Monday that Iran had been building 'contingency centres' in the event of a U.S. bombing attack as early as 2002, years before it began building the second enrichment facility at Qom.

Kinshasa's population needs an estimated 700,000 cubic metres of water per day. The Régie de distribution des eaux (REGIDESO) produces only 425,000 cubic metres - vast neighbourhoods like Kitokimosi and Mpasa receive almost none of this water.

Women in Cuba cite a variety of reasons to explain their decision to have only one child, ranging from the housing shortage to the rising cost of living and the many work responsibilities they have to shoulder. But many say that if things were different they would have a bigger family.

The storm has long subsided, and the torrential rains—which battered this city known for its pristine charm and stately pine trees last month—have been gone for weeks.

In the bleak and seemingly endless desert expanse that unfolds east of Jordan's capital city, Amman, lies a crucial cog in the ambitious regional designs of the U.S. and its allies in the Middle East.