JANUÁRIA, Brazil, Dic 04 (IPS) - José Geraldo Matos fondly recalls the massive traíras (Hoplias sp), carnivorous freshwater fish found in the lagoons and rivers of Brazil, that he used to catch in the Dos Cochos River just a few metres from his house.

SAN SALVADOR, Dic 04 (IPS) - Brenda Salazar has her sights set on two things: a good organic cacao harvest for the cooperative she belongs to in northern Nicaragua, and for the governments of Central America to heed the ideas of peasant farmers who have organised to fight climate change.

WASHINGTON, Dic 04 (IPS) - On Nov. 29, 138 member states of the United Nations General Assembly voted in favour of giving Palestine "non-member observer state" status. Only nine voted no, 41 abstained. Beyond Middle East politics, the vote also mirrors the limits of the U.S. global, and the Israeli regional, empires: 138 defy their grip and favour change, 41+9=50 do not for various reasons. Who wants what?

, Dic 04 (IPS) - A growing number of international lawsuits has highlighted an emerging global crisis: the nature and effects of investment treaties signed between governments, which are allowing private companies and investors to sue countries for millions or even billions of dollars.

ROME, Dic 04 (IPS) - On Dec. 18, 2007, the approval of a resolution for a moratorium on executions by the United Nations General Assembly was hailed as a milestone in the struggle to abolish the death penalty worldwide. It is true that the United Nations may not impose the abolition of the death penalty, but the moral and political value of the resolution is undeniable.

DOHA, Dic 04 (IPS) - Qatar may be one of the richest countries in the world, but it has something in common with its African counterparts – food insecurity.

ABASSAN, Gaza Strip, Dic 04 (IPS) - "It was the first day of the cease-fire. An Israeli soldier shot once in the air and within seconds shot me in the leg. He was only a few metres away. Haithem Abu Dagga, 26, an electrician and farm labourer, will not be able to work for as many months as it takes his right leg to heal. The bullet exited his leg but fractured his shin bone.

JOHANNESBURG, Dic 04 (IPS) - South Africa and China are partners within a club of leading emerging markets, and it would seem natural that exports of South African wine to the Chinese market should be surging.

VALENCIA, Spain, Dic 03 (IPS) - "It's really painful to work and not get paid. And I can't report them, because I don't have documents, or a contract," Rossana, one of the many immigrant women working as domestic employees and caregivers in Spain, told IPS.

WASHINGTON, Dic 03 (IPS) - International financial support aimed at counteracting the world's "neglected diseases" increased by nearly a half-billion dollars over the past five years, according to new research released Monday, but changing funding dynamics could already be having a negative impact on the development of cures for diseases that affect a substantial proportion of the world's poor.