World - OneWorld.net

WASHINGTON, Nov 25 (OneWorld.net) - The Obama administration announced yesterday that it would not be joining a treaty signed by 158 other countries to ban landmines. Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the decision "lacks vision, compassion, and basic common sense."

FLORENCE, Nov 24 (New America Media) - It sounds fairly benign in English, but in Italian clandestino has become a term of hot debate. Clandestinos are the "illegals" in Italy's immigration debate. It's the word for the country's million-plus immigrants without papers. The word comes loaded with negative connotations. Now, Italian media observers are asking if the word itself is not fanning flames of xenophobia.

COLOMBO, Nov 23 (IRIN) - The release of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) from camps in Sri Lanka's north is welcome, but the government must now ensure they are properly cared for, the UN and NGOs say.

DEARBORN, Nov 20 (Arab Detroit / New America Media) - In the Facebook world, November 20th is a day of importance. It is the official "Hug an Arab Day," an event that has only been circulating the social website for the past two weeks, but has thus far managed to confirm 13,593 members.

NEW YORK, Nov 19 (New America Media) - Organizers described them as immigration reform "house parties."

JOHANNESBURG, Nov 19 (IRIN PlusNews) - In less than seven months South Africa will host the world's biggest single sporting event - the FIFA World Cup. The chance to reach millions of local and visiting football fans presents a golden opportunity, not only for the country's business and tourism sectors, but also for its efforts to combat HIV/AIDS.

LONDON, Nov 18 (OneClimate.net) - In a week when world leaders concluded that it would be "unrealistic" to aim for a legally binding agreement at the upcoming UN Climate Conference, there are signs that activist groups are working to create their own systematic plans for reducing global emissions.

WASHINGTON, Nov 17 (OneWorld.net) - More people are going hungry today than ever before in human history, and the numbers continue to rise. Establishing a global system of food reserves could help stifle the forces spreading hunger and begin to reverse the trend, humanitarian groups told government officials gathered at a World Food Summit this week.

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 16 (New America Media) - President Barack Obama has begun his one week, four-country visit to Asia. The fact that about half of that time will be spent in China is a measure of the importance of the U.S.-China relationship.

RIO DE JANEIRO, Nov 13 (IPS) - Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon jungle was reduced more than expected between August 2008 and July 2009 -- 45 percent compared to the previous 12 months, the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) reported.

JOHANNESBURG, Nov 12 (IRIN) - Did you know that agriculture contributed 42 percent of Nigeria's gross domestic product (GDP) in 2008, more than double the 20 percent of revenue that oil brought into the national coffers?

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 11 (New America Media) - Fifty-four-year-old David Harness carries a red, white and blue Department of Veterans Affairs' identification card around his neck. His face weathered, his mustache speckled with grey, he looks past the reporter standing in front of him and off into the street.

BUENOS AIRES, Nov 11 (IPS) - "Moving," "rewarding," "therapeutic" are some of the terms used to describe their volunteer work by some of the women taking part in the Storytelling Grandmothers Programme aimed at awakening a love of reading among youngsters from poor families in Argentina.

WASHINGTON, Nov 10 (OneWorld.net) - The director of the media organization Shane Bauer writes for has called on Iran to "show compassion and leniency," corroborating assertions that the U.S. journalist and his friends were simply enjoying a vacation in July when they apparently strayed onto Iranian soil and were detained.

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 6 (New America Media) - Perhaps the most depressing aspect of Thursday's shoot-out at Fort Hood is that none of the 12 people who died in the melee will be counted as casualties of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON, Nov 5 (OneWorld.net) - Climate analysts are calling on the Obama administration to use an international finance meeting this week to press for a swift end to subsidies for coal, oil, and natural gas companies around the world.

JAKARTA, Nov 4 (IRIN) - Thousands of survivors of an earthquake that devastated Indonesia's West Sumatra Province are still grappling with a lack of clean water and adequate sanitation more than a month after the disaster, relief workers say.

CANCUN, Nov 3 (IPS) - With HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis occupying the global health spotlight, few resources are devoted to the "neglected tropical diseases" like dengue fever, hookworm infection and schistosomiasis that afflict some 1 billion people.

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 2 (New America Media) - Ten months ago, I was kicked out of the Army. My crime? I refused to continue violating my integrity and told a superior officer I was gay. My nine years in the military, including four years as a cadet at West Point and almost two years deployed to Iraq where I was awarded the Bronze star, came to an abrupt end when the Army discharged me under the "don't ask, don't tell" policy.