News headlines in October 2010, page 3

Fears of becoming a narco-state have prompted Honduras to refocus its anti-drug strategy, in order to block the infiltration of Mexican drug cartels, which are moving southward into Central America, experts told IPS. Last week's visit by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs David Johnson highlighted right-wing President Porfirio Lobo's determination to step up the fight against the increasingly active presence of the drug mafias.

Increasing violence and discrimination against migrants around the world result in migrants living in inhuman conditions exposing them to domestic violence, sexual harassment and forced confinement. U.N. Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing Raquel Rolnik Friday called upon member states to take concrete action and ratify the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers.

Guatemala has more than 700,000 clandestine garbage dumps. But a growing network of public and private sector employees are receiving training in integrated waste management that they in turn pass on to others, as part of a unique cooperation initiative with Mexico and Germany.

Access to land must be recognized as a critical human right issue. Millions of farmers, fishermen and indigenous people around the world are experiencing the dramatic consequences of excessive land exploitation, with up to 30 million hectares of farmland lost every year, according to the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food Olivier De Shutter.

Amidst fears of a recurring food crisis, the World Bank has reactivated its Global Food Crisis Response Programme (GFRP), dedicating up to 760 million dollars to countries at risk of food price volatility.

As military-ruled Burma heads towards its first general election in two decades in November, its citizens are tuning in to their enduring faith in the old communication order - the power of the radio.

The small island state of Mauritius is the only African country likely to meet all eight of the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015 - at least on paper. But its citizens say government could do more to improve livelihoods, gender equality and environmental sustainability.

Twenty-six years after the adoption by U.N. Member States of the Convention against Torture, the objective of eradicating torture and inhuman treatment has not been achieved. At the same time, the absolute prohibition of torture is not yet a reality in many States. While presenting the annual report of the Committee Against Torture (CAT) to the General Assembly Tuesday, Claudio Grossman, CAT's Chairperson, called upon member states to say 'no to torture by any means'.

Africa is hungry - 240 million people are undernourished. Now, for the first-time, small African farmers have been properly consulted on how to solve the problem of feeding sub-Saharan Africa. Their answers appear to directly repudiate a massive international effort to launch an African Green Revolution funded in large part by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The Global Handwashing Day was commemorated last Friday with educators showing their students how to wash their hands. ''It sounds simple to an audience that is accustomed to automatic faucets. But sadly, hundreds of millions of children will not be able to practice their handwashing lessons at school'', said . Maria Otero, U.S. Under Secretary for Democracy and Global Affairs. Addressing the Academy for Educational Development (AED) in Washington, DC, Otero said: 'No matter where you live-be it Boston or Bamako-schools are the foundation of strong communities. They are, of course, a place where teachers teach and children learn. But they are also a place where community health workers deliver life-saving messages and medicines. They are a place where adults gather in the evening for continuing education and town hall meetings. And they are a place where people come to vote and young democracies flourish.'