News headlines in March 2011, page 4

Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president, has blamed 'conspirators' for two weeks of anti-government protests that have rocked the nation.

Brenda Mancilla, a 23-year-old Mexican woman, has suffered from tuberous sclerosis, a genetic disorder that causes the growth of benign tumours in body organs, since she was five months old.

'Women in Zimbabwe are largely seen as a huge demographic to be exploited by politicians who seek our support,' says Ntombikayise Mswela. 'But when we take to the streets to demand respect and our rights from the same government we are thrown into prison.

On the heels of U.S. President Barack Obama's trip to Latin America, Washington's traditional role as 'regional hegemon' is being reevaluated as its attention focuses on the Arab Spring and an emerging commercial competitor - China - focuses on the U.S.'s backyard.

Pro-democracy 'Day of Dignity' rallies in Syria have led to many casualties in recent days. Before real political reforms are introduced, many lines will be crossed, lives lost, and human rights discarded 'The regime has been rattled by protests, which have resulted in its use of certain (oppressive) means that will be counterproductive in the longer run,' says writer and former political prisoner Yassine Hajj Saleh.

When the trunks of the trees move with every step you take, you know you are in a swamp. This is what happens when you walk over the seemingly firm and vegetation-covered ground over what was once a pit used to dump oil sludge in the Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest.

Widely praised as an effective defence of Washington's 10-day- old military intervention in Libya, President Barack Obama's speech Monday evening appears to have left several key questions about his future intentions unanswered.

Pro-democracy 'Day of Dignity' rallies in Syria have led to many casualties in recent days. Before real political reforms are introduced, many lines will be crossed, lives lost, and human rights discarded

'We have nowhere to plant our corn, we have nothing,' Jorge Chocoj told IPS while waiting with his wife and three children for the police to evict them from the land they farmed in northwestern Guatemala.

Many countries view nuclear energy as a way to meet growing electricity demands without releasing large amounts of greenhouse gasses. And as a major uranium exporter, Australia is keen to capitalise on future opportunities despite the ongoing nuclear emergency at Japan’s Fukushima reactors.