All three of the dead were connected to the U.S. Consulate there, underscoring the risks of living and working in that city.

The State Department has authorized the families of its diplomatic personnel across northern Mexico to leave the country.

But, as Tom Ackerman of Al Jazeera English reports, the killings were just a few of dozens in Mexico this weekend.

Mongolia’s three million people and forty million animals are now being tested by a brutal winter that followed a drought last summer.

Tony Birtley of Al Jazeera English reports how grazing, the backbone of the country’s economy, is under threat.

Mongolia battles severe weather yearly, but this year, the UB Post reports that Mongolia is experiencing a “dzud,” which is a summer drought followed by an even harsher winter”

Before this winter (2009-2010), Mongolia had not experienced a dzud since early 2002. This winter, Mongolia is experiencing unusually cold weather with temperatures dropping well below minus 20 [-4 Fahrenheit] as early as mid-December. It is expected temperatures will fall to minus 48 [-54 Fahrenheit] as northerly weather brings bitter snow storms from Siberia.

Roughly 47% of Mongolia’s 2.7 million people rely heavily on herding livestock. A blog from the World Bank reports:

Around 35 percent of Mongolia’s work force is dependent on herding for a substantial part of their livelihoods and about 63 percent of rural household’s assets are livestock; livestock herding accounts for about a third of employment in Mongolia. Food security is also worsening, poverty levels are likely to rise and these factors may cause an increase in rural-to-urban migration. Compounding the problem is the poor condition of many pastures as a result of last year’s drought and overgrazing. In addition heavy snowfall started earlier than usual in October 2009.

According to AFP:

More than 3.5 million animals — cows, sheep, goats, yaks, horses and camels — have died so far, with 60 percent of the country still buried under deep snow.

Hundreds of thousands of livestock have perished due to lack of nourishment because the winter weather has made the ground infertile. Dead livestock in the region poses a potential threat for disease and has already directly impacted the economic and physical conditions of the Mongolian nomadic peoples.

The United Nations recently launched a campaign to provide funding to clear out dead livestock. In an effort to boost economic livelihood as well as to avoid further disaster, The Guardian reports that many Mongolian nomads are being paid to clear out the dead livestock in the affected regions.

The United Nations has launched a $4 million dollar carcass-clearing appeal for Mongolia as millions of camels, goats, yaks and horses perish across the steppe from a climate double whammy of summer drought and winter snow.

The international body will pay nomads to collect and bury dead livestock to ease the risks of disease, soil contamination and a worsening humanitarian disaster in a nation where one-third of the 2.7m population depends on animal husbandry.

As an initial step, [the United Nations Development Programme] has allocated $300,000 and will raise more fund to pay herders $4 a day to clean and bury carcasses. Eventually, it hopes to reach 60,000 of the worst affected families.

- Stephanie Savage

At least 43 people were killed, including about 10 soldiers, and 100 more were wounded. Insurgent groups are still very much a force in Pakistan, a year after the army claimed it defeated them.

For more, Daljit Dhaliwal interviews Ahmad Kamal, a Pakistani diplomat for 40 years.

Hashem Ahelbarra of Al Jazeera English obtained unusual access in the Swat Valley.

These two rapidly growing economies have formally agreed this week to be part of the climate change accord that was worked at last December’s climate change conference in Copenhagen.

The nonbinding document calls for limiting the rise in global temperatures.

Andrew Potter of Al Jazeera English reports on the significance of the news.

The AP says preliminary estimates show that the coalition led by the current prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, is doing well in Baghdad and in the Shiite south of Iraq.

In the capital’s green zone, ballot boxes were delivered today to the independent election commission as the counting process began.

Despite a wave of violence Sunday that killed at least 26 people, 62 percent of 19 million eligible voters turned out — lower than during the last Iraqi parliamentary election.

Both the top U.S. general and the American ambassador praised the election process, echoing what President Obama said yesterday. And General Ray Odierno re-affirmed the phased withdrawal of the 96,000 U.S. troops currently in Iraq.

For more, Daljit Dhaliwal speaks with Michael Wahid Hanna, a fellow at the Century Foundation.

Mike Hanna of Al Jazeera English followed one elderly woman who was voting for the future.

Just a few years ago, Iraqi women running for parliamentary seats didn’t show their pictures on any campaign signs because of Iraq’s conservatism. But that’s different now.

Al Arabiya also highlights the story of so-called “forgotten Iraqis” — desert Bedouins.

Worldfocus’ Mohammad Al-Kassim translated this report.

View a montage of Iraqi election advertisements compiled by Al Jazeera English.

With national elections now only days away, today saw three separate suicide bombings, which killed at least 30 people in the the northeastern provincial capital of Baqouba today.

For more on Sunday’s parliamentary elections in Iraq and what they mean for the country’s long-term stability, Daljit Dhaliwal interviews Michael Wahid Hanna, a fellow at the Century Foundation. Hanna discusses the key players in the upcoming elections and the influence of sectarian rivalry on the process.

Anita McNaught of Worldfocus partner Al Jazeera English reports on the violence.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a brief stop in Chile today, delivering 25 satellite phones to the president as part of a larger U.S. aid package that will follow.

For the more on the situation in Chile, Daljit Dhaliwal interviews Christopher Sabatini, the Senior Director of Policy at the Council of the Americas. He says that Chile is prepared to handle much of the situation on its own, with targeted assistance from the U.S. and other countries.

In Concepción, Chile’s second largest city, rescue teams race against time to find survivors. Lucía Newman of Al Jazeera English has this report:

Al Jazeera English’s Teresa Bo has the latest on the destruction in the battered coastal town of Constitución:

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has called for the officials responsible for preparing the Russian Olympic team to resign.

Neave Barker of Al Jazeera English reports from Moscow on anger at Russia’s Olympics performance.

At least 16 people were killed and several dozen wounded in a four-hour assault that involved two suicide attacks and a car bomb.

The targets were two hotels used by foreigners and at least six Indians were among the dead, along with an Italian diplomat and French filmmaker.

Hoda Abdel-Hamid of Al Jazeera English reports from Kabul during the deadly attacks.

Martin Savidge interviews Rajan Menon, professor of international relations at Lehigh University for more on the attack.

We chose this story because it illustrates how the drive toward what is often called “progress” can threaten a traditional culture. The piece is also about how hunger for oil is jeopardizing this way of life.

Jonah Hull of Al Jazeera English reports on the Khanty people of northern Siberia.

The top Afghan commander said the military goals had almost been achieved after 13 days of fighting by fifteen thousand NATO and Afghan troops.

For more insight into the developments out of Marjah and the ongoing war against the Taliban, Martin Savidge speaks with Rajan Menon, a professor of international relations at Lehigh University. Menon discusses whether the Afghan government is prepared to govern the area and what to expect next.

James Bays of Worldfocus partner, Al Jazeera English, reports from Marjah.

For more coverage on Afghanistan visit the Worldfocus extended coverage page: War in Afghanistan.

The Nukak have been forced to abandon their traditional nomadic existence in the tropical jungle because of the conflict between the Colombian army and the rebel FARC movement, and now face the possibility of the complete extinction of their culture.

Our partner Al Jazeera English reports on the story from Colombia.
(View full post to see video)

He sought to control the damage in the aftermath of Sunday’s U.S. airstrike that killed at least 21 people in central Afghanistan.

American and Afghan forces are trying to defeat the Taliban in Helmand province and win over the people there.

For more about the fallout from Sunday’s airstrike, Martin Savidge speaks to Rick Nelson, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a former member of the U.S. Special Operations command.

And James Bays of Al Jazeera English reports how Taliban are saying their support among the Afghan people is only increasing.

It turned out that the people were all civilians, including women and children. The Afghan government called it “unjustifiable,” and the top U.S. commander, General Stanley McChrystal, apologized.

Meanwhile, the offensive against the Taliban continues in the town of Marjah in Helmand province.

For more on the civilian toll in Afghanistan, Martin Savidge interviews Alex Thier, director for Afghanistan and Pakistan at the United States Institute of Peace.

James Bays of Al Jazeera English has more about the war’s impact on civilians.

Mostly living in the northern island of Hokkaido, Ainu are believed to descend from people who lived in Japan as early as 13,000 years ago. Their culture is distinct from mainstream Japanese society.

In the 19th century, Japan banned the Ainu language, seized their land, and outlawed their hunting and religious practices. Today the Ainu language is almost completely extinct.

Just under 24,000 people identified themselves as Ainu, in a 2006 study by the Hokkaido prefectural government. However, many of those included were of mixed blood. Also, it is not known how many Ainu live outside Hokkaido.

In June 2008, Japan’s parliament passed a resolution that formally recognized the Ainu as an indigenous people with a distinct language, religion and culture. Today, the Ainu have their own cultural institutions and are working with the Japanese government to maintain their unique heritage.

Harry Fawcett of Al Jazeera English reports from Hokkaido on the struggle to save their way of life.

Global Voices blogger Scilla Alecci writes about the extinction of indigenous languages in Japan, including the Ainu language:

In February UNESCO presented the Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger, giving an accurate and worrying description of the languages considered endangered (about 2,500). Among these eight belong to the Japanese archipelago. Not a big surprise if we think about the severe policies of linguistic and cultural assimilation carried out by the Japanese government until the end of the WW2, after completing the annexation during the 19th century of the Ryukyu reign (now Okinawa) and the island of Hokkaido inhabited by the Ainu people.

Scienceblogs.com contributor Razib Khan writes about the relationship between language and genes of near extinct people’s around the world:

This is a case where the preponderance of evidence seems to be that the Yayoi rice-culture bearers arrived from the continent and predominantly replaced the indigenous post-Jomon culture. The Ainu may be a residue of the Jomon natives, and a non-trivial, though minority, component of the Japanese ancestry can be traced back to the Jomon.

The Ainu Museum in Hokkaido explores the history of the Ainu people:

“Ainu” means “human.” The Ainu people regard things useful to them or beyond their control as “kamuy” (gods). In daily life, they prayed to and performed various ceremonies for the gods. These gods include: “nature” gods, such as of fire, water, wind and thunder; “animal” gods, such as of bears, foxes, spotted owls and grampuses; “plant” gods, such as of aconite, mushroom and mugwort; “object” gods, such as of boats and pots; and gods which protect houses, gods of mountains and gods of lakes. The word “Ainu” refers to the opposite of these gods.

The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History held an exhibition dedicated to exploring the ancient origin of the Ainu, their evolving relations with the Japanese, and the 20th century Ainu cultural renaissance.

The aim is to relieve overcrowding in the makeshift camps where many of the one million-plus Haitians left homeless have been living.

But as Haiti continues to struggle five weeks after the quake, a few stories of hope are emerging as well. Steve Chao of Al Jazeera English reports from Haiti.

NATO hopes to wipe out the Taliban presence in this part of Helmand province, clearing the way for the Afghan government to take control.

At the same time, NATO hopes to encourage lower-level Taliban fighters to give up fighting and negotiate with the Afghan government.

Daljit Dhaliwal talks about about this first real test of President Obama’s new strategy for finishing the war in Afghanistan with Marvin Weinbaum, a scholar at the Middle East Institute and a former State Department analyst.

James Bays of Al Jazeera English reports on NATO’s campaign in Marjah, as coalition forces try to root out the Taliban and win over the local population.

Dubai police claim that at least 11 suspects were involved in killing Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, many of whom allegedly used identities stolen from dual U.K.-Israeli citizens.

Israel’s intelligence service, Mossad, is suspected of being behind the crime, but some analysts question whether Mossad’s handiwork would have been so sloppy.

Jacky Rowland of Al Jazeera English reports from Israel about those who found their names associated with the assassination plot.

Should Israel be more forthcoming about whether or not it was involved in the killing of the Hamas leader?

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Hailed as a major victory in the war in Afghanistan, last week’s raid was revealed today by the New York Times.

The seizure has raised big questions about whether the Pakistani government knew of Baradar’s whereabouts all along.

Zeina Khodr of Al Jazeera English has more on the Afghan reaction to this major development.

Will the capture of the Afghan Taliban military chief make life any easier for U.S. troops there?

Tell us what you think in the comments section below. Please be respectful and on-point. Malicious or offensive comments will be deleted, and repeat offenders will be banned.