FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Aug. 16 -- The Cruise Lines International Association issued the following news release: Is a shore excursion reason enough to take a cruise? In order to continually provide new experiences for the large number of cruisers who keep coming back for more, and, equally important, to capture the attention of those who have never cruised before, the members of Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) are doing everything they can to make the answer to that question "Yes  more

MOAMBA, Mozambique, Aug. 16 -- The U.S. Marine Corps issued the following official news story: A sea of brightly colored headdresses and scarves gives way to a dim sense of reality; Mozambique still has one of the highest child mortality rates in the world. For most U.S. service members who work with the medical civil assistance program that is part of Exercise Shared Accord 2010, the mortality rate is a shocking truth of life in a country where the fear of AIDS and malaria far outweigh th  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 16 -- Human Rights Watch issued the following news release: The landmark ruling on August 16, 2010, by Mexico's Supreme Court recognizing the right of same-sex couples to adopt children in Mexico City upholds the core principle of equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in all aspects of their lives, including family life, Human Rights Watch said today. Mexico's high court voted 9-2 to guarantee adoption for these couples. Last week it decided in  more

MOAMBA, Mozambique, Aug. 15 -- The U.S. Marine Corps issued the following official news story: "Excellencies, allow me to present the closing ceremony of Exercise Shared Accord 2010, and thank you for your presence." With these words, Maj. Gen. Graca Tomas Chongo, commander of the Armed Forces for the Defense of Mozambique (FADM) Army, began the ending ceremony of the first large-scale bi-lateral exercise between the Republic of Mozambique and the U.S., Aug. 13. Shared Accord 2010 saw a ta  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 16 -- The National Endowment for the Humanities issued the following news release: The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) announced today the first in a series of Bridging Cultures grants, awarding a total of $1.7 million that will enable humanities experts to launch public discussions addressing two pressing concerns: the role of civility in democracy and the understanding of Muslim contributions to world cultures. Eight cultural and educational institutions arou  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 16 -- Agricultural Cooperative Development International issued the following news release: Microfinance practitioners in Southern Sudan recently challenged donors and other industry stakeholders to help them reach more borrowers by focusing on two basics: building capacity and listening to clients. "The smallest adjustment to a loan product can sometimes transform a product utilized by a few hundred borrowers to one that benefits thousands," says MicroSave Africa Director  more

NEW YORK, Aug. 16 -- The Falun Dafa Information Center issued the following news release: The U.S. Department of Justice filed a consent decree on Thursday acknowledging that a Chinese restaurant in Flushing had acted inappropriately when refusing to serve Falun Gong practitioners in 2008 and that the restaurant will take various actions to prevent future discrimination. The decision represents an important precedent in resisting Chinese Communist Party (CCP) efforts to extend the persecution  more

NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug. 16 -- The United Nations Environmental Programme issued the following news release: The United Nations is launching the Decade for Deserts and the Fight against Desertification (2010-2020) today, an 11-year long effort to raise awareness and action to improve the protection and management of the world's drylands, home to a third of the world's population and which face serious economic and environmental threats. "Continued land degradation - whether from climate chang  more

FARMINGTON, N.M., Aug. 16 -- San Juan College issued the following news release: Immerse yourself in a World Music class at San Juan College. Taught by Dr. Keith Cochrane, SJC professor of music, the class provides students with a concrete grasp of the rich diversity of music by highlighting the social and musical aspects of a variety of cultures. Students will study music of India, China, Japan, Indonesia, Africa, Latin America, as well as that created by Native Americans. The class begin  more