Interpress Service articles from April 2007

Interpress Service archives from April 2007

U.S./IRAQ: SECTARIAN VIOLENCE UNDERMINES U.S. 'SURGE' POLICY.
April 2, 2007... Analysis by Jim Lobe WASHINGTON, Apr. 1, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The Bush administration's barely-coherent set of Middle East policies took some serious hits this past week, as sectarian violence surged through Iraq. Having abandoned its...

PHILIPPINES: GRIEVING MOTHER SEEKS TO END EXTRAJUDICIAL KILLINGS.
April 2, 2007... by Stella Gonzales MANILA, Philippines, Apr. 1, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Five years ago, Evangeline Hernandez was just an ordinary mother living on the southern island of Mindanao. But her simple life was shattered when militiamen allegedly...

SOUTH AFRICA: CORN-BASED BIOFUELS MAY CAUSE FOOD SHORTAGE.
April 2, 2007... by Moyiga Nduru JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, Mar. 31, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- South Africa has joined the race to find alternative sources of energy, aiming to replace 75 percent of its energy consumption with biofuels. The government...

ENERGY: BRAZIL AIMS TO DOMINATE GLOBAL ETHANOL MARKET.
April 2, 2007... by Mario Osava / Tierramrica* RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, Mar. 31, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Brazil is striving to multiply its ethanol production by 12 in less than two decades without damaging forests and protected areas or reducing food production....

RUSSIA: FOREIGN VENDORS KICKED OUT OF BAZAARS.
April 2, 2007... by Kester Kenn Klomegah MOSCOW, Mar. 31, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Immigrants in Russia are no longer permitted to work in retail and food markets, under a ban starting Sunday, April 1. The vendors affected by the ban are mostly from former...

TRADE-MALAWI: SINKING TOBACCO PRICES HURT LOCAL ECONOMY.
April 2, 2007... by Pilirani Semu-Banda BLANTYRE, Malawi, Mar. 31, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Pressure from the anti-smoking lobby and a general downturn in agricultural markets have caused tobacco prices to drop, causing serious problems in Malawi, where 80...

INDIA: COURT RULES AGAINST AFFIRMATIVE ACTION FOR LOW CASTES.
April 2, 2007... by Praful Bidwai NEW DELHI, Mar. 31, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- A ruling by India's Supreme Court on Thursday foiled the government's plan to promote affirmative action in federal institutions of higher learning. In 2006 an act of parliament...

TURKEY: RISING ELITE SEEKS EASTERN ALLIES.
April 2, 2007... Analysis by John Feffer WASHINGTON, Mar. 31, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Pulled East by Russian energy, turmoil in the Middle East and its ties to Islam, Turkey has begun strengthening its relations with Russia, Iran, Central Asia, and Syria. ...

ARGENTINA: KIRCHNER GRIPS FALKLANDS AND THEIR HISTORY.
April 2, 2007... by Marcela Valente BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, Mar. 30, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The Argentine government has approved an investigation into crimes allegedly committed by Argentine military personnel against their own troops during the 1982 war over...

BRAZIL: YOUTH SUFFER MOST FROM MURDER AND UNEMPLOYMENT.
April 2, 2007... by Mario Osava RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, Mar. 30, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Young people in Brazil face high rates of unemployment and are often sucked into a spiral of violence, despite the 45 different government programs that exist to help them....

ZIMBABWE: DESPITE ABUSES, SUPPORT GROWS FOR MUGABE.
April 2, 2007... by Moyiga Nduru JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, Mar. 30, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front endorsed President Robert Mugabe as its presidential candidate for 2008 elections, dashing international...

ST. LUCIA: DELEGATION FROM TAIWAN STRAINS RELATIONS WITH CHINA.
April 2, 2007... by Peter Ischyrion CASTRIES, St. Lucia, Mar. 30, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The Caribbean nation of St. Lucia strained its relations with China last weekend by hosting a delegation of diplomats from Taiwan. St. Lucia's government says it...

U.S./IRAN: DISPUTE OVER MARINES EMBROILED IN DUEL FOR LEVERAGE.
April 2, 2007... Analysis by Trita Parsi* WASHINGTON, Mar. 30, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The dispute over Iran's seizure of British sailors is becoming increasingly embroiled in a larger geopolitical chess game as Iran uses the incident to regain leverage over the...

PORTUGAL: TV POLL NAMES FORMER DICTATOR 'GREATEST PORTGUESE'.
April 2, 2007... by Mario de Queiroz LISBON, Portugal, Mar. 30, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- News media and academic circles in Portugal are competing to explain why the television-watching public named former dictator Antonio de Oliveira Salazar "The Greatest...

THAILAND: JUNTA MAY CURTAIL PROTESTS AS ELECTION APPROACHES.
April 2, 2007... by Marwaan Macan-Markar BANGKOK, Thailand, Mar. 30, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Thailand's military-appointed government has set a date for the country's next parliamentary elections, but its junta chief is threatening to sour this democratic step...

HUNGARY: CITIZENS GROUPS OPPOSE NATO RADAR STATION.
April 3, 2007... by Zolt n Dujisin BUDAPEST, Hungary, Apr. 2, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Hungarian activists are mounting a fierce campaign against their government's plan to build a NATO radar station, but municipal representatives are nevertheless yielding under...

UAE: SOUTH ASIANS FUEL REAL-ESTATE BOOM IN NORTHERN EMIRATES.
April 3, 2007... by Peyman Pejman DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Apr. 2, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Indians, Pakistanis and several other Asian groups are investing heavily in the northern emirates of this tiny Gulf state, spending millions of dollars in real estate....

INDONESIA: BAN PRESSURES SINGAPORE TO SIGN EXTRADITION TREATY.
April 3, 2007... by Rudy Parawisto JAKARTA, Indonesia, Apr. 2, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- A ban on exporting sand has become Indonesia's latest diplomatic weapon against Singapore, which recently refused to sign an extradition treaty that would force corrupt...

SRI LANKA: AGEING POPULATION WILL BURDEN ECONOMY IN 25 YEARS.
April 3, 2007... by Feizal Samath COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Apr. 3, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Demographers in Sri Lanka say the country has only 25 years to strengthen its workforce with younger workers before the economy becomes burdened by an ageing population. ...

TRADE: STARBUCKS DELAYS ETHIOPIAN BID TO TRADEMARK COFFEE.
April 3, 2007... by Tarjei Kidd Olsen OSLO, Norway, Apr. 3, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Ethiopia has received approval from the EU, Canada and Japan to trademark its coffee, but it is facing a tough battle in the U.S. due to opposition from Starbucks. If...

POLITICS-MIDEAST: U.S. AND SAUDI LEADERS SEEK TO ENGAGE SYRIA.
April 3, 2007... Analysis by Khody Akhavi WASHINGTON, Apr. 2, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Last week when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced her plan to meet with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad in Damascus, the White House called the trip "a really bad idea." ...

KOREA/U.S.: LEADERS SIGN LARGEST FREE-TRADE DEAL SINCE NAFTA.
April 3, 2007... by Emad Mekay WASHINGTON, Apr. 2, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Proponents of a new free-trade deal brokered between the U.S and the Republic of Korea say the pact could create economic opportunities, but critics say it is likely to impoverish Korean...

CHAD: FORESTS DIE AS FAMILIES RESIST SWITCH FROM WOOD TO GAS.
April 3, 2007... by Michal Didama N'DJAMENA, Chad, Apr. 2, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Residents of Chad could slow deforestation by burning butane gas instead of wood, but many families believe the gas, though affordable, is too dangerous to use. "I have...

U.S.: SUPREME COURT SAYS EPA CAN REGULATE GREENHOUSE GASES.
April 3, 2007... by Jim Lobe WASHINGTON, Apr. 2, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- In a decision hailed by environmental activists as a milestone in the fight to curb global warming, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that the federal Environmental Protection Agency has...

BRAZIL/U.S.: ENVIRONMENTALISTS DECRY ETHANOL ALLIANCE.
April 3, 2007... Analysis by Mario Osava RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, Apr. 2, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Brazilian President Luiz In cio Lula da Silva has bound himself to George W. Bush in an ethanol-based alliance that will have global effects on economics,...

MEDIA: AL-JAZEERA NAMED AN AGENT OF DEMOCRACY, NOT TERRORISM.
April 3, 2007... by Dahr Jamail DOHA, Qatar, Apr. 2, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The al-Jazeera television network is gaining international respect for defending its journalistic mission and press freedoms, despite harassment from U.S. officials who call it a...

ARGENTINA: FLOODING CONFIRMS VULNERABILITY TO CLIMATE CHANGE.
April 3, 2007... by Marcela Valente BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, Apr. 2, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Unusually heavy rainfall in eastern Argentina has killed 12 and displaced tens of thousands more, highlighting the vulnerability of this region to the effects of climate...

PERU: GOVERNMENT BREAKS ITS PROMISE NOT TO DESTROY COCA CROPS.
April 3, 2007... by Milagros Salazar LIMA, Peru, Apr. 2, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Resistance among coca producers is growing as Peru's government increasingly resorts to the forced destruction of crops in its efforts to suppress drug production. Leaders of...

NORTHERN IRELAND: RIVALS SKETCH A BLUEPRINT FOR PEACE.
April 3, 2007... Analysis by Sanjay Suri LONDON, Apr. 2, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Cameras were clicking and flashing as leaders from Northern Ireland's competing parties sat down at the same table to discuss ways to resolve their conflicts and share power. ...

ARTS-BRAZIL: STATE BANK HOSTS GRAFFITI EXHIBIT.
April 3, 2007... by Mario Osava RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, Apr. 2, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Chico realized that his drawings on the walls of Rio de Janeiro were an art form when, at age 18, he read an article about graffiti pioneers in this Brazilian city. ...

POLITICS-U.S.: PUBLIC TRUST IN U.S. FOREIGN POLICY PLUMMETS.
April 4, 2007... by Jim Lobe WASHINGTON, Apr. 4, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- A poll released Tuesday suggests that the United States is moving toward a "full-blown crisis of public confidence" in the Iraq war and in President George W. Bush's overall approach to...

SRI LANKA: AMNESTY USES CRICKET GAMES TO PROTEST RIGHTS ABUSES.
April 4, 2007... by Amantha Perera COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Apr. 4, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Amnesty International is using a publicity stunt at the cricket World Cup series in the West Indies to raise awareness about Sri Lanka's brutal civil war. Every time Sri...

MIDDLE EAST: ARABS URGE ISRAEL TO ACCEPT LAND-FOR-PEACE DEAL.
April 4, 2007... by Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS, Apr. 3, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Leaders from the League of Arab States are urging Israel to resolve its conflicts with Palestine by reviving a "land-for-peace" deal crafted in 2002 At the 21-member league's...

UKRAINE: YUSHCHENKO AND PARLIAMENT JOCKEY FOR POWER.
April 4, 2007... by Zolt n Dujisin BUDAPEST, Hungary, Apr. 3, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Ukraine is in a deep political crisis -- first its president disbanded Parliament, and then the legislative branch threatened to plan a coup. The question now is whether the...

DEVELOPMENT: MAJOR DONORS CUT ASSISTANCE TO POOR COUNTRIES.
April 4, 2007... by Mattias Creffier PARIS, Apr. 3, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Official development assistance from the world's major donors fell 5.1 percent in 2006 compared to 2005, according to a report released Tuesday by the Organization of Economic...

ARGENTINA: SOFTWARE INDUSTRY EXPANDS, CREATING JOBS.
April 4, 2007... by Marcela Valente BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, Apr. 3, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The Argentine government is pinning its hopes on software production and informational technology as industries that may absorb the country's unemployed workers. ...

MEXICO: LAND-LOCKED CAPITAL BUILDS FAKE BEACHES.
April 4, 2007... by Diego Cevallos MEXICO CITY, Mexico, Apr. 3, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Crowds of people flocked to the Mexican capital's first artificial beach Tuesday -- a stretch of bright white sand studded with palm trees and beach chairs, surrounded by a...

SPAIN: MADRID'S ARCHBISHOP PUNISHES 'PRIESTS OF THE POOR'.
April 4, 2007... by Tito Drago MADRID, Spain, Apr. 3, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The archbishop of Madrid announced Monday that he will punish three priests who are known for reaching out to the poor, immigrants, drug addicts and other marginalized people. The...

NORTH AMERICA: COMMISSION STUDIES ECO-FRIENDLY HOUSING.
April 4, 2007... by Diego Cevallos* MEXICO CITY, Mexico, Apr. 3, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- They may feel like "home sweet home," but the buildings where we live and work are poisoning the environment and accelerating global warming. In North America, 11 to 30...

SENEGAL: ENVIRONMENTALISTS RENEW FIGHT AGAINST DEFORESTATION.
April 4, 2007... by Miche Boko COTONOU, Benin, Apr. 3, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Deforestation has become an acute problem in Senegal, where the population has quadrupled in 47 years, taxing the land's capacity to supply enough firewood and farmland. At the...

CUBA: ISLAND BUILDS WIND FARMS TO REDUCE OIL DEPENDENCE.
April 4, 2007... by Patricia Grogg HAVANA, Apr. 3, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Wind power is becoming an increasingly important energy source in Cuba, and may eventually become the country's second-most vital electricity source, according to the island's energy...

AFGHANISTAN: INDEPENDENT MEDIA GROUPS STRUGGLE TO SURVIVE.
April 4, 2007... by Ann Ninan KABUL, Afghanistan, Apr. 3, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Journalists and politicians pledged to help repair war-torn Afghanistan at a forum on the country's media landscape March 28-29 in Kabul. The forum, called "Media is...

RIGHTS-U.S.: SUPREME COURT DECLINES TO RULE ON GITMO DETAINEES.
April 4, 2007... by William Fisher NEW YORK, Apr. 3, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Human rights groups are furious about the Supreme Court's decision not to hear the cases of detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, until the prisoners have exhausted all other legal...

PAKISTAN: SECURITY CONCERNS COMPEL AFGHAN REFUGEES TO STAY.
April 4, 2007... by Ashfaq Yusufzai PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Apr. 3, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- "Lack of security in Afghanistan is the main obstacle standing in the way of our going back," said an Afghan vegetable-seller, straddling a muddy narrow lane in Kacha Garhi,...

AUSTRALIA: PUBLIC SAYS AID ALLOCATIONS SHOULD BE ALTRUISTIC.
April 5, 2007... by Neena Bhandari SYDNEY, Australia, Apr. 5, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Most Australians wish their government would allocate foreign aid to alleviate world poverty, but a majority of the country's leaders approach aid as a tool for advancing...

IRAN: RELEASE OF BRITISH MARINES OFFERS A LESSON IN DIPLOMACY.
April 5, 2007... Analysis by Jim Lobe WASHINGTON, Apr. 5, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The drama surrounding the release of 15 British sailors and marines after 12 days in Iranian captivity was designed to convey two key messages that the administration of U.S....

AFGHANISTAN: PRESS GROUPS ASK TALIBAN TO RELEASE JOURNALIST.
April 5, 2007... by Ricardo Grassi KABUL, Afghanistan, Apr. 4, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Afghan and Italian press associations issued an appeal Wednesday, asking the Islamic Taliban movement to release Afghan journalist Ajmal Naqshbandi, who was kidnapped on March...

U.S.: NEOCONS PUSH FOR DIVESTMENT FROM 'TERRORIST STATES'.
April 5, 2007... by Khody Akhavi WASHINGTON, Apr. 4, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- State lawmakers are increasingly calling for divestment from companies that do business with Iran and other countries deemed "state sponsors of terrorism" by the State Department. ...

CUBA/SPAIN: FOREIGN MINISTERS AGREE TO DISCUSS HUMAN RIGHTS.
April 5, 2007... by Dalia Acosta HAVANA, Apr. 4, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Diplomatic relations between Cuba and Spain became decidedly cordial this week, as the countries' foreign ministers renewed a bilateral cooperation agreement and pledged to discuss...

U.N.: WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION CALLS FOR GLOBAL COOPERATION.
April 5, 2007... by Mithre J. Sandrasagra UNITED NATIONS, Apr. 4, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Climate change, HIV/AIDS and bioterrorism are just a few of the threats to global health that international experts are discussing as World Health Day approaches this...

CANADA: ACTIVISTS PROTEST HUNTERS' PLAN TO KILL 270,000 SEALS.
April 5, 2007... by Am Johal VANCOUVER, Canada, Apr. 4, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The Canadian seal hunt began again in earnest this week despite protests in Canada, the United States and Europe. It has become a fashionable cause celebre in recent years among...

EAST TIMOR: TENSIONS RISE AS ELECTION APPROACHES.
April 5, 2007... by Mario de Queiroz LISBON, Portugal, Apr. 4, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Tensions surrounding East Timor's upcoming election erupted into violence on the island Wednesday, as supporters of rival presidential candidates threw rocks at each other,...

ENVIRONMENT: CLIMATE CHANGE DECIMATES BIODIVERSITY.
April 5, 2007... by Julio Godoy* BERLIN, Apr. 4, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Thousands of plant and animal species are disappearing every month due to global warming, according to environmentalists, and the world's most industrialized countries are finally starting...

Q&A: COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT SUPPORTS CONSERVATION IN BENIN.
April 5, 2007... by Miche Boko COTONOU, Benin, Apr. 4, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Soil degradation and deforestation are problems in Benin, where the over-exploitation of forests is already taking a toll. For the last five years an initiative called Benin's...

TRADE: EU OFFERS DEAL TO AFRICA, CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC.
April 5, 2007... by David Cronin BRUSSELS, Belgium, Apr. 4, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The European Union sweetened its free-trade offer to African, Caribbean and Pacific countries Wednesday by offering to open its markets to virtually all of their agricultural...

CUBA: GOVERNMENT AIMS TO TIGHTEN WORKPLACE DISCIPLINE.
April 5, 2007... by Dalia Acosta HAVANA, Apr. 4, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Antonio Lcentspez supplements the meager income he earns at a government machine-repair shop by using the shop's tools to do his own moonlighting jobs on the weekends. Such survival...

THAILAND: SUPPORTERS OF DEPOSED LEADER RALLY AGAINST JUNTA.
April 5, 2007... by Ron Corben BANGKOK, Thailand, Apr. 4, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Supporters of deposed leader Thaksin Shinawatra have been gathering to protest the news blackout that they say has plagued Thailand since its military-installed government took...

U.N.: ITALY CAMPAIGNS FOR MORATORIUM ON CAPITAL PUNISHMENT.
April 6, 2007... By Ernst-Jan Pfauth UNITED NATIONS, Apr. 6, 2007 (IPS/GIN) - Italian diplomats at the U.N. are rallying support for a worldwide moratorium on executions, but they have yet to win the votes necessary to push the resolution through the...

SOUTHERN AFRICA: WORKERS RESORT TO INFORMAL LABOR.
April 6, 2007... Analysis by Christi van der Westhuizen CAPE TOWN, South Africa, Apr. 6, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Informal work is insecure and pays little, but it has become the primary means by which most Southern Africans earn a living. The situation in...

ARGENTINA: UNIONS CALL FOR NATIONWIDE TEACHERS STRIKE.
April 6, 2007... by Marcela Valente BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, Apr. 5, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- A violent police crackdown on a teachers protest in the southwestern Argentine province of Neuqun left one teacher in a coma and prompted unions to schedule a nationwide...

POLITICS-U.S.: WOLFOWITZ ACCUSED OF NEPOTISM AT WORLD BANK.
April 6, 2007... by Emad Mekay WASHINGTON, Apr. 5, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The girlfriend of World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz received unusually high pay raises without approval from the Bank's Ethics Committee, according to information leaked by a watchdog...

U.N.: POLL SHOWS BROAD SUPPORT FOR U.N. ACTION AGAINST GENOCIDE.
April 6, 2007... by Jim Lobe WASHINGTON, Apr. 5, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The heads of the world's governments endorsed "humanitarian intervention" by the United Nations against genocide less than two years ago. A survey released Thursday shows that the global...

CLIMATE CHANGE: WARMING WILL TURN SOUTHWEST INTO DUST BOWL.
April 6, 2007... by Stephen Leahy BROOKLIN, Canada, Apr. 5, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The severe 7-year drought in the Southwestern United States foreshadows an even drier climate that global warming is about to bring to the region, scientists say. The...

HEALTH-U.S.: DRUG COMPANIES PROFIT AS NUMBER OF UNINSURED RISES.
April 6, 2007... by Adrianne Appel BOSTON, Mass., Apr. 5, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The U.S. is entering a national health crisis, with an estimated 46 million people unable to afford health insurance. As World Health Day approaches, experts are turning a...

POLITICS-U.S.: BUSH'S THREATS TO IRAN WERE COVER FOR DIRECT TALKS.
April 6, 2007... Analysis by Gareth Porter* WASHINGTON, Apr. 5, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Early this year the White House seemed set to launch an aggressive new phase of Middle East policy, but it now appears that the Bush administration's threats were all about...

IRAQ: HEALTH SYSTEM CRUMBLES AS DOCTORS FLEE.
April 6, 2007... by Ali al-Fadhily* BAGHDAD, Iraq, Apr. 5, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Iraqi's health-care system is deteriorating as doctors flee the war-torn country, and medicine supplies run out. "Iraq was known to [have] the best in health care in the...

CZECH REPUBLIC: LEADER CRITICIZED FOR RACIST TREATMENT OF ROMA.
April 6, 2007... by Zolt n Dujisin BUDAPEST, Hungary, Apr. 5, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The Czech Republic is still buzzing with displeasure over racist statements that Deputy Prime Minister Jiri Cunek made about Roma people last week. Opponents of the local...

POLITICS-U.S.: CIVILIAN COURT SIDES WITH CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTOR.
April 6, 2007... by Aaron Glantz SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Apr. 5, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Robert Zabala joined the Marine Corps thinking it would be a "place where he could find security" after the death of his grandmother in 2003. But when he began boot camp...

RIGHTS-IRAN: JOURNALIST IMPRISONED AFTER SECRET TRIAL.
April 6, 2007... by Omid Memarian* OAKLAND, Calif., Apr. 5, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The Iranian government has sentenced yet another prominent journalist, Ali Farahbakhsh, to three years in jail and burdened him with a huge fine, partly due to a typo in the...

EGYPT: ANALYSTS SAY MUBARAK'S REFERENDUM VOTE WAS RIGGED.
April 6, 2007... by Adam Morrow and Khaled Moussa al-Omrani CAIRO, Egypt, Apr. 5, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- In a victory for the ruling National Democratic Party of President Hosni Mubarak, amendments to 34 articles of the constitution were approved last week in a...

SUDAN: RIGHTS GROUPS ASK EU FOR SANCTIONS, NOT EMPTY THREATS.
April 6, 2007... by David Cronin BRUSSELS, Apr. 5, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The humanitarian crisis in Darfur is not improving, and rights advocates say it's time for the European Union to act on its threats to punish perpetrators in Sudan. Each month this...

TRINIDAD: ACTIVISTS VOW TO BLOCK BUILDING OF SMELTER PLANT.
April 6, 2007... by Peter Ischyrion PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, Apr. 5, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Activists have pledged to challenge the legality of their government's decision this week to allow the construction of an aluminum smelter plant in Trinidad. "We...

CUBA: STRAY DOGS MULTIPLY DESPITE EFFORTS OF ACTIVISTS.
April 6, 2007... by Dalia Acosta/Tierramrica* HAVANA, Apr. 5, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- More than 20,000 stray dogs can be found on the streets of Cuban cities, their lives threatened by traffic and attacks from humans and other dogs. According to the World...

RIGHTS-U.S./IRAQ: AMERICAN DETAINEE SUES RUMSFELD FOR TORTURE.
April 6, 2007... by David Phinney* WASHINGTON, Apr. 5, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- A year ago Donald Vance learned what it's like to be falsely accused of aiding terrorists by the U.S. military. Deprived of legal counsel, Vance was held without charge for more...

CHILE: ACTIVISTS SAY CHAUVINISM IS FUELING CRITICISM OF BACHELET.
April 6, 2007... by Daniela Estrada SANTIAGO, Chile, Apr. 5, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Male chauvinist critics are unfairly condemning Chilean President Michelle Bachelet for factors beyond her control, according to the country's women's organizations. Since...

PAKISTAN: PARENTS RESIST POLIO VACCINATION CAMPAIGN.
April 9, 2007... by Zofeen Ebrahim KARACHI, Pakistan, Apr. 6, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Parents of babies and toddlers often greet Pakistan's polio vaccination brigades with skepticism, distrust and resistance, slowing down nationwide efforts to eradicate the...

SINGAPORE: ISLAND STRIVES TO BECOME 'ART HUB OF ASIA'.
April 9, 2007... by A.D. McKenzie SINGAPORE, Apr. 6, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Music festivals. International art shows. Ballet under the stars. Literary readings. Fashion galas. No, we are not talking about New York, London or Paris -- we're talking about...

INDIA: GOVERNMENT IMPOSES LIMITS ON 'SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONES'.
April 9, 2007... by Paranjoy Guha Thakurta NEW DELHI, India, Apr. 6, 2007 (IPS/GIN) - The Indian government acted Thursday to drastically limit the size and uses of its special economic zones, which are meant to attract foreign direct investments and...

SOMALIA: BLOODY CLASHES DAMPEN HOPES FOR RECONCILIATION.
April 9, 2007... by Joyce Mulama NAIROBI, Apr. 5, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Prospects for Somalia's upcoming conference on national reconciliation appeared increasingly dim this week, as violent clashes tore through its capital, Mogadishu. Hundreds were...

PERU: FUJIMORI DENIES KNOWLEDGE OF MILITARY ABUSES.
April 9, 2007... by Angel P ez LIMA, Apr. 5, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori is trying to convince the Chilean Supreme Court of Justice that he knew nothing about the massacres that took place in Peru during his regime. ...

EGYPT: CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS WEAKEN CIVIL RIGHTS.
April 9, 2007... by Adam Morrow and Khaled Moussa al-Omrani CAIRO, Egypt, Apr. 9, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Recent amendments to 34 articles of Egypt's constitution makes the country into a "police state," weakening the civil rights of its citizens, opposition...

AFGHANISTAN: TALIBAN EXECUTES COLLEAGUE OF ITALIAN JOURNALIST.
April 9, 2007... by Daud Khan and Samad Rohani* KABUL, Afghanistan, Apr. 9, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- A young Afghan journalist was killed by the Taliban 48 hours ahead of the deadline for negotiations issued to the government. Ajmal Naqshbandi was executed at...

SYRIA: IRAQIS SCRAPE BY AS REFUGEES IN DAMASCUS.
April 9, 2007... by Dahr Jamail DAMASCUS, Syria, Apr. 9, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Salim Hamad, 33, of Baghdad glances at the sprawling buildings of the Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus and sees business. He has set up a small tea shop at the camp. "I left...

PAKISTAN: FEMALE SCHOLARS THREATEN TO ENFORCE ISLAMIC LAW.
April 9, 2007... by Zofeen Ebrahim KARACHI, Pakistan, Apr. 9, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf appears curiously paralyzed by roving bands of the "burqa brigade" -- a group of veiled female religious scholars armed with sticks...