Interpress Service articles from April 2008

Interpress Service archives from April 2008

IRAQ: OFFENSIVE AGAINST SADR'S MILITIAMEN LEAVES 488 DEAD.
April 1, 2008... Analysis by Khody Akhavi WASHINGTON, Apr. 1, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The military offensive waged by the U.S.-supported government of Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki last week was a palpable reminder that the "situation in Iraq" has not...

SYRIA: HEEDING U.S. ADVICE, CAIRO AND RIYADH SNUB ARAB SUMMIT.
April 1, 2008... Analysis by Adam Morrow and Khaled Moussa al-Omrani CAIRO, Egypt, Apr. 1, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Poor attendance at the 20th Arab League summit this week in Damascus highlighted Syria's isolation within the otherwise U.S.-dominated Arab fold,...

U.N.: NORWEGIAN DIPLOMAT BECOMES 'SUPER ENVOY' TO AFGHANISTAN.
April 1, 2008... By Tarjei Kidd Olsen OSLO, Norway, Apr. 1, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The U.N. has given Norwegian diplomat Kai Eide an ambitious new mandate to coordinate the international community's much criticized military and civilian efforts in Afghanistan....

ICELAND: PERMIT DISPUTE DELAYS APPROVAL OF ALUMINUM PLANT.
April 1, 2008... By Lowana Veal REYKJAVIK, Iceland, Apr. 1, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- A controversy has broken out in Iceland over the construction of an aluminum plant in Helguvik, despite the fact that the plant is designed to use ecological geothermal energy...

SERBIA: PROSECUTOR INVESTIGATES ALBANIAN ORGAN TRAFFICKING.
April 1, 2008... By Vesna Peric Zimonjic BELGRADE, Serbia, Apr. 1, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The circulation of excerpts from a book on war crimes has led Serbia's War Crimes Prosecution Office to open an investigation into the case of hundreds of Serbs who...

NATO: AUSTRALIA MAY ASK FOR MORE SAY OVER WAR IN AFGHANISTAN.
April 1, 2008... By Stephen de Tarczynski MELBOURNE, Australia, Apr. 1, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- As the largest non-NATO contributor to the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, Australia will likely make its own demands at this week's crucial...

JAMAICA-POLL: PUBLIC OVERWHELMINGLY SUPPORTS DEATH PENALTY.
April 1, 2008... By Peter Ischyrion PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, Mar. 31, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Nearly half of all Jamaicans see the execution of a few innocent people as a regrettable but acceptable consequence of hanging convicts, according to a recent death...

PERU: NEW EVIDENCE SHOWS FUJIMORI REWARDED DEATH SQUAD.
April 1, 2008... By ngel P ez LIMA, Peru, Mar. 31, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori personally rewarded the leaders of a secret army intelligence service squad for the kidnap and murder of 25 civilians in 1991 and 1992,...

IRAQ: BUSH ADMINISTRATION SEEKS TO DISOWN BASRA OPERATION.
April 1, 2008... Analysis by Gareth Porter* WASHINGTON, Mar. 31, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The George W. Bush administration began to claim in off-the-record statements to journalists last week that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki had launched "Operation Knights...

VENEZUELA: LATIN AMERICAN NEWSPAPER OWNERS CRITICIZE CH VEZ.
April 1, 2008... By Humberto M rquez CARACAS, Venezuela, Mar. 31, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The antagonistic relationship between Venezuela's commercial media and government overshadowed this year's midyear meeting of the Inter American Press Association, which...

Q&A-U.N.: AID DONORS HAVE RENEGED ON PROMISES TO AFGHANISTAN.
April 1, 2008... By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS, Mar. 31, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The international community has so far failed to make good on its promise to send billions of dollars to battle-scarred Afghanistan, where an ongoing military conflict has...

FIJI: PRIME MINISTER ENDURES FLAK FOR BACKING CHINA'S TIBET POLICY.
April 1, 2008... By Shailendra Singh SUVA, Fiji, Mar. 31, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Fiji's interim prime minister has been forced to defend his regime's support for China's mid-March crackdown on Tibetan protesters, following withering criticism from civil society...

BRAZIL: MIGRANTS INCREASINGLY CHOOSE SPAIN OVER PORTUGAL.
April 1, 2008... By Mario de Queiroz LISBON, Portugal, Mar. 31, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Portugal's economic crisis and extremely strict border policing are dissuading an increasing number of Brazilian migrants from moving to this country, with which they share...

ZIMBABWE: POLL RESULTS SHOW RULING PARTY TIED WITH OPPOSITION.
April 1, 2008... By Ephraim Nsingo* HARARE, Zimbabwe, Mar. 31, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- More than a day has passed since polling stations for Zimbabwe's general elections closed their doors, but complete official results for the ballot have yet to be released....

U.S.: TOYOTA GARNERS CRITICISM FOR OPPOSING FUEL STANDARDS.
April 1, 2008... By Haider Rizvi NEW YORK, Mar. 31, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Toyota, the world's largest automaker, is facing the wrath of corporate watchdogs and environmentalists for its constant opposition to legislative proposals aimed at increasing fuel...

SLOVAKIA: RULING COALITION REMAINS POPULAR DESPITE SCANDALS.
April 1, 2008... By Zolt n Dujisin PRAGUE, Czech Republic, Mar. 31, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Slovakia's left-wing government continues to survive media and opposition attacks over a series of corruption scandals, but the political fracas has not diminished the...

SYRIA: POOR ATTENDANCE AT ARAB SUMMIT ANGERS IRAQI REFUGEES.
April 1, 2008... By Maki al-Nazzal and Dahr Jamail* DAMASCUS, Syria, Mar. 31, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The absence of many Arab leaders at the Arab summit held in Damascus over the weekend has left many displaced Iraqis in Syria frustrated and disillusioned. ...

CHINA: TIBETAN PROTESTERS DISRUPT PASSAGE OF OLYMPIC TORCH.
April 1, 2008... Analysis by Antoaneta Bezlova BEIJING, Mar. 31, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- A heavily guarded welcome ceremony greeted the arrival of the Olympic flame in Beijing on Monday, following a weeklong torch relay that was frequently disrupted by...

MEDIA: U.S. COUP ATTEMPT AGAINST HAMAS FINALLY GETS ATTENTION.
April 2, 2008... Analysis by Adam Morrow and Khaled Moussa al-Omrani CAIRO, Egypt, Apr. 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- A recent article in Vanity Fair has ignited a debate about Washington's Middle East policies by describing a U.S.-planned coup attempt executed last...

BOSNIA: DEVELOPMENT BOOM FILLS CAPITAL WITH CARS, SKYSCRAPERS.
April 2, 2008... By Apostolis Fotiadis SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Apr. 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Close to 15 years after the siege of Sarajevo began, the city has recovered much of its past prosperity, but the wounds and memories of war are nevertheless...

IRAQ: CLASHES BELIE U.S. CLAIMS ABOUT SUCCESS OF TROOP SURGE.
April 2, 2008... By Ali al-Fadhily and Dahr Jamail* BAGHDAD, Iraq, Apr. 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Recent clashes between members of Muqtada al-Sadr's Mehdi Army, the largest militia in the country, and members of the Iraqi government forces have offered yet...

Q&A-UZBEKISTAN: OPPOSITION GROUP SEEKS TO END DICTATORIAL RULE.
April 2, 2008... By IPS correspondents MOSCOW, Apr. 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The strongest Uzbek opposition group, a force called the Birdamlik Harakati, has become a formidable power over the past few years, despite efforts by the government to eliminate it....

PAKISTAN: GILLANI PLEDGES TO IMPROVE HEALTH CARE, HOUSING, JOBS.
April 2, 2008... By Beena Sarwar KARACHI, Pakistan, Apr. 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Pakistan's new prime minister has announced what many are describing as a revolutionary agenda: A plan to lift the longstanding ban on student and trade unions, to raise minimum...

ASIA: RICE SHORTAGE MAY PUT MILLIONS AT RISK OF STARVATION.
April 2, 2008... By Larry Jagan BANGKOK, Thailand, Apr. 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Several Asian governments are taking steps to ensure that shortages of rice do not translate into social unrest and food riots on the continent, where rising rice prices are...

ARGENTINA: MEAT AND VEGETABLES ROT AS FARM STRIKE RAGES ON.
April 2, 2008... By Marcela Valente BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, Apr. 1, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Tons of tomatoes, carrots, bananas and oranges have rotted in trucks, due to the 20-day farm strike in Argentina, where farmers are blocking roads at 400 different...

SURVEY: GLOBAL PERCEPTIONS OF U.S. IMPROVED SLIGHTLY IN 2007.
April 2, 2008... By Jim Lobe WASHINGTON, Apr. 1, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Global perceptions of the United States as a positive influence in the world appear to have improved marginally during 2007, according to a survey of 23 countries released by the British...

CONGO: NGO BLASTS U.N. FOR FAILING TO RENEW EXPERT'S MANDATE.
April 2, 2008... By Michael Deibert KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo, Apr. 1, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- A leading human rights organization is lambasting the United Nations Human Rights Council for its recent decision not to renew the mandate of its...

CHILE: ROBERT KENNEDY JR. URGES BACHELET TO PROTECT PATAGONIA.
April 2, 2008... By Daniela Estrada SANTIAGO, Chile, Apr. 1, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Robert Kennedy Jr., a senior attorney for the U.S.-based Natural Resources Defense Council, met on Monday with Chilean President Michelle Bachelet in an attempt to prevent the...

NEPAL: POLICE THREATEN TO DEPORT TIBETAN PROTESTERS TO CHINA.
April 2, 2008... By Damakant Jayshi KATHMANDU, Nepal, Apr. 1, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The Nepali government has issued a statement reiterating its support for Beijing's "One China" policy, which recognizes Tibet and Taiwan as integral parts of China. On...

COLOMBIA: REARMED PARAMILITARIES TERRORIZE RIGHTS ACTIVISTS.
April 2, 2008... By Constanza Vieira BOGOTA, Colombia, Apr. 1, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- "If their slogan was land, dignity and peace, this time it will be terror, murder and hell," said a threat sent to human rights defenders who recently paid homage to the...

CLIMATE CHANGE: AVERAGE TEMPERATURE MAY RISE BY 6 DEGREES.
April 2, 2008... By Stephen Leahy* BROOKLIN, Canada, Apr. 1, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- To prevent Earth from heating past a potentially catastrophic tipping point, carbon dioxide emissions need to be completely eliminated soon, according to a study published in...

NICARAGUA: WATER POLLUTION INSPIRES BUILDING BAN IN CAPITAL.
April 2, 2008... By Jos Ad n Silva MANAGUA, Nicaragua, Apr. 1, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- A controversy is raging in Nicaragua over a ban on the construction of new housing units in Managua. The mayor pushed for the ban in hope of preserving the integrity of the...

THAILAND: CLIMATE CHANGE TALKS FOCUS ON EMISSIONS TARGETS.
April 2, 2008... By Marwaan Macan-Markar BANGKOK, Thailand, Apr. 1, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- More than 1,100 negotiators from 163 countries are working on a new pact to curb global warming in Thailand, where the Bangkok Climate Change Talks are taking place from...

MIDEAST: OLMERT HANGS ON TO POWER, DESPITE LACK OF APPROVAL.
April 3, 2008... Analysis by Peter Hirschberg JERUSALEM, Apr. 3, 2008 (IPS) -- Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert recently marked the second anniversary of his March 2006 electoral triumph, and he appears to have turned political survival into an art form....

EU: PARLIAMENTARIAN CALLS FOR MINIMUM ANTI-POVERTY DONATION.
April 3, 2008... By David Cronin BRUSSELS, Belgium, Apr. 3, 2008 (IPS) -- A left-wing German member of the European Parliament has called on the EU to mandate minimum levels of expenditure that member countries must make to address the issue of child...

MOROCCO: STALLED SAFETY BILL LEAVES CONSUMERS UNPROTECTED.
April 3, 2008... By Abderrahim El Ouali CASABLANCA, Morocco, Apr. 3, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Nongovernmental organizations in Morocco are stepping in to support consumers, trying to fill the gap left by the absence of a consumer protection law. Twenty-five...

SRI LANKA: RESETTLED CIVILIANS DEMAND BASIC FACILITIES.
April 3, 2008... By Amantha Perera BATTICALOA, Sri Lanka, Apr. 3, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- In the last year, Sri Lanka's eastern Batticaloa district has undergone two rounds of mass displacements, as hundreds of thousands of people have fled warfare between Tamil...

ZIMBABWE: OPPOSITION PARTY TAKES CONTROL OF LOWER HOUSE.
April 3, 2008... By Ephraim Nsingo HARARE, Zimbabwe, Apr. 3, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- "We are on the verge of either a proper transition or a failed transition," said Brian Kagoro, a leading commentator in Zimbabwe. "The MDC should now take a conciliatory...

ARGENTINA: STRIKING FARMERS DECLARE ONE-MONTH TRUCE.
April 3, 2008... By Marcela Valente BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, Apr. 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Thousands of farmers in Argentina Wednesday decided to call off their three-week farm strike, which has caused food shortages in cities across the country. While...

OLYMPICS: BUSH SHOULD CONSIDER BOYCOTTING OPENING, PELOSI SAYS.
April 3, 2008... By Arlene Chang NEW YORK, Apr. 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- China's hopes of conducting a noncontroversial Olympic Games in August received two more blows on Tuesday, due to statements made by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Amnesty...

U.S.: GORE LAUNCHES $300 MILLION ENVIRONMENTAL AD CAMPAIGN.
April 3, 2008... By Jim Lobe WASHINGTON, Apr. 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore launched a $300 million media campaign Wednesday in an attempt to mobilize the public to take concrete action to reduce global warming. Building on...

CHILE: BACHELET UNVEILS POLICY ON INDIGENOUS REPRESENTATION.
April 3, 2008... By Daniela Estrada SANTIAGO, Chile, Apr. 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Chilean President Michelle Bachelet has announced a new policy for indigenous people that takes a novel approach to native groups' political participation and the protection of...

U.N.: RISING FOOD COSTS HINDER PROGRESS ON DEVELOPMENT GOALS.
April 3, 2008... By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS, Apr. 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The U.N. is striving to reduce poverty, hunger, disease and illiteracy around the world by 2015, but a rash of new problems are threatening to cripple the ongoing effort in many...

U.S.: THEOLOGIANS DECRY MEDIA FRENZY OVER OBAMA'S PASTOR.
April 3, 2008... By William Fisher NEW YORK, Apr. 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Some prominent theologians from prestigious U.S. universities are criticizing the media's coverage of the controversy surrounding Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the former past of a church...

BOOKS: 'PSYCHOLOGY OF RISK' EXPLORES PUBLIC INACTION ON CLIMATE.
April 3, 2008... Analysis by Stephen Leahy* BROOKLIN, Canada, Apr. 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Rising levels of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere can be compared to a flooding river, swamping low areas at first but inevitably bursting its banks. A...

PERU: EXECUTIVE COUNCIL ESTABLISHES ENVIRONMENT MINISTRY.
April 3, 2008... By Milagros Salazar LIMA, Peru, Apr. 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The Peruvian government has announced that it will create an Environment Ministry by decree this week, without going through the process of a debate in civil society, Congress and...

MIDEAST: U.S. SOFTENS ITS STANCE TOWARD ENGAGEMENT WITH HAMAS.
April 3, 2008... By Khody Akhavi WASHINGTON, Apr. 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The upsurge in violence in Gaza over the last few months has underscored a stark reality on the ground: the repeated rocket attacks from militants in Gaza and the Israeli military...

ENVIRONMENT: REPORT URGES LEADERS TO CONSERVE OLD FORESTS.
April 4, 2008... By Neena Bhandari SYDNEY, Australia, Apr. 4, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Newly sensitized to the dangers of climate change, researchers around the world are seeking to protect old-growth forests, which are threatened by fires, urban development and...

AFGHANISTAN: NATO DECLINES TO DISCLOSE NEW SECURITY STRATEGY.
April 4, 2008... Analysis by Claudia Ciobanu BUCHAREST, Romania, Apr. 4, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The North Atlantic Treaty Organization has adopted an undisclosed "comprehensive" security strategy in Afghanistan, in an attempt to combine military and civilian...

CAMBODIA: PROPERTY BOOM LEADS TO EVICTIONS OF URBAN POOR.
April 4, 2008... By Andrew Nette PHNOM PENH, Cambodia, Apr. 4, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Police, government officials and a private company have been trying to evict a group of poor residents in the urban Cambodian community of Dei Krohome, according to resident...

COLOMBIA: FRANCE SENDS DOCTORS IN HOPE OF SAVING FARC HOSTAGE.
April 4, 2008... By Ana Carrigan* LONDON, Apr. 3, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- A European humanitarian mission landed in Bogot early Thursday morning, but it is still unclear whether FARC guerillas will allow the mission to provide emergency medical aid to their...

U.S.: TENSIONS BETWEEN KOREAS MAY DERAIL NUCLEAR DEAL.
April 4, 2008... By Jim Lobe WASHINGTON, Apr. 3, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Tensions between North Korea and the new, more hawkish South Korean government are growing, causing U.S. experts to worry that no more progress will be made toward the implementation of a...

U.S.: PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFULS SPAR OVER WARS IN IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN.
April 4, 2008... By Ali Gharib WASHINGTON, Apr. 3, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Last week's violent clashes in the Iraqi cities of Baghdad and Basra reverberated all the way to Washington, where the Iraq war was suddenly thrust back into the limelight. On Monday...

HEALTH: 'AIDS-FREE GENERATION IS POSSIBLE,' U.N. REPORT SAYS.
April 4, 2008... By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS, Apr. 3, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The United Nations is intensifying its worldwide efforts to help create a new generation of children who will be born free of HIV/AIDS, a disease that has particularly devastated...

ARGENTINA: NATION SHOULD EXPORT PROCESSED GOODS, REPORT SAYS.
April 4, 2008... By Marcela Valente BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, Apr. 3, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Argentina has made a robust economic recovery in the past five years, and it is now in the position to progress toward an economic model that adds value to raw materials...

EUROPE: DEFERRING TO GREECE, NATO BLOCKS ENTRY TO MACEDONIA.
April 4, 2008... Analysis by Claudia Ciobanu BUCHAREST, Romania, Apr. 3, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The United States has been pushing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to bring Croatia, Macedonia and Albania into the alliance this week, but NATO's...

BRAZIL: DEADLINE FOR BIOFUEL USE FUELS SOYBEAN PRODUCTION.
April 4, 2008... By Mario Osava RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, Apr. 3, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The Brazilian government has decided to move up the deadline for the obligatory addition of biofuels to gasoline and diesel fuel to the year 2010. The measure is sure to...

CLIMATE: ENCROACHING WAVES FORCE TUVALU TO RESETTLE FAMILIES.
April 4, 2008... By Marwaan Macan-Markar BANGKOK, Thailand, Apr. 3, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Rising sea levels are eating away at beaches and farmland in Tuvalu, and the island's residents are worried they may soon need to flee their homeland due to climate...

EAST TIMOR: SYMPATHETIC POLITICIANS PROTECT HORTA'S ASSAILANTS.
April 4, 2008... Analysis by Setyo Budi DILI, East Timor, Apr. 3, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- East Timor's parliament last week approved an extension of the country's classification as a "state under siege" for another 30 days, in the interest of capturing the...

U.S.: ECONOMIC WOES MAY LEAD PUBLIC TO ADDRESS CLIMATE CHANGE.
April 4, 2008... By Stephen Leahy* BROOKLIN, Canada, Apr. 3, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The looming U.S. recession may spur a stronger desire to stop climate change, according to Anthony Leiserowitz, director of the Yale Project on Climate Change at Yale...

SRI LANKA: GARMENT TRADERS FEAR EU MAY CUT DUTY CONCESSIONS.
April 8, 2008... By Feizal Samath COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Apr. 8, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Members of Sri Lanka's garment industry are worried that the duty-free access they enjoy to European markets will soon be cut as a result of alleged human rights violations...

IRAQ: SAHWA AND GOVERNMENT FORCES MAINTAIN FRAGILE TRUCE.
April 8, 2008... By Ahmed Ali and Dahr Jamail* BAQUBA, Iraq, Apr. 8, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- As violence continues in Baghdad and southern Iraq, it seems quiet on the surface in Baquba. But few believe the truce between the U.S.-backed Awakening Groups and the...

BALKANS: DECISION ON NATO MEMBERSHIP DIVIDES REGION.
April 8, 2008... Analysis by Vesna Peric Zimonjic BELGRADE, Serbia, Apr. 8, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Security issues in the Balkans came under the spotlight once again at the recent NATO summit, at which some nations from the region were invited to join the...

MALAYSAI: OPPOSITION PARTIES FORM FORMIDABLE COALITION.
April 8, 2008... Analysis by Baradan Kuppusamy KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Apr. 8, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Malaysia's opposition, led by the charismatic former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, has forged a formal coalition capable of taking on the ruling...

IRAN-SURVEY: PUBLIC SEES U.S. THREAT AS HAVING DIMINISHED.
April 8, 2008... By Jim Lobe WASHINGTON, Apr. 7, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The Iranian public is still distrustful of U.S. intentions, but many Iranians appear to believe that the threat posed by Washington has diminished over the past year. According to a...

CUBA: WRITERS AND ARTISTS UNION HOLDS DEBATE ON TABOO TOPICS.
April 8, 2008... By Dalia Acosta HAVANA, Apr. 7, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Topics that have been absent from Cuban media coverage and missing in the nation's political discourse were nevertheless discussed during this year's Seventh Congress of the Cuban Writers...

COLOMBIA: 56 PERCENT OF STUDENTS HAVE BEEN ROBBED IN BOGOT.
April 8, 2008... By Helda Mart nez BOGOTA, Colombia, Apr. 7, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- In a survey carried out in 807 public and private primary and secondary schools across the social spectrum in the Colombian capital, 56 percent of students said they had been...

U.S.: MANY LAWMAKERS HOLD STOCK IN PENTAGON CONTRACTORS.
April 8, 2008... By Abid Aslam WASHINGTON, Apr. 7, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- A review of U.S. lawmakers' financial accounts has revealed that they have a concrete financial interest in the military operations underway in Iraq and Afghanistan. Members of...

Q&A: CLIMATE CHANGE MAY INCREASE REACH OF DENGUE, MALARIA.
April 8, 2008... By Dar o Montero / Tierramrica MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay, Apr. 7, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Mirta Roses, director of the Pan-American Health Organization, said World Health Day is a good opportunity to "call attention to the fact that the survival of...

CARIBBEAN: PREMIERS AGREE TO COOPERATE ON REGIONAL SECURITY.
April 8, 2008... By Peter Ischyrion PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, Apr. 7, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Caribbean leaders met for two days behind closed doors and when they emerged on Saturday night, they had come to a unanimous decision that it is time to invest in new...

UGANDA: NGO URGES MEN TO SEE VALUE IN SMALLER FAMILIES.
April 8, 2008... By Kwamboka Oyaro NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr. 7, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Many Ugandan men believe that the number of their children is the measure of their virility and security, and this deeply rooted belief is causing the population of the East...

AFRICA: U.N. PEACE MISSIONS FALTER IN SUDAN AND SOMALIA.
April 8, 2008... By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS, Apr. 7, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The United Nations' proposed peacekeeping missions in Darfur and Somalia have been making little or no progress, despite desperate efforts to move the missions along. Since...

CUBA: FREEMASONS FOUND NATION'S FIRST TWO LODGES FOR WOMEN.
April 8, 2008... By Patricia Grogg HAVANA, Apr. 7, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- More than 30 women have become pioneers of female Freemasonry in Cuba, founding two lodges under the auspices of the Women's Grand Lodge of Chile. The Chilean lodge has agreed to...

EUROPE: NGOS WARN EU TO TREAD CAREFULLY IN EASTERN EUROPE.
April 8, 2008... By Zolt n Dujisin LJUBLJANA, Slovenia, Apr. 7, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The EU has promised to increase efforts to include civil society in its strategy to effect change in Serbia, Belarus and Russia, and NGOs are urging the bloc to adjust its...

SOUTH AFRICA: FOOD SECURITY SUMMIT ADDRESSES HIGH GRAIN PRICES.
April 8, 2008... By Stephen Leahy JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, Apr. 6, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Experts from around the world are presenting a new approach for ensuring food security this week at an intergovernmental plenary in Johannesburg, South Africa. The...

MIDEAST: ISRAELI LEADERS SEEK TO REOPEN PEACE TALKS WITH SYRIA.
April 8, 2008... Analysis by Peter Hirschberg JERUSALEM, Apr. 5, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Israeli leaders have again begun talking about renewing peace negotiations with Syria, but they are also keeping a wary eye on new deployments by the Syrian military. ...

AUSTRALIA: ABORIGINAL RADIO USES COUNTRY MUSIC TO STAY AFLOAT.
April 8, 2008... By Kalinga Seneviratne BRISBANE, Australia, Apr. 5, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- When the Brisbane Indigenous Media Association applied for a community radio license 15 years ago, it had to compete with a Christian group, which argued that it...

EUROPE: EU URGES NGOS TO SPEARHEAD REFORMS IN SOUTH AND EAST.
April 8, 2008... By Zolt n Dujisin LJUBLJANA, Slovenia, Apr. 4, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The EU wants to use civil society to promote pro-EU reforms in the governments of its southern and eastern European neighbors, and civic actors seem willing to play along....

ROMANIA: PUTIN, BUSH TRADE CONCILIATORY WORDS AT NATO SUMMIT.
April 8, 2008... Analysis by Claudia Ciobanu BUCHAREST, Romania, Apr. 4, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The North Atlantic Treaty Organization and Russia made little progress in settling their disputes during the NATO summit in Bucharest this week, but the two sides...

EU: COMMISSIONER SAYS BLOC IS 'CLOSER THAN EVER' TO ISRAEL.
April 8, 2008... By David Cronin BRUSSELS, Belgium, Apr. 4, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- A leading Brussels official described Israel as "closer to the European Union than ever before" this week, even though a new EU report has criticized the ongoing killing of...

CLIMATE-REPORT: FREE RIDERS MAY DERAIL ANTI-WARMING EFFORTS.
April 8, 2008... By Stephen Leahy* BROOKLIN, Canada, Apr. 4, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- A psychological study conducted in Germany has cast doubt on whether the global community will be able to work together and making enough sacrifices to avert the worst effects...

Q&A: AGRICULTURE SUMMIT ADDRESSES ISSUE OF CLIMATE CHANGE.
April 9, 2008... By Stephen Leahy JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, Apr. 9, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Representatives from civil society groups, governments and the private sector are meeting this week in Johannesburg, South Africa, to review the findings of the...

U.S.: VETS RELEASE VIDEO URGING MCCAIN TO BACK NEW GI BILL.
April 9, 2008... By Aaron Glantz SAN FRANCISCO, Apr. 9, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- A leading political action committee founded by veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has launched a new internet video and petition demanding that Sen. John McCain throw his...

IRAN: ELECTION WAS RIGGED ON 'MONUMENTAL SCALE,' ANALYST SAYS.
April 9, 2008... By Khody Akhavi WASHINGTON, Apr. 9, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The results of Iran's eighth parliamentary elections were anything but surprising: The hard-line camp of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad came out on top, moderate conservatives maintained...