Interpress Service articles from August 2008

Interpress Service archives from August 2008

AUSTRALIA: STATE-SUBSIDIZED ATHLETES GEAR UP FOR OLYMPICS.
August 1, 2008... By Stephen de Tarczynski MELBOURNE, Australia, Aug. 1, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Australia is expected to feature prominently during medal presentations at this month's Beijing Olympics, but its success will have come at a price. "We have...

VIETNAM: TRUCKERS, TAXI DRIVERS BEMOAN SOARING FUEL PRICES.
August 1, 2008... By Helen Clark HANOI, Vietnam, Aug. 1, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Nguyen Van Minh has just delivered a consignment of apples from China to Vietnam's Long Bien market, where hundreds of trucks deliver produce from distant provinces and neighboring...

U.S.: PENTAGON CHIEF TURNS FOCUS ON UNCONVENTIONAL WARFARE.
August 1, 2008... By Jim Lobe* WASHINGTON, Jul. 31, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Pentagon chief Robert Gates released a statement Thursday urging the U.S. to strengthen its defenses against unconventional threats from groups such as al-Qaida. According to Gates'...

HEALTH: HIV-POSITIVE ACTIVISTS LEAD FIGHT AGAINST DISCRIMINATION.
August 1, 2008... By Emilio Godoy MEXICO CITY, Mexico, Jul. 31, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Anuar Luna was diagnosed with HIV 17 years ago. "I had to overcome feelings of guilt, fear and shame before I became a leader in the HIV-positive community," she said Thursday...

SUDAN-REPORT: U.N. PEACEKEEPERS CONTINUE TO LACK EQUIPMENT.
August 1, 2008... By Omid Memarian UNITED NATIONS, Jul. 31, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Wrangling over a resolution on the peacekeeping force in Darfur continued Thursday as diplomats considered delaying a potential indictment of Sudanese President Omar Hassan Ahmad...

KENYA: POVERTY WORSENS AS URBAN POPULATION EXPANDS.
August 1, 2008... By Rose N. Oronje NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul. 31, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Rapid urbanization is creating deepening poverty among city residents in Kenya, who often lack access to decent housing and basic amenities such as running water and proper...

BRAZIL: VILLAGES IN AMAZON LOOK TO PALM OIL FOR ELECTRICITY.
August 1, 2008... By Mario Osava RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, Jul. 31, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Oil from native tucuma, ouricur and murumur[pounds sterling] palm trees will soon be used to provide electricity to isolated communities in the depths of the Brazilian...

Q&A: SOUTH AFRICAN JEW ANALYZES PALESTINIAN/ISRAELI CONFLICT.
August 1, 2008... By Peter Hirschberg JERUSALEM, Jul. 31, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Israel's critics frequently compare the plight of Palestinians to that of black South Africans under apartheid. It is a comparison that incenses many Israelis and Jews around the...

IRAQ: BOMBINGS AGAINST POLICE RAISE NEW FEARS IN FALLUJAH.
August 1, 2008... By Ali al-Fadhily and Dahr Jamail* FALLUJAH, Iraq, Jul. 31, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The tense security situation in the volatile Iraqi city of Fallujah has worsened after some policemen found bombs planted on the roofs of their houses. ...

U.S.: NEW BOOK SLAMS UNILATERALISM, CALLS FOR GLOBAL INCLUSION.
August 1, 2008... By Ali Gharib WASHINGTON, Jul. 31, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Helena Cobban's new book, "Re-Engage! America and the World After Bush," lays out simple reasons why the U.S. should rejoin the world community and then suggests how to go about doing...

U.N.-REPORT: MEDIATION IS BETTER, CHEAPER THAN PEACEKEEPING.
August 1, 2008... By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS, Jul. 31, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan proved that conflict prevention is more cost-effective than peacekeeping earlier this year by spending only $208,000 on his mediation...

ISRAEL: OLMERT'S EXIT SETS STAGE FOR LEADERSHIP BATTLE IN KADIMA.
August 1, 2008... By Peter Hirschberg JERUSALEM, Jul. 31, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- It is now clear that Israel will either have a new prime minister by early November or Israelis will be back at the polls for a general election in the first few months of next...

GHANA: LOCAL TRADERS RESENT INFLUX OF CHINESE INVESTMENT.
August 1, 2008... By Francis Kokutse ACCRA, Ghana, Jul. 31, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Business has been slow for many Ghanaian traders, who blame the situation on corruption and insufficient legal protection, as well as on an influx of cheap Chinese products. ...

THAILAND: TAX FRAUD CONVICTION SENDS THAKSIN'S WIFE TO JAIL.
August 1, 2008... By Marwaan Macan-Markar BANGKOK, Thailand, Jul. 31, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The law has finally caught up with the Shinawatras, Thailand's most powerful political family, convicting the former prime minister's wife and her brother of tax fraud....

Q&A-MEXICO: WITHOUT REEF, CANC N'S BEACHES MAY WASH AWAY.
August 1, 2008... By Stephen Leahy / Tierramrica * FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Jul. 31, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- "There would be no white sands on the beaches of Canc[pounds sterling]n without the Mesoamerican reef," said Professor Roberto Iglesias-Prieto, a marine...

MALAYSIA: RIGHTS BODY MAY LOSE INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION.
August 1, 2008... By Baradan Kuppusamy KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Jul. 31, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The Malaysian Human Rights Commission is at risk of being downgraded by the United Nations for failing to proactively defend human rights. Civil society critics...

EU: TOXIC LEAKS RAISE CONCERNS OVER SAFETY OF NUCLEAR PLANTS.
August 1, 2008... By Julio Godoy PARIS, Jul. 31, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The recent proliferation of accidents at nuclear power plants in France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Slovenia and elsewhere in Europe has offered a powerful counterargument to calls for greater...

MIDEAST/U.S.: OBAMA'S BACKING OF ISRAEL DISHEARTENS ARAB CRITICS.
August 1, 2008... Analysis by Adam Morrow and Khaled Moussa al-Omrani CAIRO, Egypt, Jul. 31, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- U.S. presidential hopeful Barack Obama's recent shows of support for Israel have made many Arabs fear that Zionist influence on the U.S. body...

POLITICS-BANGLADESH: ANTI-CORRUPTION EFFORT IS FLAWED, CRITICS SAY.
August 4, 2008... By Farid Ahmed DHAKA, Aug. 4, 2008 (IPS/GIN) - As President Iajuddin Ahmed's newly formed Truth and Accountability Commission became functional this week, it ran into criticism from experts as conceptually flawed. The military-backed...

ENVIRONMENT-THAILAND: LOSS OF FOREST SEEN IN RIVER DIVERSION PLANS.
August 4, 2008... By Kornpan Winwong - Newsmekong* BANGKOK, Aug. 4, 2008 (IPS/GIN) - Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej's plans to divert water from rivers in neighboring Laos to help feed agricultural production faces stiff opposition from activists, who...

HEALTH: MARCH BY HUNDREDS SETS TONE FOR AIDS CONFERENCE.(Conference news)
August 4, 2008... By Zofeen Ebrahim MEXICO CITY, Aug. 3, 2008 (IPS/GIN) - The rain gods failed to dampen spirits of activists gathered at the old city centre of Zocalo to protest discrimination against those with the HIV virus. Hundreds of activists dressed...

TRADE-INDIA: MIXED FEELINGS OVER WTO FAILURE IN GENEVA.
August 4, 2008... Analysis by Paranjoy Guha Thakurta NEW DELHI, Aug. 3, 2008 (IPS/GIN) - The collapse of the World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations at Geneva has left Indian analysts with mixed feelings. One view is that no deal is better than a bad...

POLITICS-SIERRA LEONE: WOMEN CANDIDATES PROGRESS, BUT NOT ENOUGH.
August 4, 2008... By Mohammed Fofanah FREETOWN, Aug. 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) - Despite numerous reports of harassment and intimidation, more women were elected in local council elections than in polls four years ago. But results fell short of the 30 percent...

KENYA: ACTIVIST FORMS SUPPORT GROUP FOR SINGLE MOMS.
August 4, 2008... By Najum Mushtaq NAIROBI, Aug. 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) - There are increasing numbers of single mothers in Kenya. Is it a sign of growing independence of women, or a consequence of poverty and lack of sexual education? Angelina Nandwa, the...

CHINA: HU PLEADS FOR OLYMPICS FREE OF 'POLITICS'.
August 4, 2008... By Antoaneta Bezlova BEIJING, Aug. 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) - A gathering storm of international criticism over China's security crackdown and limits on free speech while hosting the Olympic games this month has prompted Chinese president and...

Q&A: PREVENTION EFFORTS SERIOUSLY LAGGING, AIDS EXPERT WARNS.
August 4, 2008... IPS interview with Luis Soto Ram rez, co-chair of AIDS 2008 MEXICO CITY, Aug. 1, 2008 (IPS/GIN) - Mexican virologist Dr. Luis Soto Ram rez, co-chair of the 17th International AIDS Conference, which opens Sunday in the Mexican capital, says...

TRADE: SPLITS AMONG DEVELOPING NATIONS SEEN IN DOHA'S WAKE.
August 4, 2008... By Gustavo Capdevila GENEVA, Aug. 1, 2008 (IPS/GIN) - The standoff between China and India, the world's two fastest growing economies, and the United States not only scuttled the last attempt to save the Doha Round, but also demonstrated...

ENVIRONMENT: TIERRAMRICA CENTRE HOLDS FOUNDING ASSEMBLY.
August 4, 2008... By Mario Osava MANAUS, Brazil, Aug. 1, 2008 (IPS/GIN) - The Tierramrica International Centre for Sustainable Development and Environmental Defence held its founding assembly Thursday in Manaus, a city in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon,...

Q&A: BUDDHIST LEADER RENEWS CAMPAIGN AGAINST NUCLEAR BOMBS.
August 4, 2008... Interview with Dr. Daisaku Ikeda, Pres. of Soka Gakkai Int'l UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 1, 2008 (IPS/GIN) - As citizens of Hiroshima and Nagasaki recall the atomic bombings that devastated the two Japanese cities in August 1945, one of the...

Q&A: IRANIAN POETS IN EXILE FEATURE IN NEW ANTHOLOGY.(Company overview)
August 4, 2008... Interview with Niloufar Talebi, editor of Iranian literature NEW YORK, Aug. 1, 2008 (IPS/GIN) - Since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, thousands of intellectuals, activists and poets have left Iran, many fleeing to Europe and the United...

PERU: POORER REGIONS DEMAND GREATER SHARE OF MINING TAXES.
August 4, 2008... By Milagros Salazar LIMA, Aug. 1, 2008 (IPS/GIN) - The Peruvian parliament is studying ways to improve the distribution of the "canon minero", the portion of the taxes paid by mining companies that is transferred to the regions, in order...

AGRICULTURE: THE CLIMATE COSTS OF A GLASS OF MILK.
August 4, 2008... By Ra[pounds sterling]l Pierri /Tierramrica * MONTEVIDEO, Aug. 1, 2008 (IPSGIN) - A simple glass of milk on the breakfast table can carry high environmental costs. Because of this, some farmers and scientists are looking for ways to reduce...

PHILIPPINES: 'CHURCH BAN ON CONTRACEPTIVES ADDING TO POVERTY'.
August 4, 2008... By Kalinga Seneviratne MANILA, Aug. 1, 2008 (IPS/GIN) - A growing and heated debate in this predominantly Catholic country revolves around the church's uncompromising stance against the use of contraceptive devices that is said to be...

TRADE: CONCERNS ABOUT FOOD LED CHINA TO TAKE STANCE AT TALKS.
August 5, 2008... By Antoaneta Bezlova BEIJING, Aug. 5, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- China's tough stance at the Doha trade talks in Geneva has had less to do with political posturing than with the country's long-standing obsession with food security, according to...

TRADE: FEUD OVER FARMERS' SAFEGUARDS DERAILED WTO TALKS.
August 5, 2008... Analysis by Aileen Kwa GENEVA, Aug. 5, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The issue of safeguards to protect small farmers' livelihoods in developing nations -- rather than the issue of rich countries' agricultural subsidies -- was the primary factor...

MALAYSIA: ANWAR GEARS UP FOR MAKE-OR-BREAK ELECTION.
August 5, 2008... By Baradan Kuppusamy KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Aug. 5, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Undaunted by the new charges of sodomy against him, opposition icon Anwar Ibrahim is making a bid to return to parliament in a by-election that he has described as the...

MEXICO: GLOBAL CONFERENCE TAKES STOCK OF AIDS EPIDEMIC.(Conference news)
August 5, 2008... By Daniela Estrada MEXICO CITY, Mexico, Aug. 4, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Experts at the17th International AIDS Conference have agreed that it is necessary to evaluate the current global architecture for responding to the AIDS epidemic, move...

KENYA: CREATIVE WRITERS SHED LIGHT ON POST-ELECTION VIOLENCE.
August 5, 2008... By Najum Mushtaq NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug. 4, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- A group of politically conscious poets, writers and storytellers in Kenya has since January been writing an alternative account of the violence that shook Kenya during the first...

SENEGAL: DAKAR RESIDENTS STRUGGLE TO ACCESS CLEAN WATER.
August 5, 2008... By Koffigan E. Adigbli DAKAR, Senegal, Aug. 4, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Dakar's suburban communities still deal with irregular access to water, and the problem is especially pressing for neighborhoods such as Yeumbeul, Diamaguene and Cambrne. ...

U.S.: LEFT-LEANING RELIGIOUS GROUPS BACK OBAMA'S CAMPAIGN.
August 5, 2008... By Bill Berkowitz OAKLAND, Calif., Aug. 4, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- For the past three decades, the religious right has dominated the religio-political dialogue in the United States, rallying the public against abortion rights and full equality...

SPAIN: PRODUCTION OF WIND ENERGY EXPANDS, DESPITE FUNDING CUTS.
August 5, 2008... By Tito Drago MADRID, Spain, Aug. 4, 2008 (IPS/GIN) - Spain is the world's second producer of wind energy, and it plans to continue expanding its infrastructure so as to double its current output by 2012. New regulations, however, may slow...

U.S.: JAILING OF PALESTINIAN PROFESSOR IS ILLEGAL, LAWYER SAYS.
August 5, 2008... By Charles Davis WASHINGTON, Aug. 4, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Palestinian activist Sami Al-Arian continues to be held in federal prison, nearly three years after the U.S. government failed to convict him of any charges. The former college...

Q&A-PERU: AUTHOR REFLECTS ON POLITICAL VIOLENCE, TERRORISM.
August 5, 2008... By Miren Gutierrez ROME, Aug. 4, 2008 (IPS/GIN) - Gustavo Gorriti has just reprinted his book "The Shining Path," which examines both the Maoist insurrection and the government's response to it during Peru's internal war. The Maoist...

PERU: GOVERNMENT SPENDS $514 MILLION ON SECRET ARMS DEALS.
August 5, 2008... By Angel P ez LIMA, Peru, Aug. 4, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The Peruvian government plans to devote at least $514 million this year to modernizing and upgrading its military equipment. The government hasn't spent so much on weapons since the...

DEVELOPMENT: AFRICA MUST FOCUS ON EXPORTS, TRADE EXPERT SAYS.(Obituary)
August 5, 2008... By Stephanie Nieuwoudt CAPE TOWN, South Africa, Aug. 4, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- African countries should focus on exports, according to the director of the U.N. Research Institute, who believes a lack of attention to exports in the past caused...

SOUTH AMERICA: CHILE AND PERU CLASH OVER ORIGINS OF POTATO.
August 5, 2008... By Daniela Estrada and Milagros Salazar SANTIAGO, Chile, Aug. 4, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Agricultural leaders in both Chile and Peru are worried that the countries' age-old dispute about where potatoes originated is hampering joint efforts to...

U.S.: RELIGIOUS GROUPS WEIGH IN AS PRESIDENTIAL RACE HEATS UP.
August 5, 2008... By Mark Weisenmiller TAMPA, Fla., Aug. 4, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The intersection of religion, politics and the "war on terror" has been a recurrent theme in the 2008 U.S. presidential election, with the candidates frequently choosing to visit...

HEALTH: AIDS EXPERTS CALL FOR FOCUS ON HARM REDUCTION, SEX ED.
August 6, 2008... By Zofeen Ebrahim MEXICO CITY, Mexico, Aug. 6, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Preaching abstinence to the young has not worked, and sex work has not been eradicated. Taking stock of these realities, experts at the 17th International AIDS Conference in...

INDIA: SCHISMS IN GOVERNMENT STAND IN WAY OF MARKET REFORMS.
August 6, 2008... By Paranjoy Guha Thakurta NEW DELHI, India, Aug. 6, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's coalition government is no longer dependent on communist parties to complete its term in office, but it may yet fail to push through...

CHINA: AUSTRALIAN TV NETWORK DENIES ACCUSATIONS OF CENSORSHIP.
August 6, 2008... By Stephen de Tarczynski MELBOURNE, Australia, Aug. 6, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- One of Australia's leading television networks may be involved in dissuading foreign media in China from covering "forbidden" topics, or at least that's what it looks...

MALAYSIA: BOOMING TRAFFICKING INDUSTRY VICTIMIZES MIGRANTS.
August 6, 2008... By Baradan Kuppusamy KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Aug. 6, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Mir Hussein Wahab, a 29-year-old migrant worker from Lahore, Pakistan, is one of thousands who have fallen victim to "jual-beli," or human trafficking. The local...

HEALTH: GLOBAL FUND STRUGGLES TO MEET DEMAND FOR AIDS MONEY.
August 6, 2008... By Emilio Godoy MEXICO CITY, Mexico, Aug. 5, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Developing countries are increasingly asking for large sums of money to fight diseases such as HIV/AIDS, and the international community is struggling to cover their needs. ...

BOLIVIA: MORALES CANCELS MEETING WITH CH VEZ, FERN NDEZ.
August 6, 2008... By Franz Ch vez LA PAZ, Bolivia, Aug. 5, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- A meeting between Presidents Hugo Ch vez of Venezuela, Cristina Fern ndez of Argentina and Evo Morales of Bolivia has been called off because of violent protests by anti-government...

Q&A-KYRGYZSTAN: OMBUDSMAN PUSHES FOR FRESHER AIR IN PRISONS.
August 6, 2008... By Kuban Abdyman BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, Aug. 5, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- In the dungeons of Bishkek, the hot summer air is thick and stagnant. Since the abolition of the death penalty, the threat of execution has been removed, but inmates are still...

LEBANON: NATION-BUILDING FALTERS AS CRACKS IN ALLIANCE WIDEN.
August 6, 2008... By Mona Alami BEIRUT, Lebanon, Aug. 5, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- More than three years after the assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri, the "March 14 movement" has failed to gain momentum or unite the country's population in the...

IRAQ: U.S.-BACKED MILITIAS PLAY KEY ROLE IN BAQUBA CRACKDOWN.
August 6, 2008... By Ahmed Ali and Dahr Jamail* BAQUBA, Iraq, Aug. 5, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- A massive military operation in Diyala province has underscored the military and political gains by the Sahwa militias, which have thrived despite Prime Minister Nouri...

Q&A: AIDS SUMMIT SHOULD FOCUS ON GENDER EQUITY, ADVOCATE SAYS.
August 6, 2008... By Zofeen Ebrahim MEXICO CITY, Mexico, Aug. 5, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Of the more than 30 million people living with HIV, half are women, and the rate of infections in women is rising, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Women's rights...

LATIN AMERICA: ATHLETES BRACE FOR DISAPPOINTMENT AT OLYMPICS.
August 6, 2008... By Humberto M rquez* CARACAS, Venezuela, Aug. 5, 2008 (IPS/GIN) - Some 1,200 athletes from Latin America and the Caribbean will be taking part in the Olympic Games in Beijing, but only a handful stand a real chance of landing a medal,...

SOUTHERN AFRICA: EXPANDED CUSTOMS UNION MAY FUEL GROWTH.
August 6, 2008... By Moses Magadza WINDHOEK, Namibia, Aug. 5, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- A top businessman and some economists in Namibia are optimistic that a proposed customs union will break down trade barriers in Southern Africa and create competition that will...

CANADA: UNION LEADERS OPPOSE FREE TRADE DEAL WITH COLOMBIA.
August 6, 2008... By Chris Arsenault VANCOUVER, Canada, Aug. 5, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The president of Canada's largest union recently expressed concern about a free trade deal between Canada and Colombia during a meeting with Fabio Valencio, Colombia's...

VENEZUELA: CHAVEZ HANDS DOWN FLURRY OF SOCIALIST DECREES.
August 6, 2008... By Humberto M rquez CARACAS, Venezuela, Aug. 5, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Ch vez handed down 26 laws on the last night of the 18-month period that Congress granted him to legislate by decree. The president's critics...

U.N.-REPORT: COUNTERTERRORISM HAS ESCALATED RIGHTS ABUSES.
August 6, 2008... By Shiraz Deen UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 5, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Member states of the United Nations have frequently disregarded international human rights laws and principles in the name of counterterrorism, according to an expert panel organized...

Q&A: PARIS AID DECLARATION IMPEDES GENDER EQUITY, ACTIVIST SAYS.
August 6, 2008... By Ana Artigas MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay, Aug. 5, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- "We may get rich without achieving gender equality," said Roberto Bissio, coordinator of the Social Watch network, explaining that activists therefore "must not postpone action...

MIDEAST: MIRED IN WARS, U.S. FORSAKES TALK OF 'DEMOCRATIZATION'.
August 6, 2008... Analysis by Jim Lobe WASHINGTON, Aug. 5, 2008 (IPS/GIN) - More than five years after invading Iraq as a first step towards "transforming" the Middle East, the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush seems to have lost its footing...

MEXICO: TRANSGENDER ATTENDEES REFLECT ON GLOBAL AIDS SUMMIT.
August 7, 2008... By Zofeen Ebrahim MEXICO CITY, Mexico, Aug. 7, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Transgender participants in the international AIDS conference in Mexico City this week were somewhat dismayed to find that the event organizers had failed to arrange for...

IRAQ: FACED WITH POWER OUTAGES, LOCALS TURN TO IRAN FOR HELP.
August 7, 2008... By Ahmed Ali and Dahr Jamail* BAQUBA, Iraq, Aug. 7, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The electricity crisis is dragging on in Baquba, as summer temperatures climb and a drought continues to plague Iraq. As a result the Iranian government has begun...

GERMANY: COURT RULING TRIGGERS RENEWED PUSH FOR SMOKING BAN.
August 7, 2008... By Julio Godoy BERLIN, Aug. 7, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- A German constitutional court's ruling against a partial ban on smoking has led to calls for a new nationwide ban. The court ruled last week that the present ban violates the rights of...

CHINA: BURMESE ACTIVISTS CALL FOR BOYCOTT OF 'BLOOD JADE'.
August 7, 2008... By Marwaan Macan-Markar BANGKOK, Thailand, Aug. 7, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Jade jewelry could serve as an attractive memento for the thousands attending the Summer Olympics in Beijing, but activists are urging attendees to boycott any products...

CHINA: NATIONALISTIC GOALS PUT PRESSURE ON OLYMPIC ATHLETES.
August 7, 2008... By Antoaneta Bezlova BEIJING, Aug. 7, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- One hundred years ago Chinese athletes had neither money nor government support to compete in the Olympics. An invitation by the founder of the modern Olympics, Baron Pierre de...

INDIA: NATION TWISTS ARMS IN BID TO SEAL NUCLEAR DEAL WITH U.S.
August 7, 2008... Analysis by Praful Bidwai* NEW DELHI, Aug. 7, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Two potential stumbling blocks are threatening to block India and the United States' efforts to secure exemptions for their nuclear cooperation deal from the tough export...

PAKISTAN: POLIO SPREADS AS ATTACKS IMPEDE VACCINATION DRIVE.
August 7, 2008... By Ashfaq Yusufzai PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Aug. 7, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The polio eradication campaign has ground to a halt in northern Pakistan's Swat Valley, due to the breakdown of a peace agreement with a hard-line militant group. In...

U.S.: NGO BLASTS CHINA FOR GIVING ARMS TO HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSERS.
August 7, 2008... By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 6, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- A new study has shown that Beijing is swiftly becoming the key arms supplier to some of the world's worst human rights abusers. The Chinese government, which is trying to boost...

ARGENTINA: PRE-OLYMPICS SPLURGE IS INSUFFICIENT, TRAINERS SAY.
August 7, 2008... By Marcela Valente BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, Aug. 6, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Financial support for Argentine athletes has increased in the run-up to the Beijing Olympic Games, but several experts have warned that money alone is not enough to give...

COLOMBIA: VIDEO EXPOSES ILLEGAL RUSE USED FOR HOSTAGE RESCUE.
August 7, 2008... By Constanza Vieira BOGOTA, Colombia, Aug. 6, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The Colombian government has reprimanded members of the country's armed forces for "clandestinely leaking news without coordination with their superiors." President...

TURKEY: COURT FINES RULING PARTY FOR 'ANTI-SECULAR ACTIVITIES'.
August 7, 2008... Analysis by Hilmi Toros ISTANBUL, Turkey, Aug. 6, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Turkey has narrowly avoided a "judicial coup" that would have overthrown its elected government, but other similar ordeals may be around the corner, as well. In a...

LEBANON: MARONITE PATRIARCH RETAINS SWAY OVER LOCAL POLITICS.
August 7, 2008... By Mona Alami BEIRUT, Lebanon, Aug. 6, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Bkerke, a white mansion that serves as the refuge of the Maronite patriarch, towers atop the northern Lebanese city of Jounieh. Its story is as ancient as Lebanon's and as reflective...

BALKANS: KARADZIC'S INDICTMENT REKINDLES ETHNIC HATRED.
August 7, 2008... By Vesna Peric Zimonjic BELGRADE, Serbia, Aug. 6, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Radovan Karadzic, one of the most wanted war crimes indictees from the Bosnian war, is facing charges of genocide, but there is no sign that his arrest and extradition...

SUDAN: NEARBY NATIONS SEEK TO PROTECT BASHIR FROM INDICTMENT.
August 7, 2008... By Adam Morrow and Khaled Moussa al-Omrani CAIRO, Egypt, Aug. 6, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- In its first ever move against a head of state, the International Criminal Court prepared last month to indict Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for war...

TRADE: DEVELOPED NATIONS OVERSTATED GRAVITY OF DOHA COLLAPSE.
August 7, 2008... Analysis by Aileen Kwa GENEVA, Aug. 6, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- At the heart of the collapse of the World Trade Organization's Doha Round last week was a disagreement over liberalization and its relation to development. Developed countries...

GREECE: MINK BREEDERS LURE RUSSIAN TOURISTS WITH HIGH-END FURS.
August 7, 2008... By Apostolis Fotiadis KASTORIA, Greece, Aug. 6, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Local people were heartened to see 30 Russian women getting off a bus last week in Kastoria, a little town up in the mountains of Greece. Kastoria is more popular with...

WEST BANK: JUSTICE SYSTEM LETS ISRAELI ATTACKERS SLIP AWAY.
August 7, 2008... By Mel Frykberg RAMALLAH, West Bank, Aug. 6, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Only 6 percent of probes into offenses allegedly committed by Israeli soldiers and settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank yield indictments, according to a new...

Q&A: 7 MILLION LACK ACCESS TO AIDS TREATMENT, ADVOCATE SAYS.
August 7, 2008... By Marcela Valente / Tierramrica * BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, Aug. 6, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- More political will and better resources are necessary to secure universal access to anti-HIV therapies on a broad scale, according to Argentine physician...

GAZA/WEST BANK: BROAD ALLIANCE HAS MINIMIZED SPREAD OF AIDS.
August 8, 2008... By Mel Frykberg EAST JERUSALEM, West Bank, Aug. 8, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Palestinians from all ranks of society have pulled together to tackle the issue of AIDS, despite the increasing factional violence and chaos in the Palestinian...

IRAQ: DROVES OF STUDENTS FAIL NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL EXAMS.
August 8, 2008... By Ali al-Fadhily and Dahr Jamail* BAGHDAD, Iraq, Aug. 8, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Living from one crisis to another, without electricity or the freedom to move safely within their communities, massive numbers of Iraqi students are failing their...