Interpress Service articles from January 2008

Interpress Service archives from January 2008

MIDEAST: RIFT BETWEEN HAMAS, FATAH CASTS PALL OVER PEACE TALKS.
January 2, 2008... By Peter Hirschberg JERUSALEM, Jan. 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has renewed peace talks with Israel, agreeing to make every effort to forge a peace deal with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert by the end of...

SOUTH AFRICA: SANITATION IMPROVES AS STATE INSTALLS TOILETS.
January 2, 2008... By Steven Lang JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, Jan. 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The South African Department of Water Affairs and Forestry has narrowly missed one of its most important sanitation targets: the total discontinuation of the use of...

MALAYSIA: RULING COALITION PREPARES FOR TOUGH ELECTION.
January 2, 2008... Analysis by Anil Netto PENANG, Malaysia, Jan. 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Malaysia is entering what is widely expected to be an election year with a noticeably frail ruling coalition. Economic grievances, inter-religious disputes and...

AUSTRALIA: COURT RULES IN FAVOR OF ACQUITTED TERRORISM SUSPECT.
January 2, 2008... By Stephen de Tarczynski MELBOURNE, Australia, Jan. 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The decision by Australia's federal court to uphold an earlier ruling reinstating the work visa of terror suspect Mohammed Haneef has set a small but meaningful...

U.N.: SECURITY COUNCIL DESCRIBES ATTACK ON BHUTTO AS TERRORISM.
January 2, 2008... Analysis by Haider Rizvi UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 1, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Analysts are watching to see whether the United Nations Security Council calls for an investigation of the assassination of popular Pakistani leader Benazir Bhutto, who was...

BURKINA FASO: CITY OFFICIALS INSTALL TOILETS IN OUAGADOUGOU.
January 2, 2008... By Brahima Ouedraogo/IFEJ * OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso, Dec. 31, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The installation of modern toilets has improved sanitation conditions in areas of Burkina Faso's capital during the rainy seasons, when waste from pit...

EU/LIBYA: REALPOLITIK DRIVES RESUMPTION OF TIES WITH GADDAFI.
January 2, 2008... By Michael Deibert PARIS, Dec. 31, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- European nations have ostensibly welcomed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi back into their diplomatic good graces, but controversy surrounding his human rights record has made for a rocky...

SOUTH AFRICA: CRITICS SAY WOMEN'S RIGHTS MAY LAG UNDER ZUMA.
January 2, 2008... By Stephanie Nieuwoudt CAPE TOWN, South Africa, Dec. 31, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Women in South Africa's ruling African National Congress are starting the New Year with a key gain in hand: the party's agreement to incorporate women into 50...

U.S.: HIGH-PROFILE JEWISH AGENCY EMBRACES CHRISTIAN ZIONISTS.
January 3, 2008... By Bill Berkowitz* OAKLAND, Calif., Jan. 3, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Late last month the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews was declared a funding partner of the Jewish Agency of Israel, a powerful group that helped found the State...

U.S.: PILOT PROGRAMS SENSITIZE HAIR STYLISTS TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.
January 3, 2008... By Abra Pollock WASHINGTON, Jan. 3, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- A family services agency in New York City has launched a three-year pilot project to partner with local hair salons and train stylists on how to identify cases of domestic abuse,...

Q&A: CAPE VERDE IS RECLASSIFIED AS 'MIDDLE-INCOME' COUNTRY.
January 3, 2008... By Mario de Queiroz LISBON, Jan. 3, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Foreign Minister V ctor Barbosa Borges of Cape Verde is uncomfortable with the idea that this small Atlantic archipelago should serve as an example for the rest of Africa. Various...

KENYA: VIOLENCE FORCES OPPOSITION PARTY TO POSTPONE RALLY.
January 3, 2008... By Najum Mushtaq and Jacklynne Hobbs NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan. 3, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Opposition officials decided to postpone a rally that was supposed to take place Thursday in Kenya's capital after police officers clashed with demonstrators...

AUSTRALIA: FORMER DETAINEE LIVES UNDER STRICT CONTROL ORDER.
January 3, 2008... By Stephen de Tarczynski MELBOURNE, Australia, Jan. 3, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- David Hicks, the former Guant namo Bay inmate who became known as the "Australian Taliban" is savoring his freedom, but lawyers and human rights activists say the...

SPAIN: RULING SOCIALIST PARTY REPRIMANDS CATHOLIC CHURCH.
January 3, 2008... By Tito Drago MADRID, Spain, Jan. 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Spain's governing socialist party announced Wednesday that the Spanish Catholic Church "has strayed from the fundamentals of democracy," speaking in response to criticism from a church...

U.S.: LAWYERS CALL FOR REFORM OF TERRORISM-FINANCING LAW.
January 3, 2008... By William Fisher NEW YORK, Jan. 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Prominent constitutional lawyers are seeking substantial changes in the United States' terrorism-financing law, in part due to the government's tendency to use the legislation against...

BRAZIL: INFLATION THREATENS TO STYMIE LULA'S ECONOMIC PLANS.
January 3, 2008... By Mario Osava RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, Jan. 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The Brazilian economy is finally coming close to becoming the "broad mass consumer market" that President Luiz In cio Lula da Silva pledged to engender back in 2002 while...

KENYA: PROTESTERS CALL FOR INTERNATIONAL PROBE OF ELECTION.
January 3, 2008... By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Continued riots and killings in Kenya are threatening to destabilize the East African nation, which has been a staunch U.S. ally in the global fight against terrorism. The...

COLOMBIA: FARC DELAYS HOSTAGE SWAP, CITING MILITARY PRESENCE.
January 3, 2008... Analysis by Constanza Vieira CARACAS, Venezuela, Jan. 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- -- "Uribe, reflect, my brother, let's work for peace," Venezuelan President Hugo Ch vez said, urging Colombian President lvaro Uribe to work with the FARC to carry...

U.S.: RICE AND GATES CLASH OVER IRAN'S ROLE IN IRAQ.
January 3, 2008... Analysis by Gareth Porter* WASHINGTON, Jan. 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates have diverged sharply over the question of how to portray Iran's role in Iraq. A State...

IRAQ: REFUGEE CRISIS, FOREIGN TROOPS CAST PALL OVER NEW YEAR.
January 3, 2008... Analysis by Dahr Jamail WASHINGTON, Jan. 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Near the end of 2007, the Bush administration and the Iraqi government pushed a resolution through the U.N. Security Council to extend by another year the legal cover for...

CZECH REPUBLIC: CUNEK SEEKS TO REGAIN POSTS FOLLOWING SCANDAL.
January 3, 2008... By Zolt n Dujisin PRAGUE, Czech Republic, Jan. 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Former deputy prime minister Jiri Cunek was ranked as the most disappointing Czech politician of 2007 in a poll published Dec. 27, but he is nevertheless intending to...

EGYPT: HUNDREDS OF PALESTINIANS REMAIN STRANDED AT BORDER.
January 3, 2008... By Adam Morrow and Khaled Moussa al-Omrani CAIRO, Egypt, Jan. 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Hundreds of Palestinians remain in limbo on the Egyptian side of the border, following last summer's closure of the Rafah crossing between Egypt's Sinai...

CUBA: GOVERNMENT PLEDGES TO BOOST FOOD PRODUCTION IN 2008.
January 4, 2008... By Patricia Grogg HAVANA, Jan. 4, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Participants in the popular debates convened by the Cuban government in the second half of 2007 consistently brought up the issue of food, underscoring the need for an increase in...

UZBEKISTAN: ACTIVISTS CALL FOR BOYCOTT OF CHILD-PICKED COTTON.
January 4, 2008... By Kester Kenn Klomegah MOSCOW, Jan. 4, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- A group of civil society activists has called for the immediate boycott of Uzbek cotton produced by children working under forced labor conditions. In other developing...

EUROPE: 16-YEAR-OLD SLOVENIA TAKES CHARGE OF EUROPEAN UNION.
January 4, 2008... By Vesna Peric Zimonjic BELGRADE, Serbia-Montenegro, Jan. 4, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Slovenia took the rotating presidency of the 27-member European Union on Jan. 1 and is set to govern the bloc for the next six months. The country, which...

BURMA: FARMERS' HASTY RESPONSE MITIGATES BIRD FLU OUTBREAK.
January 4, 2008... By Marwaan Macan-Markar BANGKOK, Thailand, Jan. 4, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Avian flu experts are concerned about the recent flu outbreak among poultry in Burma's eastern Shan State, but they are also relieved by the speed with which farmers in...

U.S.: TV NETWORKS' FOREIGN NEWS COVERAGE DWINDLED IN 2007.
January 4, 2008... By Jim Lobe WASHINGTON, Jan. 3, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Foreign news coverage by the three major U.S. television networks declined significantly in 2007, according to the latest annual review by the authoritative Tyndall Report. The foreign...

SRI LANKA: GOVERNMENT ABOLISHES CEASEFIRE WITH TAMIL REBELS.
January 4, 2008... By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 3, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The Sri Lankan government is planning to conduct a do-or-die military battle against Tamil separatists in the country's politically troubled northern and eastern provinces. To...

CHILE: MAPUCHE AGRONOMY STUDENT DIES IN CONFLICT WITH POLICE.
January 4, 2008... By Daniela Estrada SANTIAGO, Chile, Jan. 3, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- An indigenous Mapuche university student was shot and killed early Thursday morning during a run-in with police officers at a rural estate in the southern Chilean region of...

U.S.: NEW YORK CITY NEEDS MORE PUBLIC TOILETS, ACTIVISTS SAY.
January 4, 2008... By Nergui Manalsuren NEW YORK, Jan. 3, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Singapore beats New York City hands down when it comes to public restrooms per capita. Perhaps that's why so many New York sidewalks and streets stink of urine. According to the...

LATIN AMERICA: MILL CONFLICT CONTINUES TO DELAY INTEGRATON.
January 4, 2008... By Mario Osava* RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, Jan. 3, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The Southern Common Market will be 17 years old in three months' time, but no one seems to be willing or able to speed up the South American bloc's integration process. ...

ARGENTINA: GOVERNMENT STRUGGLES TO KEEP TEENS IN SCHOOL.
January 4, 2008... By Sebasti n Lacunza BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, Jan. 3, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Successive economic and social crises in Argentina have left their mark on the public education system, producing high drop-out rates in secondary school and poor...

MALAYSIA: STATE FORBIDS MENTION OF 'ALLAH' IN CHURCHES, TEMPLES.
January 8, 2008... By Baradan Kuppusasmy KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Jan. 8, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The Malaysian government has announced that certain Arabic words such as "Allah" cannot be used in the literature, gospel and speeches of non-Muslims faiths. ...

LATIN AMERICA: UNEMPLOYMENT, DROPOUT RATES RISE AMONG YOUTH.
January 8, 2008... By Fabiana Frayssinet RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, Jan. 8, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Seven million young Brazilians and nearly 800,000 young Argentineans are swelling the ranks of Latin American youths who neither work nor study. The expansion of...

BURMA: JUNTA CLAMPS DOWN ON 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF INDEPENDENCE.
January 8, 2008... By Moe Yu May RANGOON, Burma, Jan. 8, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Burma's military leaders closed the main road of the country's capital for two hours on the morning of Jan. 4 in an attempt to quell pro-democracy protests on the 60th anniversary of...

U.S.: ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS SUE SHELL OIL OVER AIR POLLUTION.
January 8, 2008... By Abid Aslam WASHINGTON, Jan. 7, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- U.S. environmentalists took Shell Oil Co. and several of its affiliates to court Monday in an attempt to stop a refining and chemicals plant from polluting the area surrounding its plant...

KENYA: BAN KI-MOON SEEKS TO MEDIATE POLITICAL CRISIS.
January 8, 2008... By Haider Rizvi UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 7, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- U.N. officials are trying to bring the ruling party and opposition in Kenya together in dialogue to find a peaceful solution to the political violence that has already left some 500...

EU: LISBON TREATY MAY LEAD TO PRIVATIZATION OF WATER.
January 8, 2008... By David Cronin BRUSSELS, Belgium, Jan. 7, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Europe's water supply could increasingly be managed by private firms once a new European Union treaty enters into force, experts warned Monday. The delivery of drinking water...

BRAZIL: BUDGET WOES FORCE LULA TO RAISE TAXES BEFORE ELECTION.
January 8, 2008... By Fabiana Frayssinet RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, Jan. 7, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- With local and regional elections around the corner, President Luiz In cio Lula da Silva is struggling to retain Brazilian voters' support, while simultaneously...

MEXICO: TELEVISA FIRES JOURNALIST OVER 'EDITORIAL DIFFERENCES'.
January 8, 2008... By Diego Cevallos MEXICO CITY, Mexico, Jan. 7, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Prestigious independent radio commentator Carmen Aristegui, who has often criticized the powers that be in Mexico, was fired within the first few days of 2008. ...

CANADA: COLONIAL LEGACY FUELS SURGE IN INUIT SUICIDE RATE.
January 8, 2008... By Am Johal VANCOUVER, Canada, Jan. 7, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Territorial and federal government health departments have failed to declare a public health emergency for the Inuit community, despite the fact that suicide rates for Inuit people...

CHINA: BIOTECH FIRMS EXPERIMENT WITH STEM CELL TREATMENTS.
January 8, 2008... By Stephen Leahy BROOKLIN, Canada, Jan. 7, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- China's booming medical biotechnology industry is making big bucks by offering controversial drugs and gene therapy treatment programs to critically ill foreigners. The...

CENTRAL AMERICA: COSTA RICA DISCUSSES FREE TRADE WITH CHINA.
January 8, 2008... By Daniel Zueras SAN JOSE, Costa Rica, Jan. 7, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- One by one, Central American countries are turning away from Taiwan in order to forge economic and political ties with the People's Republic of China. Preliminary...

BRAZIL: LANDLESS WORKERS' CAMP OFFERS ALTERNATIVE TO FAVELAS.
January 8, 2008... By Fabiana Frayssinet RESENDE, Brazil, Jan. 7, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Eliana and her husband Eleidimar started the New Year with a sense of trepidation, knowing that at any moment they may be evicted from land they have occupied for almost a...

POLL: PAKISTANIS SEE U.S. AS WORSE THREAT THAN AL-QAIDA, TALIBAN.
January 8, 2008... By Jim Lobe WASHINGTON, Jan. 7, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Most Pakistanis consider the U.S. military presence in Asia and Afghanistan to be a more critical threat to their country than al-Qaida or Pakistan's own Taliban movement, according to a...

POLITICS: PREVALENCE OF WOMEN IN POWER SHIFTS PERCEIVED NORMS.
January 9, 2008... By Miren Gutirrez* ROME, Jan. 9, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- "Do you think a man could ever be president?" a little Irish boy asked his mother, having only seen female presidents within his lifetime. President Mary McAleese is currently at Ireland's...

POLITICS: WOMEN LEADERS DERIVE POWER FROM ELITE CONNECTIONS.
January 9, 2008... By Miren Gutierrez* ROME, Jan. 9, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The list of female rulers who have derived their power from their connections to elite men is a long and telling one. Most powerful women in government -- particularly though not only...

SPAIN: CLINIC STAFFS PROTEST IMPRISONMENT OF ABORTION PROVIDERS.
January 9, 2008... By Alicia Fraerman MADRID, Spain, Jan. 9, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Staff members of abortion clinics in Spain began a five-day strike on Tuesday to draw attention to the arrests of clinic personnel in Barcelona, the capital of the northeastern...

THAILAND: GREEN GROUPS SEEK COURT RULING AGAINST GM CROPS.
January 9, 2008... By Marwaan Macan-Markar BANGKOK, Thailand, Jan. 9, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Thai environmentalists are banking on the country's courts to overturn the military-appointed government's decision to allow field trials of genetically modified crops to...

MIDEAST: EGYPT ALLOWS STRANDED PALESTINIANS TO RETURN HOME.
January 9, 2008... By Adam Morrow and Khaled Moussa al-Omrani CAIRO, Egypt, Jan. 9, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- More than 2,000 pilgrims have finally returned to the Gaza Strip via Egypt's Rafah crossing after being stuck on the border for five days. The pilgrims...

CHINA: HIGH OIL PRICES THREATEN TO DRIVE UP INFLATION.
January 9, 2008... By Antoneta Bezlova BEIJING, Jan. 9, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The unease among Chinese officials and pundits became palpable in early January when oil prices hit $100 per barrel. Despite the country's insatiable appetite for energy, its...

AUSTRALIA: VICTORIA'S HUMAN RIGHTS CHARTER FOCUSES ON POLICY.
January 9, 2008... By Stephen de Tarczynski MELBOURNE, Australia, Jan. 9, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Victoria became the first Australian state to implement a human rights charter on Jan. 1, winning praise for its efforts to champion individuals' rights. A...

EAST AFRICA: TURMOIL IN KENYA MAY DIMINISH U.S. POWER IN REGION.
January 9, 2008... By Jim Lobe WASHINGTON, Jan. 8, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The ongoing turmoil in Kenya is prompting considerable concern in Washington because the East African nation has served as Washington's longest-standing and most reliable ally in a deeply...

SPAIN: SUMMIT IN MADRID AIMS TO DEFUSE RELIGIOUS TENSIONS.
January 9, 2008... By Haider Rizvi UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 8, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Hundreds of influential politicians, religious leaders and reporters are expected to take part in the Alliance of Civilization Forum next week in Madrid, Spain. The...

PORTUGAL: NEOLIBERAL POLICIES CAUSE INCOME GAP TO WIDEN.
January 9, 2008... By Mario de Queiroz LISBON, Portugal, Jan. 8, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- A socialist government has held office in Portugal for nearly three years, but it hasn't reversed the widening of the gap between the country's rich and poor. According...

U.S.: DECLASSIFIED TEXTS CONFIRM PERU'S ROLE IN OPERATION CONDOR.
January 9, 2008... By ngel P ez LIMA, Peru, Jan. 8, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Legal investigations in Italy and newly declassified U.S. government documents have revealed that Peru was involved in Operation Condor, an anti-dissident campaign that took place 30...

KENYA: KIBAKI NAMES CABINET, DASHES HOPES FOR RECONCILIATION.
January 9, 2008... Analysis by Najum Mushtaq NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan. 8, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Mwai Kibaki was expected to hold out an olive branch to his political rival on Tuesday evening, but instead he fueled the blaze of post-election tribal violence by...

CONGO: FEARING REJECTION, PREGNANT WOMEN AVOID HIV TESTS.
January 9, 2008... By Arsne Sverin BRAZZAVILLE, Republic of Congo, Jan. 8, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Mlanie Mbioka, a young teacher in Brazzaville, is five months pregnant, but she does not want to get tested for HIV until she gives birth. "I could not bear...

MIDEAST: ACADEMICS DETECT SHIFTS IN U.S. FOREIGN POLICY.
January 10, 2008... Analysis by Adam Morrow and Khaled Moussa al-Omrani CAIRO, Egypt, Jan. 10, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Notable political reorientations involving Iran, the Gulf states, Egypt and Lebanon have taken place in recent months, and several experts say the...

BALKANS: SERBIAN MUSEUM DISPLAYS ITS CROATIAN ART IN ZAGREB.
January 10, 2008... By Vesna Peric Zimonjic BELGRADE, Serbia-Montenegro, Jan. 10, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- An exhibition presented by the Serbian National Museum in the Croatian capital of Zagreb is doing its bit to thaw icy relations between Serbs and Croats, who...

MIDEAST: HAMAS REMAINS EXCLUDED FROM BUSH'S TALKS WITH ABBAS.
January 10, 2008... By Mohammed Omer GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip, Jan. 10, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Hamas supporters in Gaza were determined to make their absence count on Thursday as President George W. Bush began holding talks with Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud...

ECONOMY-REPORT: WEAKENING OF DOLLAR MAY HURT ASIAN EXPORTS.
January 10, 2008... By Marwaan Macan-Markar BANGKOK, Thailand, Jan. 10, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Asia's developing countries face a bumpy ride in the year ahead, as a slowing United States economy and a weakening of the dollar affect the flow of exports to that...

PHILIPPINES: TRIBES ENDURE CROSSFIRE BETWEEN ARMY, INSURGENTS.
January 10, 2008... By Brad Miller DAVAO, Philippines, Jan. 10, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The troubles of Ata-Manobo tribal chief Camid Lapindoy mirror the struggle faced by the indigenous people of Mindanao: Both must walk a line between two opposing armed forces...

PAKISTAN: MUSHARRAF DRAWS IRE OF PASHTUN COMMUNITY.
January 10, 2008... By Ashfaq Yusufzai PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Jan. 10, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's initial assertion that Baitullah Mahsud -- a Pashtun tribal leader -- was behind the assassination of former prime minister Benazir...

ENVIRONMENT-REPORT: INVESTORS POUR MONEY INTO GREEN PROJECTS.
January 10, 2008... By Stephen Leahy BROOKLIN, Canada, Jan. 9, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The global economy, much like a stubborn and temperamental toddler, is starting reluctantly to turn toward sustainability, according to a report released Wednesday by the...

BOLIVIA: MORALES HOLDS TALKS WITH PROVINCIAL GOVERNORS.
January 10, 2008... Analysis by Franz Ch vez LA PAZ, Bolivia, Jan. 9, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Bringing Bolivia's four young governors back into the fold will not be an easy task for leftist President Evo Morales, who is attempting to keep his heavily polarized...

ZIMBABWE: BLACK MARKET THRIVES AS ECONOMY PLUMMETS.
January 10, 2008... By Elles van Gelder BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe, Jan. 9, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- When you get out of your car at the Ascot shopping mall in Bulawayo, it is almost certain that you will soon be approached by a trader offering goods from the black market....

WORLD BANK-REPORT: DEVELOPING NATIONS BUOY GLOBAL ECONOMY.
January 10, 2008... By Abid Aslam WASHINGTON, Jan. 9, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The world is entering its second straight year of a U.S.-led economic slowdown, but resilient developing economies are cushioning the effects, according to a report released Wednesday by...

COLOMBIA: RURAL ASSOCIATION FAILS TO EASE BURDENS ON WOMEN.
January 10, 2008... By Constanza Vieira and Diana Cariboni QUIBD , Colombia, Jan. 9, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Immediately after the "high season" of popular festivals in Colombia's Choccents region, "pregnant girls as young as 13 start flowing in," said a nursing...

MIDEAST: BUSH FINDS LITTLE SUPPORT FOR HIS ANTI-IRANIAN MESSAGE.
January 10, 2008... Analysis by Trita Parsi* WASHINGTON, Jan. 9, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- President George W. Bush is beating an old drum during his Mideast tour this week, depicting Iran as the region's greatest threat. In the past similar proclamations by U.S....

IRAQ: FUEL CRISIS FORCES RESIDENTS TO DO WITHOUT KEROSENE, GAS.
January 10, 2008... By Ahmed Ali and Dahr Jamail* BAQUBA, Jan. 9, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- It's turning out to be the hardest winter Abu Muslih has known: Too often he is forced to choose between buying kerosene to keep his children warm or buying food and medicine....

CARIBBEAN: TAIWAN AND CHINA VIE FOR POWER IN REGION.
January 10, 2008... By Peter Ischyrion BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Jan. 9, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Haiti, Belize, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Kitts-Nevis and St. Lucia are the only five Caribbean states within the 15-member Caribbean Community grouping that...

Q&A: FOUNDER OF IPS SHARES THOUGHTS ON WORLD SOCIAL FORUM.
January 10, 2008... By Miren Gutirrez ROME, Jan. 9, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Roberto Savio is among the best-informed insiders at the World Social Forum. He has been on its international committee since it was created in 2001, and since 2003 he has coordinated its...

CUBA: SEED-SHARING INITIATIVE ENABLES FARMERS TO TRY NEW CROPS.
January 10, 2008... By Dalia Acosta SAN ANDRS, Cuba, Jan. 9, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Cuban small farmers are strengthening their traditional ties to the land through a farming project that links scientific know-how with ancestral techniques. The Program for...

POLITICS: DO MEN AND WOMEN HAVE DISTINCT LEADERSHIP STYLES?
January 10, 2008... By Miren Gutirrez* ROME, Jan. 9, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Chilean President Michelle Bachelet has described her approach to politics as a form of leadership based on consensus rather than imposition, leading some analysts to depict her leadership...

U.S.: NEW HAMPSHIRE PRIMARY LEAVES PRESIDENTIAL RACE WIDE OPEN.
January 10, 2008... By Ali Gharib WASHINGTON, Jan. 9, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Sen. Hillary Clinton's triumph Tuesday among Democrats in New Hampshire's presidential primary defied the predictions of political pundits and dispelled the notion of a swift "coronation"...

INDIA-FILM: YOUNG DIRECTORS REJECT SALACIOUS AESTHETIC.
January 11, 2008... By Keya Acharya BANGALORE, India, Jan. 11, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- India's celebrated director, Shimit Amin, believes that Indian audiences are tired of voluptuous heroines playing hide-and-seek games and the bump-and-grind routines of movie...

THAILAND: COMMUNITY RADIO STATIONS FACE STATE INTERFERENCE.
January 11, 2008... By Lynette Lee Corporal -- Asia Media Forum BANGKOK, Thailand, Jan. 11, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Pride evident in his voice, Weerapol Charoenthum expressed his satisfaction with "Maung Loei," a community radio station run by the youth of the...

NIGERIA: MULTINATIONAL OIL FIRMS CONTINUE TO BURN EXCESS GAS.
January 11, 2008... By Sam Olukoya LAGOS, Nigeria, Jan. 10, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Last October the Nigerian government warned multinational oil companies that "the Federal Government policy to stop gas flaring commences on Jan. 1, 2008, and any company which...

MIDEAST: BUSH MAKES 11TH-HOUR ATTEMPT TO BUOY PEACE PROCESS.
January 11, 2008... By Ali Gharib WASHINGTON, Jan. 10, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- George W. Bush visited Israel and the Palestinian territories for the first time in his seven years as president during the opening days of his most recent trip to the Middle East. ...

IRAQ: U.S. TROOP SURGE MAY HAVE INCREASED SECTARIAN TENSIONS.
January 11, 2008... By Jim Lobe WASHINGTON, Jan. 10, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Exactly one year after U.S. President George W. Bush announced that he would significantly increase the number of troops deployed to Iraq, the wisdom of his "surge" strategy remains very...

ARGENTINA: DAIRY FARMERS BUTT HEADS WITH PRESIDENT FERNANDEZ.
January 11, 2008... By Sebasti n Lacunza BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, Jan. 10, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Dairy farmers in Argentina have led the latest demonstrations in a long series of protests by agricultural associations, despite enjoying record-breaking prices for...

U.S./IRAN: OFFICIAL VERSION OF NAVAL INCIDENT STARTS TO UNRAVEL.
January 11, 2008... Analysis by Gareth Porter* WASHINGTON, Jan. 10, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Information that has emerged within the past three days suggests that Iranian speedboats did not, in fact, pose a serious threat to U.S. ships early Monday morning in the...

COLOMBIA: VENEZUELAN HELICOPTERS CARRY HOSTAGES TO FREEDOM.
January 11, 2008... By Constanza Vieira BOGOTA, Colombia, Jan. 10, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Two Colombian politicians held hostage by the FARC guerrillas are on their way to Caracas, having been sent early Thursday in Venezuelan helicopters to a secret location in...