Interpress Service articles from June 2007

Interpress Service archives from June 2007

IRAQ: ANALYSTS CAST WARY EYE TOWARD U.S. TALKS WITH IRAN.
June 1, 2007... Analysis by Mohammed A. Salih ARBIL, Iraq, Jun. 1, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Iraqis are regarding the U.S.-Iranian talks about Iraq with skepticism, with some analysts calling for limitations on the extent of issues that the two countries can...

CHINA: 2008 OLYMPICS WILL BE SMOKE-FREE, PLANNERS SAY.
June 1, 2007... by Antoaneta Bezlova BEIJING, Jun. 1, 2007 IPS/GIN - Chinese leaders have promised to make the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing nonsmoking -- an ambitious goal for this country of 360 million smokers. The Olympic Games have never been...

BURKINA FASO: QUOTA LAW WOULD USHER WOMEN INTO PARLIAMENT.
June 1, 2007... by Brahima Oudraogo OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso, May 31, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Quotas for female representation in government are at the center of a law that will be put before Burkina Faso's parliament later this year. The quotas for female...

IRAQ/U.S.: WHITE HOUSE TALKS OF CUTTING TROOP SURGE BY EARLY 2008.
June 1, 2007... Analysis by Jim Lobe WASHINGTON, May 31, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- President George W. Bush and his administration appear to have given up hope of maintaining the troop "surge" in Iraq into the later months of next year. White House officials...

ARGENTINA: LOW-INCOME FAMILIES RECEIVE SHELVES OF FREE BOOKS.
June 1, 2007... by Marcela Valente BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, May 31, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The Argentinean government has begun distributing thousands of books with the aim of encouraging children from low-income families to read for pleasure. The "Books...

U.N.: REPORT BLAMES SECURITY COUNCIL FOR NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION.
June 1, 2007... by Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS, May 31, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Three public interest groups released a study Thursday, challenging the United Nations Security Council's political and moral authority over nuclear nonproliferation. In...

KENYA: CONSERVATIONISTS MAY SEAL BORDERS OF NATIONAL PARK.
June 1, 2007... by Wanjohi Kabukuru / IFEJ* NAIROBI, Kenya, May 31, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- To fence, or not to fence: it is a question that has been debated for a decade in relation to Kenya's oldest national park, which is already fenced in on three sides....

ENVIRONMENT: ACTIVISTS ENVISION A GREEN GLOBAL ECONOMY.
June 1, 2007... by Stephen Leahy* BROOKLIN, Canada, May 31, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Human communities are facing historic and unprecedented challenges due to climate change and the rapid decline of ecosystems that sustain life. The 2005 Millennium Ecosystem...

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: LAWSUIT RECALLS ATROCITIES UNDER TRUJILLO.
June 1, 2007... by Dicentsgenes Pina SANTO DOMINGO, May 31, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Dominican human rights groups and victims' families are still seeking justice for atrocities committed under the rule of Rafael Lecentsnidas Trujillo, 46 years after the...

MALAWI: PROVISION OF ETHANOL STOVES MAY SLOW DEFORESTATION.
June 1, 2007... by Pilirani Semu-Banda BLANTYRE, Malawi, May 31, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Firewood fulfills 93 percent of energy needs in Malawi, where households now consume 7.5 million tons of firewood and charcoal per year. To strike a sustainable balance...

SOUTH AFRICA: RESEARCHERS DISCUSS PLIGHT OF ECONOMIC MIGRANTS.
June 1, 2007... by Moyiga Nduru JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, May 31, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Hundreds of thousands of migrants from Zimbabwe and other southern African countries have traveled to South Africa, the continent's economic powerhouse, in search of a...

IRAN: RIGHTS ACTIVISTS DENOUNCE CRACKDOWN ON DUAL CITIZENS.
June 1, 2007... by Eli Clifton WASHINGTON, May 31, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Human rights groups are calling on the Iranian government to release two U.S.-Iranian citizens who were charged with espionage on Tuesday. The American-Iranian dual nationals, Haleh...

Q&A: CHILDREN IN RUSSIA REMAIN 'HIGHLY VULNERABLE'.
June 1, 2007... by Kester Kenn Klomegah MOSCOW, May 31, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- "While UNICEF is happy that children's rights are commemorated on June 1, we would like to see every day of the year be 'International Children's Day,' particularly in Russia, where...

LATIN AMERICA: GOVERNMENTS BAN SMOKING IN PUBLIC PLACES.
June 1, 2007... by Humberto M rquez CARACAS, Venezuela, May 31, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Governments in Latin America and the Caribbean are increasingly passing bans on smoking in public spaces, making life a little more difficult for the region's 150 million...

THAILAND: JUNTA-BACKED TRIBUNAL BANS POPULAR POLITICAL PARTY.
June 1, 2007... by Marwaan Macan-Markar BANGKOK, Thailand, May 31, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Supporters of Thailand's most popular political party held a tearful and stormy meeting Thursday morning in reaction to a tribunal's decision to ban the Thai Rak Thai...

FINLAND: ACTIVISTS SAIL TO G-8 SUMMIT IN 70-YEAR-OLD SHIP.
June 1, 2007... by Linus Atarah HELSINKI, Finland, May 31, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- A ship bearing fair-trade activists has left the shores of Finland and is on the high seas heading toward Germany's Baltic resort of Heiligendamm, where leaders of the world's...

BRAZIL: ACTIVIST OCCUPATIONS MOBILIZE HOMELESS POPULATION.
June 1, 2007... by Mario Osava SAO PAULO, Brazil, May 31, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The experience of occupying a vacant lot near Sao Paulo has politicized thousands of homeless families and transformed them into a tight-knit activist group. The families were...

MIDEAST: BARAK PULLS AHEAD IN RACE FOR HELM OF LABOR PARTY.
June 1, 2007... Analysis by Peter Hirschberg JERUSALEM, May 31, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Many Israeli citizens responded with scorn and distaste earlier this year when Ehud Barak announced that he was returning to politics, but Barak has since clawed his way to...

EUROPE: AFRICAN DIASPORA IS URGED TO INVEST IN HOME COUNTRIES.
June 1, 2007... by Michael Deibert NEW YORK, May 31, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- A new investment facility in Europe will soon encourage African immigrants to make direct investments in their home countries. A new study by the Brussels-based Africa, Caribbean...

DEATH PENALTY: FRENCH JOURNALIST CAMPAIGNS TO END EXECUTIONS.
June 1, 2007... by Julio Godoy PARIS, May 31, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The global fight to end the death penalty has won some major victories in the past seven years, due in part to the work of a French journalist named Michel Taube. In 2000, when Taube...

SERBIA: CHINESE AND IRAQI IMMIGRANTS RECEIVE QUIET WELCOME.
June 1, 2007... by Vesna Peric Zimonjic BELGRADE, Serbia-Montenegro, May 31, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Thousands of Chinese immigrants, as well as refugees from Iraq and Afghanistan, are building a home in Serbia. The region may be viewed by some as...

SRI LANKA: COMMUNITY RADIO STATION PROMOTES ETHNIC HARMONY.
June 4, 2007... by Kalinga Seneviratne KOTHMALE, Sri Lanka, Jun. 4, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- A state-run community radio station in Sri Lanka is promoting peaceful dialogue among the country's Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslim ethnic groups by broadcasting live...

EASTERN EUROPE: BUSH SEEKS SUPPORT FOR MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEM.
June 4, 2007... by Zolt n Dujisin BUDAPEST, Hungary, Jun. 3, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- President George W. Bush traveled to the Czech Republic and Poland this week with the aim of persuading the region's leaders to permit the construction of a missile defense...

RUSSIA: PREVENTION EFFORTS FAIL TO STEM SPREAD OF HIV.
June 4, 2007... by Kester Kenn Klomegah MOSCOW, Jun. 3, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Russia's HIV infection rate continues to rise -- most notably among heterosexuals who do not use drugs -- despite steady increases in funds to fight the disease. Experts and...

GERMANY: PEACEFUL PROTEST AGAINST G-8 ENDS IN BLOODY BATTLE.
June 4, 2007... by Julio Godoy ROSTOCK, Germany, Jun. 3, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Police forces and a splinter group of masked demonstrators fought a violent street battle following a peaceful demonstration against the G-8 summit Saturday in Rostock, Germany....

GREAT BRITAIN: BLAIR COMPLETES LAST OFFICIAL VISIT TO AFRICA.
June 4, 2007... by Moyiga Nduru JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, Jun. 2, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Outgoing British Prime Minister Tony Blair received a mixed welcome during his last official visit to Africa last week. The five-day trip, which ended Friday,...

AFRICA: PILOT PROJECTS PROMOTE ELECTRONIC LEARNING.
June 4, 2007... by Joyce Mulama NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun. 2, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Electronic learning is proving useful in a number of African countries that face shortages of qualified teachers. For example, more than half the teachers in the East African...

BRAZIL: CLIMATE CHANGE MAY FORCE FARMERS TO SWITCH CROPS.
June 4, 2007... by Roberto Villar Belmonte SAO PAULO, Brazil, Jun. 2, 2007 (IPS/IFEJ) -- Agricultural researchers in Brazil are scrambling to prepare the country's farmers for the effects of climate change, which has already begun changing temperature and...

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: GALA COINCIDES WITH AHMADINEJAD'S VISIT.
June 4, 2007... by Meena Janardhan DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Jun. 2, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- A group of Iranian artists spent May 10-31 in the United Arab Emirates, serving as informal cultural ambassadors during a visit by Iranian President Mahmoud...

U.S./IRAQ: BUSH SEEKS TO BUILD PERMANENT MILITARY BASES IN IRAQ.
June 4, 2007... by Jim Lobe WASHINGTON, Jun. 1, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- President George W. Bush appears to have rejected the Iraq Study Group's call to pledge not to establish permanent military bases in Iraq. White House spokesman Tony Snow confirmed this...

COLOMBIA: CROSSFIRE OF WARRING MILITIA GROUPS TRAPS CIVILIANS.
June 4, 2007... by Constanza Vieira BUENAVENTURA, Colombia, Jun. 1, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- "We can't go from one barrio to another. Whoever does that is at risk of losing their life," said a community organizer in Buenaventura, a Pacific port city in Colombia....

BURUNDI: PROCESSING PLANT TURNS URBAN WASTE INTO FUEL.
June 4, 2007... by Jr"me Bigirimana BUJUMBURA, Burundi, Jun. 1, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- A new waste management system has enabled residents of the Burundian capital to transform their garbage into fuel. Several months ago the city of Bujumbura was...

CUBA: SUGARCANE WASTE MAY PROVIDE RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCE.
June 4, 2007... by Patricia Grogg HAVANA, Jun. 1, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Cuban researchers are eager to transform the byproducts of the country's sugar industry into electricity, alcohol and even pharmaceutical products. Like other Latin American...

IRAQ: SICK AND SCARED, GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS TRAVEL ABROAD.
June 4, 2007... by Ali al-Fadhily* BAGHDAD, Iraq, Jun. 1, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Fed up with the U.S.-backed government in Baghdad, some Iraqis have begun making harsh jokes about their leaders, several of whom have been diagnosed with serious medical...

CHINA/U.S.: PENTAGON RAMPS UP MISSILE TESTS IN THE PACIFIC.
June 4, 2007... by John Lasker COLUMBUS, OHIO, Jun. 1, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The Chinese government's decision to blast one of its satellites into thousands of pieces earlier this year may have been an attempt to persuade the U.S. to negotiate a treaty...

BULGARIA: SOFIA MAYOR GAINS POPULARITY FOR ANTI-CRIME STANCE.
June 4, 2007... by Claudia Ciobanu SOFIA, Bulgaria, Jun. 1, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Sofia Mayor Boiko Borisov -- who has promoted himself as an anti-crime crusader -- is making his way towards the prime minister's chair. Bulgarians voted for the first time...

INDIA: SAND MINING ACCELERATES EROSION OF THE KERALA COAST.
June 4, 2007... by Max Martin THRISSUR, India, Jun. 1, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The Arabian sea claims large chunks of the shore every season in the southwest Indian state of Kerala. Despite the accelerating loss of coastline, sand miners continue to gouge...

GERMANY: DEVELOPING COUNTRIES PLAN TO SPEAK OUT AT G-8 SUMMIT.
June 4, 2007... by Julio Godoy BERLIN, Jun. 1, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Emissaries from Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa are preparing to fight for the interests of developing countries June 6-8 at a summit of the world's Group of Eight richest...

THAILAND: PARTIES SEEK TO INFLUENCE CONSTITUTIONAL PLEBISCITE.
June 5, 2007... by Marwaan Macan-Markar BANGKOK, Thailand, Jun. 5, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Voters in Thailand are debating the role that political parties should play in the country's first-ever referendum to approve a new constitution. The final arbiters...

G-8: LEGISLATORS DISCUSS INTERNATIONAL CLIMATE ACCORD.
June 5, 2007... by Ramesh Jaura BERLIN, Jun. 4, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Legislators from Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Canada, United States and Russia are hoping to achieve a historic breakthrough on climate change at the Group of Eight summit this...

G-8: BUSH PROPOSES ENVIRONMENTAL PACT AND AIDS FUNDING.
June 5, 2007... Analysis by Emad Mekay WASHINGTON, Jun. 4, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- President George W. Bush may be more cooperative and subdued than usual at this week's summit of the Group of Eight most industrialized nations. Given the deteriorating...

INDIA: RISING SEAS DESTROY CROPS IN SUNDERBANS DELTA.
June 5, 2007... by Sujoy Dhar SAGAR ISLAND, India, Jun. 4, 2007 (IPS/IFEJ) -- Subodh Patra and his family can't sleep at night, for fear that rising sea levels will inundate their humble dwelling on the Indian Sunderbans. The villager lost the crops...

G-8: GERMANY BRACES FOR POTENTIAL FAILURES AT SUMMIT.
June 5, 2007... by Julio Godoy HEILIGENDAMM, Germany, Jun. 4, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- German leaders are trying to lower international expectations regarding the outcome of the upcoming Group of Eight summit, which is scheduled to begin in a couple of days. ...

POLL-U.S.: ARAB AND JEWISH COMMUNITIES SHARE PEACE GOALS.
June 5, 2007... by Jim Lobe WASHINGTON, Jun. 4, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Arab and Jewish communities within the United States generally agree that Washington should help broker a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the Middle East,...

COLOMBIA: SENATE HEARS TESTIMONY ON CIVILIAN MASSACRES.
June 5, 2007... by Constanza Vieira BUENAVENTURA, Colombia, Jun. 4, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Colombia's Senate Human Rights Commission held a public hearing in Buenaventura last week to gather testimony regarding the countless massacres that have occurred in...

ST. LUCIA: CABINET SEEKS MEDICAL REPORT ON AILING PRIME MINISTER.
June 5, 2007... by Peter Ischyrion CASTRIES, St. Lucia, Jun. 4, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Sir John Compton, the 82-year-old prime minister of St. Lucia, is hospitalized and awaiting further medical treatment. Compton's age was a sensitive topic during the...

CHILE: POLLUTION VICTIMS WIN COURT BATTLE FOR COMPENSATION.
June 5, 2007... by Daniela Estrada SANTIAGO, Chile, Jun. 4, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The Chilean Supreme Court has ordered the government to pay compensation to 356 residents affected by pollution with toxic metals in the northern city of Arica. The...

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: FILM ON HAITIAN MIGRANTS SPURS BACKLASH.
June 5, 2007... by Michael Deibert NEW YORK, Jun. 4, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Photographers, filmmakers and journalists who document the plight of Haitian workers in the Dominican Republic often face opposition apparently organized by wealthy Dominican sugar...

LEBANON: FIGHTING ESCALATES OUTSIDE PALESTINIAN REFUGEE CAMPS.
June 5, 2007... by Jackson Allers BADDAWI CAMP, Lebanon, Jun. 4, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Fighting escalated in Lebanon on Sunday and Monday, after a Sunni Islamic group attacked soldiers outside Lebanon's largest Palestinian refugee camp. The group, Jund al...

IRAQ: SECURITY CRACKDOWN BREEDS RESENTMENT IN FALLUJAH.
June 5, 2007... by Ali al-Fadhily* FALLUJAH, Iraq, Jun. 4, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Fallujah residents are trapped within a system of checkpoints and curfews that has been imposed by U.S. and Iraqi forces for more than two weeks. Located 70 kilometers...

SIERRA LEONE: VICTIMS FOCUS ON SURVIVAL, NOT WAR-CRIMES TRIAL.
June 5, 2007... by Nadja Drost FREETOWN, Sierra Leone, Jun. 4, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Many victims of the brutal civil war in Sierra Leone are too busy trying to survive to pay attention to the trial of the man who allegedly bankrolled the conflict. ...

CENTRAL AFRICA: POWER IMBALANCE HAMPERS TRADE TALKS WITH EU.
June 5, 2007... by David Cronin BRUSSELS, Belgium, Jun. 4, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Struggling to rebuild after years of bloodshed, Central African governments have little clout in free trade negotiations with the European Union. The region was scathed by a...

IRAN/U.S.: AMBASSADORS DISCUSS STABILIZATION OF IRAQ.
June 5, 2007... Analysis by Kimia Sanati TEHRAN, Iran, Jun. 4, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Ambassadors from Iran and the United States began direct talks Monday in Baghdad regarding the issue of security in Iraq. Some analysts have described the talks as a...

SOUTH ASIA: SOLDIERS POLLUTE AND MELT SIACHEN GLACIER.
June 6, 2007... by Zofeen Ebrahim ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jun. 6, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The presence of Indian and Pakistani troops is disturbing the fragile ecosystem of the Siachen glacier and causing it to melt more quickly. For almost half a century now,...

INDIA-U.S.: DIPLOMATS FAIL TO REACH NUCLEAR COOPERATION DEAL.
June 6, 2007... Analysis by Praful Bidwai NEW DELHI, Jun. 6, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- High-level talks between the United States and India have failed to produce an agreement regarding a nuclear cooperation deal initialed in July 2005. The negotiations, held...

U.S.: JUDGE SENTENCES CHENEY'S AIDE TO 30 MONTHS IN PRISON.
June 6, 2007... by Jim Lobe WASHINGTON, Jun. 5, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- A federal judge sentenced I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby on Tuesday to 30 months in prison, reflecting badly on Libby's former boss, Vice President Dick Cheney. Sometimes known as "Cheney's...

RIGHTS-U.S.: RULING LIMITS POWER OF MILITARY TRIBUNALS.
June 6, 2007... by Eli Clifton WASHINGTON, Jun. 5, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- A U.S. military judge recently dismissed charges against a man accused of being Osama Bin Laden's driver, as well as against a defendant who was 15 years old at the time he was detained...

G-8: CALDERON MAY USE SUMMIT TO STRENGTHEN TIES WITH INVESTORS.
June 6, 2007... by Diego Cevallos MEXICO CITY, Mexico, Jun. 5, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The Mexican government has marked differences and even conflicts with China and Brazil, two other members of the so-called Group of Five developing countries that are seen as...

G-8: ACTIVISTS CALL FOR ACTION ON POVERTY AND CLIMATE CHANGE.
June 6, 2007... by Moyiga Nduru JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, Jun. 5, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The Group of Eight richest countries must address both climate change and poverty to truly improve living conditions in Africa, activists say. Activists from various...

G-8: LULA TOUTS BIOFUELS AT INTERNATIONAL SUMMIT.
June 6, 2007... by Fabiana Frayssinet RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, Jun. 5, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Brazilian President Luiz In cio Lula da Silva plans to discuss the importance of biofuels in the fight against global warming, as a guest at the Group of Eight summit...

POLITICS-U.S.: BUSH AVOIDS INVOLVEMENT IN MIDEAST PEACE PROCESS.
June 6, 2007... by Ellen Massey WASHINGTON, Jun. 5, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- U.S. policymakers are revisiting recommendations issued last year by the Iraq Study Group, but they are ignoring the group's call for U.S. engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian peace...

POLITICS: AL-QAIDA MAY ATTEMPT TO TRIGGER U.S. WAR WITH IRAN.
June 6, 2007... Analysis by Gareth Porter* WASHINGTON, Jun. 5, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Former national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinksi warned last week that al-Qaida may be tempted to attack the U.S. with the aim of providing a pretext for Washington to...

G-8: BUSH RESISTS EUROPEAN PUSH TO LIMIT AIR POLLUTION.
June 6, 2007... by Haider Rizvi UNITED NATIONS, Jun. 5, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- President George W. Bush has rejected a proposed European plan to set new limits on greenhouse gas emissions for the industrialized nations. Despite increasing calls from the...

U.N.: PROPOSED SUMMIT WOULD BOOST SOUTH-SOUTH COOPERATION.
June 6, 2007... by Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS, Jun. 5, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Dramatic growth in trade and investments among the world's developing nations has inspired leaders to call for an international conference on South-South economic cooperation. ...

U.S.: EXECUTION TEAMS PREPARE TO KILL INMATES IN FLORIDA.
June 6, 2007... by Mark Weisenmiller TAMPA, Fla., Jun. 5, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Two newly trained teams of executioners are ready to start killing death row inmates as soon as Florida's new governor gives the word. The new teams, which are avowedly...

G-8: PUTIN RUFFLES FEATHERS BY ISSUING COLD WAR-STYLE THREAT.
June 6, 2007... by Julio Godoy HEILIGENDAMM, Germany, Jun. 5, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened to reinstall and aim strategic nuclear weapons toward European capitals in a drama that echoes events from the Cold War era....

PAKISTAN: U.S. AIR STRIKES PARALYZE HOSPITALS ON AFGHAN BORDER.
June 6, 2007... by Ashfaq Yusufzai PESHAWAR, Jun. 5, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Aerial attacks have crippled the once well-organized health delivery network along Pakistan's border with Afghanistan. Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Area extends 27,220...

BRAZIL/INDIA: LULA AND SINGH STRENGTHEN ALLIANCE.
June 6, 2007... by Paranjoy Guha Thakurta NEW DELHI, Jun. 5, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Brazil's president and India's prime minister met in New Delhi early this week, expressing a South-South solidarity and a determination to engage with the United States and the...

FINANCE: RUSSIA WRITES OFF AFRICA'S DEBT TO BEEF UP TRADE TIES.
June 6, 2007... by Kester Kenn Klomegah MOSCOW, Jun. 5, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The Russian government has written off the majority of African countries' debt in an attempt to kick-start better trade relations with governments across the continent. The...

AFGHANISTAN: OFFICIALS BLAME UZBEK WARLORD FOR 'REBELLION'.
June 6, 2007... by Tahir Qadiry MAZAR-E-SHARIF, Afghanistan, Jun. 5, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The Afghan government has accused warlord Gen. Abdorrrashid Dostum and his Uzbek community of staging a rebellion against the government of President Hamid Karzai. ...

GUATEMALA: PARLIAMENT SEEKS TO REGULATE ADOPTION INDUSTRY.
June 6, 2007... by Ins Ben tez GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, Jun. 5, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The Guatemalan parliament is preparing to pass a law that would regulate international adoption throughout the Central American country, where the trafficking and sale of...

CLIMATE CHANGE: GLACIERS MELT MORE QUICKLY THAN EXPECTED.
June 6, 2007... by Stephen Leahy BROOKLIN, Canada, Jun. 5, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The Earth is going dark. From the Arctic Ocean to the Russian tundra, bright stretches of ice and snow are disappearing due to global warming, according to a report released...

ASIA: AUSTRALIAN SCIENTISTS HELP COTTON FARMERS COMBAT PESTS.
June 7, 2007... by Neena Bhandari MELBOURNE, Australia, Jun. 7, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- A relatively low-tech approach to managing pesticides may help cotton farmers across Asia raise their yields and reduce environmental contamination. Melbourne scientists...

G-8: INDIA OPPOSES CAPS ON GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS.
June 7, 2007... by Praful Bidwai NEW DELHI, Jun. 7, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The Indian government seems determined to hamstring the Group of Eight richest countries' efforts to impose enforceable limits on the emissions of developing countries. Indian...

CHINA: RISING SEA LEVELS THREATEN SHANGHAI.
June 7, 2007... by Antoaneta Bezlova SHANGHAI, China, Jun. 7, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Dire predictions about climate change have failed to generate alarm on the streets of Shanghai. Few people in this forward-looking Chinese city imagine that their future...

ITALY: YOUTH-LED MAGAZINE DOCUMENTS MUSLIM EXPERIENCES.
June 7, 2007... by Sabina Zaccaro ROME, Jun. 6, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- A group of young, second-generation immigrants have created a monthly magazine to discuss the barriers that prevent them from fully integrating into Italian society. The first edition...

MEXICO: SUPREME COURT REINS IN POWERFUL BROADCASTERS.
June 7, 2007... by Diego Cevallos MEXICO CITY, Mexico, Jun. 6, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Mexico's Supreme Court has dealt a major blow to the country's two most powerful broadcasters, Televisa and TV Azteca, by declaring several key clauses of a 2006 law...

BRAZIL: METHANE NEAR DAMS COULD SERVE AS ENERGY SOURCE.
June 7, 2007... by Mario Osava RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, Jun. 6, 2007 (IPS/IFEJ) -- Brazilian researchers are seeking to boost energy production and protect the environment by extracting methane gas from the water used in hydroelectric plants. ...

COLOMBIA: HERBICIDAL SPRAYING HURTS CHILDREN, NOT COCA CROPS.
June 7, 2007... by Constanza Vieira BOGOTA, Colombia, Jun. 6, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Coca crops expanded last year in Colombia, despite the heavy herbicide spraying carried out under Plan Colombia, according to a U.S. government report released Tuesday. ...

IRAQ: U.S.-LED INVASION SHATTERS FAMILIES, POSTPONES MARRIAGES.
June 7, 2007... by Ali al-Fadhily* BAGHDAD, Iraq, Jun. 6, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- At least 655,000 Iraqis have died as a result of the U.S.-led invasion and occupation, which has forced whole communities to enter a period of mourning. Indeed the actual...

G-8: PROTESTERS BLOCK ROUTES TO CLOSELY GUARDED SUMMIT.
June 7, 2007... by Julio Godoy HEILIGENDAMM, Germany, Jun. 6, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Some 16,000 police officers and more than 1,500 soldiers are guarding the Group of Eight summit in an attempt to stop demonstrators from all over the world from disrupting the...

U.S.: OUTREACH PROGRAM HELPS VETERANS TRANSITION TO COLLEGE.
June 7, 2007... by Aaron Glantz ARCATA, Calif., Jun. 6, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Derek Adams, a 30-year-old Marine Corps veteran, says it was hard to get back into the swing of school after five years of following orders in the military. "You just get away...

CAMBODIA: KHMER ROUGE VICTIMS AWAIT WAR-CRIMES TRIALS.
June 7, 2007... by Rith Heng -- Newsmekong* PHNOM PENH, Cambodia, Jun. 6, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- You Song, a 78-year-old Cambodian farmer, is eager to see justice brought to the leaders of the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime. One of the many victims of the...

CAMBODIA: PRIME MINISTER'S BROTHER REVILES ENVIRONMENTALISTS.
June 7, 2007... by Marwaan Macan-Markar BANGKOK, Thailand, Jun. 6, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The governor of Kompong Cham province in Cambodia said he wants to beat up the British environmentalists who compiled a report on his country's illegal logging industry....