Interpress Service articles from May 2003

Interpress Service archives from May 2003

IRAQ: POST-CONFLICT DEALS FOR EAST EUROPEANS WHO BACKED ASSAULT.
May 1, 2003... by Ed Holt and Martina Pisarova BRATISLAVA, May 1 (IPS) -- As the U.S. and Britain divide up the spoils of the war in Iraq, some of the East European countries that backed the assault are looking for a piece of the action. President...

LABOR-BOLIVIA: WORKERS MARCH TO PROTEST ECONOMIC CRISIS.
May 1, 2003... by Alejandro Campos LA PAZ, May 1 (IPS) -- Bolivian workers will mark International Labour Day on Thursday amidst a deep economic crisis. This year's commemoration of May 1 could go down in history as the gloomiest since democracy was...

LABOR-SPAIN: WOMEN FARE WORST AS UNEMPLOYMENT GROWS.
May 1, 2003... by Alicia Fraerman MADRID, Apr. 30 (IPS) -- Women have been hit the hardest as unemployment in Spain rose to 11.7 percent in the first quarter of this year -- the highest rate among the 15 European Union (EU) countries, according to a new...

ARGENTINA: FATAL FLOODING BLAMED ON CLIMATE CHANGE.
May 1, 2003... by Marcela Valente BUENOS AIRES, Apr. 30 (IPS) -- Nine are dead, several missing and 50,000 evacuated in the worst flooding in the history of the province of Santa Fe in northeastern Argentina. Experts blame the deluge on global warming....

POLITICS-U.S.: BUSH UNDER PRESSURE OVER PALESTINE 'ROAD MAP'.
May 1, 2003... Analysis - By Jim Lobe WASHINGTON, Apr. 30 (IPS) -- Will President George W. Bush follow in his father's footsteps after his own victory over Iraq and exert serious pressure on Israel to implement the "road map" to end the...

IRAQ: BUSINESS FORUM'S MEETING IN JORDAN ANGERS ACTIVISTS.
May 1, 2003... by Emad Mekay WASHINGTON, Apr. 30 (IPS) -- An "extraordinary" meeting called by a leading global business group to discuss the future of the Middle East is being greeted by activists here and in the region as an attempt to divide the...

LABOUR-LATAM: BRAZIL'S UNIONS AVOIDING A REGIONAL CRISIS.
May 1, 2003... by Mario Osava RIO DE JANEIRO, Apr. 30 (IPS) -- Hard times have befallen Latin American trade unions since the early 1990s, but Brazil's labor movement has proved a notable exception. The long-lived labour unions of Argentina, Mexico...

DEVELOPMENT: U.N. SAYS GENDER INEQUALITY HAS GLOBAL ROOTS.
May 1, 2003... by Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS, Apr. 30 (IPS) -- The world's developing nations continue to lag far behind industrial countries in gender equality and empowerment, according to a new U.N. report released here. Titled 'Progress of the...

HEALTH: THE OTHER U.S. 'WAR' -- WITH THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION.
May 1, 2003... by Leonardo Sacchetti ROME, Apr. 30 (IPS) -- While the most dramatic global health issue of the moment is the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), which had claimed a total of 353 lives by Wednesday, a war continues to...

POLITICS-QATAR: APPROVAL OF CONSTITUTION SEEN AS A GOOD FIRST STEP.
May 1, 2003... By N Janardhan DUBAI, Apr. 30 (IPS) -- Whether U.S. pressure or the Qatari ruler's commitment to reform led to Tuesday's approval of a constitution, the referendum was a major step toward democracy in the Middle East, say regional...

ENVIRONMENT-SWAZILAND: A FIERCE BATTLE OVER A NEW ROAD.
May 1, 2003... by James Hall MBABANE, Apr. 30 (IPS) -- Only a week after the Swaziland Environmental Authority (SEA) flexed its newly found muscle and put one of the country's largest manufacturers on notice that it must stop polluting a central river or...

AFRICA: FOREIGN FUNDING FOR ELECTIONS COMES UNDER ATTACK.
May 1, 2003... by Noel Kokou Tadegnon LOME, Togo, Apr. 30 (IPS) -- Foreign financing of elections in West Africa needs to be stopped, according to a number of local government officials and others at a recent meeting here in Togo. Take Mali's 2002...

RIGHTS-EGYPT: ANTI-WAR DEMONSTRATORS REPORT TORTURE.
May 1, 2003... by Cam McGrath CAIRO, Apr. 30 (IPS) -- Students, journalists and activists rounded up during the police crackdown on anti-war demonstrations have been tortured, rights groups say. Hundreds of anti-war demonstrators have been detained...

NICARAGUA: COUNTDOWN TO VERDICT IN EX-PRESIDENT'S CORRUPTION CASE.
May 3, 2003... by Nfer Mu[currency]oz SAN JOSE, May 2 (IPS) -- The countdown has begun in the trial of former Nicaraguan president Arnoldo Alem?n (1997-2002), who is under house arrest on corruption charges, with a verdict expected within two months at...

RELIGION-LATAM: CHURCHES CALL FOR ALTERNATIVE TO FREE MARKET.
May 3, 2003... by Marcela Valente BUENOS AIRES, May 2 (IPS) -- Leaders of Protestant churches of Latin America, tired of alleviating social problems that they blame on neo-liberal free market policies, have decided to advance their own alternative...

IRAQ: WHO'S IN CHARGE IN WASHINGTON?
May 3, 2003... Analysis - By Jim Lobe WASHINGTON, May 2 (IPS) -- One day after U.S. President George W. Bush proclaimed victory in the war against Iraq from the flight deck of a homeward-bound aircraft carrier off San Diego, the war between the Pentagon...

POLITICS: U.N. SAYS IT WILL ROOT OUT FRAUD, CORRUPTION.
May 3, 2003... by Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS, May 2 (IPS) -- When a former chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee blasted the United Nations for waste and mismanagement, he also remarked that providing funds to the world body was like...

POLITICS-SYRIA: DAMASCUS STANDS UP TO U.S. PRESSURE.
May 3, 2003... by George Baghdadi DAMASCUS, May 2 (IPS) -- U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell arrived in Damascus Friday amidst indications that Syria will not take orders from the U.S. Powell was due to meet President Bashar al-Assad Saturday to...

POLITICS-CANADA: U.S. MILITARY TIES CHOKE FOREIGN POLICY.
May 3, 2003... By Paul Weinberg TORONTO, May 2 (IPS) -- Analysts are warning that Canada cannot both integrate its small armed forces with the giant U.S. military machine and maintain an independent foreign policy. The possibility that the Liberal...

MIDDLE EAST: 'ROAD MAP' NEEDS FOREIGN INTERVENTION.
May 3, 2003... by Ana Ruth Jerozolimski JERUSALEM, May 2 (IPS) -- Without a massive international presence, it will be impossible to take even the first few steps outlined by the new plan for peace in the Middle East, sponsored by the United States, the...

POLITICS-SLOVAKIA: THE WAY TO EU IS STILL UNCERTAIN.
May 3, 2003... by Ed Holt and Martina Pisarova BRATISLAVA, May 2 (IPS) -- Two weeks ahead of a crucial referendum on Slovakia's entry into the European Union, fears are growing over how many will turn out to vote, and whether they know what they will...

ECONOMY-BURKINA FASO: WAR PREVENTS CATTLE EXPORT TO COTE D'IVOIRE.
May 3, 2003... by Brahima Ouedraogo OUAGADOUGOU, May 2 (IPS) -- Cattle traders in this impoverished West African state of Burkina Faso have lost more than $17 million in revenue, as a result of the civil war in neighboring Cote d'Ivoire where they export...

LABOR-RUSSIA: RED FADES TO A PALE SHADE OF PINK.
May 3, 2003... by Sergei Blagov MOSCOW, May 2 (IPS) -- May Day celebrations in Russia became a picture of changed times since the Soviet days. Trade unions and communist groups managed small rallies - quite a change from those massive parades down...

MIDEAST: SAUDI-U.S. REALIGNMENT POLITICAL, NOT MILITARY, STRATEGY.
May 3, 2003... Analysis - By N Janardhan DUBAI, May 2 (IPS) -- The "mutual agreement" to end U.S. military operations in Saudi Arabia is a win-win formula guided at one level by political considerations and at another level by a warning to Riyadh that it...

RIGHTS-THAILAND: 'VICTORY' IN ANTI-DRUG WAR COMES WITH HIGH COST.
May 3, 2003... by Marwaan Macan-Markar BANGKOK, May 2 (IPS) -- In declaring "victory" after a three-month assault on Thailand's drug trade that ended this week, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has confirmed his passion for swift results -- even if,...

POLITICS-BRITAIN: RISE OF THE RIGHT WORRIES IMMIGRANTS.
May 5, 2003... by Sanjay Suri LONDON, May 5 (IPS/GIN) -- Akhtar Ahmed thought he would enjoy years of comfort and stability when he migrated to Britain 20 years ago. Now he is not so sure. The victories of the far-right British National Party (BNP)...

CONFLICT-LIBERIA: AFRICAN PEACEKEEPERS ARRIVE AS WAR SPREADS.
May 5, 2003... by Abdullah Dukuly MONROVIA, May 5 (IPS/GIN) -- A U.N.-backed team began a five-day visit to Liberia yesterday 4 to assess the country's deteriorating security situation, diplomats say. Led by Taliameni Kalomoh, U.N. Assistant...

ECONOMY-FRANCE: ANTI-LABOR MOVES HURT CHIRAC AT HOME.
May 5, 2003... by Julio Godoy PARIS, May 5 (IPS/GIN) -- French President Jacques Chirac is facing a new political landscape since captivating his country and much of the world with a campaign against U.S. military intervention in Iraq. The campaign...

POLITICS-NIGERIA: LOW TURN OUT MARKS STATE ASSEMBLY POLLS.
May 5, 2003... by Toye Olori LAGOS, May 5 (IPS) -- Unlike the National Assembly elections and the Gubernatorial and Presidential elections held on April 12 and April 19 respectively, Saturday's polls to elect representatives at the various state houses...

SOUTH AFRICA: AIDS DRUG MONEY FOR KWAZULU LIES UNSPENT.
May 5, 2003... by Nawaal Deane JOHANNESBURG, May 5 (IPS/GIN) -- AIDS activists are pointing to the red tape that has tied up release of millions of dollars in funding for anti-retroviral treatment as a signal that the country lacks the political...

AUSTRALIA: HEALTH PRODUCTS RECALLED, EXPORTS STAY ON SALE.
May 5, 2003... by Bob Burton CANBERRA, May 5 (IPS) -- Consumer groups are seeking better international coordination for the recall of potentially dangerous health care products after more than 1,300 of them were withdrawn from sale in Australia -- but...

POLITICS-BURMA: A YEAR AFTER SUU KYI'S RELEASE, LITTLE HAS CHANGED.
May 5, 2003... by Larry Jagan RANGOON, May 5 (IPS) -- A year after Aung San Suu Kyi was freed from house arrest, Burma's generals still cling to power and have no intentions of starting serious political talks with the opposition leader. Burma has...

BANGLADESH: CURBS ON WOMEN MIGRANTS EASED, BUT DEBATE UNFINISHED.
May 5, 2003... by Tabibul Islam DHAKA, May 5 (IPS) -- Bangladesh's decision to relax the latest restrictions on women seeking work abroad has rekindled a debate on the government's policies on women's rights, labor export, and its ability to protect its...

SCIENCE-INDIA: DUTCH WORK ON PLANT WEALTH, 325 YEARS OLD, REVIVED.
May 5, 2003... by Ranjit Devraj NEW DELHI, May 3 (IPS) -- Fully 325 years after its publication in Amsterdam, the 132-volume 'Hortus Malabaricus' (Garden of Malabar), a treatise on the medicinal plants of southern Kerala state, has finally been...

POLITICS-MIDEAST: FOR ARABS, QUARTET PLAN A ROAD WITHOUT A MAP.
May 5, 2003... by N Janardhan DUBAI, May 3 (IPS) -- Because too many Middle East peace initiatives have failed in the past, Arabs are skeptical about the possibility that the new "road map" for peace, released this week, can end Israeli occupation and...

POLITICS-COTE D'IVOIRE: U.N. SEEKS MILLIONS FOR POST-WAR AID.
May 5, 2003... by Georges Konan ABIDJAN, May 3 (IPS) -- Efforts to put a stop to more than seven months of civil war in Cote d'Ivoire are taking a new turn, with government and rebel forces returning to the peace table as war-torn Liberia weighed in and...

ENVIRONMENT-LATAM: ALARM SOUNDS FOR DISAPPEARING BIRDS.
May 5, 2003... by Humberto M?rquez CARACAS, May 3 (IPS/Tierramrica) -- Any overview about birds in Latin America conveys a sense of the great wealth of species, serving as a reminder of the region's almost lavish biological diversity and of the...

POLITICS: A SERB PARK COMMEMORATES BETTER DAYS.
May 6, 2003... by Vesna Peric Zimonjic BELGRADE, May 6 (IPS) -- The country is gone, but a park, named "Yugoslavia" opened today in Subotica, 170 kilometers north of Belgrade. "As long as there are people who remember what the old Yugoslavia looked...

POLITICS-ASIA: THE 'GREAT GAME' CONTINUES -- WITH NEW U.S. RULES.
May 6, 2003... Commentary - By M B Naqvi KARACHI, Pakistan, May 6 (IPS) -- All the speculation about 'After Iraq, Who?' has served to hide a bigger story. This is the renewal of the 19th century struggle for power in much of Asia between an Imperial...

SIERRA LEONE: WAR CRIMES COURT BIDS LIBERIA GIVE UP FUGITIVES.
May 6, 2003... by Lansana Fofana FREETOWN, May 6 (IPS) -- The U.N.-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone has urged President Charles Taylor of Liberia to hand over fugitives who "bear the greatest responsibility for war crimes" during the country's...

RIGHTS-JAPAN: VOLUNTEERS TAKING ON THE SEX INDUSTRY.
May 6, 2003... by Suvendrini Kakuchi TOKYO, May 6 (IPS) -- Jinaemon Sugawara is 80, feisty and still furious. It was 15 years ago that the spunky senior decided that enough was enough - he had seen the last smutty flier that he wanted to see, pasted...

MEDIA: AFRICA MOST DANGEROUS FOR MEDIA, ACTIVISTS SAY.
May 6, 2003... by James Hall JOHANNESBURG, May 6 (IPS) -- African journalists marked this year's Press Freedom Day with somber observations about the dangers of media work on the continent, and memorials to colleagues killed doing their jobs. Never...

MALAYSIA: A LONG WAY TO GO TO CHANGE MEDIA, NEWSMEN SAY.
May 6, 2003... by Mustafa Ali KUALA LUMPUR, May 6 (IPS) -- Despite louder calls for press freedom in recent years, there is a long way to go before Malaysian society and its much-controlled media get a taste of real freedom, recent debates among...

CULTURE-BRAZIL: ARTISTS REBEL AGAINST LULA'S 'SOCIAL' GUIDELINES.
May 6, 2003... by Mario Osava RIO DE JANEIRO, May 5 (IPS) -- The Brazilian art world has risen up against President Luiz In?cio Lula da Silva, whom it helped elect, for his requirement that state cultural agencies will only invest in projects that follow...

EUROPEAN UNION: AID ASKED FOR OVERSEAS TERRITORIES.
May 6, 2003... by Mario de Queiroz LISBON, May 5 (IPS) -- France, Portugal and Spain resolved Monday to demand that the European Union's new constitution include a provision ensuring continued development aid to their overseas territories, which lag far...

IRAQ: NEO-CONS TARGET IRAN.
May 6, 2003... Analysis - By Jim Lobe WASHINGTON, May 5 (IPS) -- With Iraq under U.S. occupation and Syria buffeted by a series of high-level threats from the Bush administration, Iran could be the next major target for U.S. pressure. With officials...

VENEZUELA: CHAVEZ ACTS TO HEAD OFF FOOD SHORTAGES.
May 6, 2003... by Humberto M?rquez CARACAS, May 5 (IPS) -- The strict controls on currency exchange implemented three months ago in Venezuela have pushed food supplies to the brink, limiting private sector cash in a country that imports nearly half of...

INDIA-PAKISTAN: A TURNING POINT, OR ANOTHER FALSE DAWN?
May 6, 2003... Commentary - By Praful Bidwai NEW DELHI, May 6 (IPS) -- A week after Pakistan officially responded positively to India's offer of the "hand of friendship," the two nuclear adversaries have agreed to exchange ambassadors and restore...

POLITICS-SYRIA: PALESTINIAN GROUPS FORCED TO SHUT OFFICES.
May 6, 2003... by George Baghdadi DAMASCUS, May 5 (IPS) -- Syria has given in to U.S. demands to shut the offices of several radical Palestinian groups. The Syria government seems to have acted under the realities of the "new strategic situation"...

ENVIRONMENT-UGANDA: DESPITE BAN, POACHERS STILL IMPERIL ELEPHANTS.
May 7, 2003... by Evelyn Kiapi Matsamura KAMPALA, May 7 (IPS) -- Six years after the international community banned ivory trade, poachers still pose a serious threat to Uganda's elephants. In Uganda, the elephants, or the jumbos as they are commonly...

RIGHTS-INDIA: PROTESTING BHOPAL SURVIVORS HIT WITH CIVIL SUIT.
May 7, 2003... by Meena Menon MUMBAI, India, May 7 (IPS) -- Rashida Bi, a survivor of the Bhopal gas leak, the world's worst industrial disaster 18 years ago, will be among the demonstrators Thursday outside the New York offices of Dow Chemicals while a...

POLITICS-NEPAL: DEMONSTRATIONS WILL BE A KEY TEST FOR MONARCHY.
May 7, 2003... Analysis - By Damakant Jayshi KATHMANDU, May 7 (IPS) -- Nepal's King Gyanendra is facing his sternest test since he assumed executive powers seven months ago. More protests by the five political parties and their supporters are due,...

BURMA: U.S. SAYS REGIME LAGS IN CURBING DRUG PRODUCTION.
May 7, 2003... by Larry Jagan MUSE, Burma, May 7 (IPS) -- Burma's leaders are angry at the international community, especially the United States, for failing to acknowledge the government's efforts to stamp out illicit drug production. Washington...

AUSTRALIA: GOVERNMENT PRESSED TO END TRAFFICKING OF ASIAN WOMEN.
May 7, 2003... by Kalinga Seneviratne SYDNEY, May 7 (IPS) -- Pressure is rising on the Australian government to end the trafficking of women from Asia. Last month's release of a coroner's report into the death of a 27-year-old Thai woman, believed to...

POLITICS-MEXICO: CAPITAL'S LEFTIST MAYOR RIDING HIGH IN POLLS.
May 7, 2003... by Diego Cevallos MEXICO CITY, May 6 (IPS) -- The spotlight of Mexican politics is focused on Andrs Manuel Lcentspez Obrador, the leftist mayor who governs the capital with unprecedented approval ratings and is being viewed as a...

POLITICS-VENEZUELA: RULING PARTIES WANT TALKS HELD IN PARLIAMENT.
May 7, 2003... by Humberto M?rquez CARACAS, May 6 (IPS) -- Venezuela's ruling parties want the talks between the opposition and the government to move to parliament. The announcement was made on the eve of a visit by the deputy foreign ministers of...

POPULATION: AMERICANS RAISE MILLION FOR U.N. POPULATION FUND.
May 7, 2003... by Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS, May 6 (IPS) -- A U.N. agency that suffered a $34 million cut in funding from Washington because of charges that it promotes abortions, is a million dollars richer after U.S. citizens launched a grassroots...

ARGENTINA: DESPITE WARNINGS, FLOODS CAUGHT PROVINCE OFF GUARD.
May 7, 2003... by Marcela Valente BUENOS AIRES, May 6 (IPS) -- Scientific researchers, meteorologists, environmentalists and journalists had long warned about the risk of severe flooding in the northwestern Argentine province of Santa Fe. But...

RIGHTS-COLOMBIA: FAMILIES DEMAND ACCORD ON CAPTIVES.
May 7, 2003... by Yadira Ferrer BOGOTA, May 6 (IPS) -- Rights activists and families of kidnap victims called on the Colombian government and guerrilla groups Tuesday to reach a humanitarian agreement in order to prevent captives held by the warring...

HEALTH: MOTHERS IN POOR LANDS FARE POORLY, RIGHTS GROUP SAYS.
May 7, 2003... by Jim Lobe WASHINGTON, May 6 (IPS) -- There is a great gap between the wellbeing of mothers in the world's richest and poorest nations, says the fourth annual 'Mothers' Index' released here Tuesday by the international rights group Save...

POLITICS: RICH NATIONS DOMINATE GLOBAL BODIES, ACTIVISTS COMPLAIN.
May 7, 2003... by Emad Mekay* WASHINGTON, May 6 (IPS) -- Multilateral bodies created to run the world are dominated by rich nations, civil society groups say. Dozens of international agencies like the World Trade Organization (WTO), the International...

POLITICS-YEMEN: INQUIRY URGED OVER VOTE FRAUD CHARGES.
May 7, 2003... by Nabil Sultan SANA'A, May 6 (IPS) -- Opposition parties have threatened to boycott the new House of Representatives to protest what they see as election violations. The parties called a joint meeting Tuesday to demand a judicial...

HEALTH-LATIN AMERICA: GOVERNMENTS SLOW TO ACT ON SARS, EXPERTS SAY.
May 7, 2003... by Diego Cevallos MEXICO CITY, May 6 (IPS/Tierramrica) -- The number of people wearing white laboratory coats in Latin American and Caribbean airports is growing as efforts multiply to monitor passengers to prevent the entry of severe...

ECONOMY-EU: 'BIG BANG' DUE IN TEXTILE INDUSTRY WHEN QUOTAS END.
May 7, 2003... by Stefania Bianchi BRUSSELS, May 6 (IPS) -- The textile and clothing industry is heading for a "big bang" as trade quotas run out by the end of next year, says EU Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy. Hosting a conference on 'The Future of...

THAILAND-MALAYSIA: GAS LINE WILL HEIGHTEN PROTESTS, ACTIVISTS WARN.
May 7, 2003... by Marwaan Macan-Markar BANGKOK, May 6 (IPS) -- Environment and grassroots activists are putting the Thai government on notice: Expect the political temperature in the country's southern provinces to rise, now that work on a long-disputed...

DEVELOPMENT-SOUTHERN AFRICA: U.S. TO AID MILLIONS OF HUNGRY.
May 7, 2003... by Chisa Mutaka LUSAKA, May 6 (IPS) -- The U.S. government has granted $114 million to a consortium of three aid agencies to assist people at risk of starvation in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The grant will be channelled through the...

PAKISTAN: FARMER INCENTIVES SOW DOUBTS ABOUT FOOD SECURITY.
May 8, 2003... By Muddassir Rizvi ISLAMABAD, May 8 (IPS) -- The Pakistan government's latest measures to boost agriculture and reward farmers for producing a bumper wheat crop this year have sown doubt among food rights groups, who say they encourage...

ECONOMY-SOUTH ASIA: TRADE MAY BE THE KEY TO INDIA-PAKISTAN PEACE.
May 8, 2003... By Ranjit Devraj NEW DELHI, May 8 (IPS) -- Trade may prove to be the means that feuding South Asian neighbors India and Pakistan use to ease their tense relationship that has often erupted into open warfare over the past half a century....

POLITICS: AIDEED'S SON EYEING THE SOMALI PRESIDENCY.
May 8, 2003... By Katy Salmon NAIROBI, May 8 (IPS) -- As Somali delegates at the ongoing reconciliation conference in Kenya are gearing up to choose an interim leader to restore peace to their war-torn country, political bigwigs are busy lobbying for the...

POLITICS-INDONESIA: FEAR OVERSHADOWS HOPE FOR PEACE IN ACEH.
May 8, 2003... by Prangtip Daorueng JAKARTA, May 8 (IPS) -- As Aceh's peace effort lurches toward a possible collapse, fear has replaced hope in that restive Indonesian province. "We can only hope that God will protect us. We have no weapons to...

HEALTH-EU: MOST COUNTRIES NEGLECTING THE MENTALLY ILL.
May 8, 2003... by Stefania Bianchi BRUSSELS, May 8 (IPS) -- The EU is not doing enough to help almost a quarter of its citizens suffering from a debilitating mental illness, according to a report released Thursday. The disturbing findings of the...

HEALTH-EGYPT: CAIRO SETS UP STRONG PROGRAM TO KEEP SARS OUT.
May 8, 2003... By Cam McGrath CAIRO, May 7 (IPS) -- Egypt is officially SARS-free, and the government is taking elaborate measures to keep it that way. SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), which has killed about 460 people and infected 6,600...

POLITICS-U.S.: THE STRONG MUST RULE THE WEAK, SAID NEO-CONS' MUSE.
May 8, 2003... Analysis - By Jim Lobe WASHINGTON, May 7 (IPS) -- Is U.S. foreign policy being run by followers of an obscure German Jewish political philosopher whose views were elitist, amoral and hostile to democratic government? Suddenly,...

RIGHTS-BRAZIL: A NEW DRIVE TO STOP USE OF MINOR GIRLS AS DOMESTICS.
May 8, 2003... By Mario Osava RIO DE JANEIRO, May 7 (IPS) -- A campaign is underway in Brazil to quash the notion that hiring a girl to work in one's home is "normal". The estimated half-million female minors, mostly black, working as maids often...

CUBA: MIAMI BECKONS AS ECONOMIC WOES CONTINUE.
May 8, 2003... By Dalia Acosta HAVANA, May 7 (IPS) -- Marlene Guzm?n and her uncles, aunts, siblings and cousins used to meet every Sunday at her grandmother's house in Havana. But the reunions are much smaller now, because so much of her family has...

LITERATURE: SONTAG AND MERNISSI WIN SPAIN'S ASTURIAS PRIZE.
May 8, 2003... By Alicia Fraerman MADRID, May 7 (IPS) -- Writers Susan Sontag of the United States and F?tima Mernissi of Morocco are the joint winners of this year's Prince of Asturias Prize for Literature. The two women, known for their independent...

MEDIA: FRENCH TO LAUNCH A CNN-TYPE GLOBAL TV CHANNEL.
May 8, 2003... By Julio Godoy PARIS, May 7 (IPS) -- France is preparing to launch a state-owned international news channel to compete with the British, U.S. and Arab channels that dominate global television. The launch of the new channel,...

FILM-BRAZIL: PRISON CHAOS - AND THEN A MASSACRE.
May 8, 2003... by Mario Osava RIO DE JANEIRO, May 7 (IPS) -- "Carandir[pounds sterling]", the new Brazilian box office sensation, recounts the story of the country's worst prison massacre while showing the human side of those who lived by their own laws...

MEDIA-ARGENTINA: QUECHUA LANGUAGE TAKES TO THE AIRWAVES.
May 8, 2003... by Marcela Valente BUENOS AIRES, May 7 (IPS) -- Descendants of indigenous people in northwestern Argentina have launched a radio station that broadcasts in both Spanish and the Quechua language, as part of a plan that includes the creation...

ARTS-INDIA: COMPUTERS THREATEN THE ANCIENT ART OF CALLIGRAPHY.
May 8, 2003... by Sudeshna Banerjee NEW DELHI, May 7 (IPS) -- Saba Zaidi, a student of fine arts, dreams of being a good calligrapher in Urdu, Arabic and Persian, but she knows there are few patrons left for this ancient art of writing. Worse,...

IRAQ: ANTI-MUSLIM ATTACKS AT U.S. 'HALLOWED HALLS OF IVY'.
May 10, 2003... by Gitendra E. Chitty NEW HAVEN, Connecticut, May 9 (IPS) -- Since U.S. forces attacked Iraq in March, college campuses nationwide have seen backlashes against both Muslim students and anti-war activists. At Yale University, students claim...

ARGENTINA: KIRCHNER WOULD CAST HIS LOT WITH MERCOSUR AND LULA.
May 10, 2003... by Marcela Valente BUENOS AIRES, May 9 (IPS) -- South America's Mercosur trade bloc will receive a major boost, beyond mere integration in trade, and at the expense of the U.S.-promoted continent-wide trade area -- as Brazil hopes -- if...

POLITICS-U.S.: CHINA HAWK SETTLES IN NEO-CONS' NEST.
May 10, 2003... by Jim Lobe WASHINGTON, May 9 (IPS) -- Neo-conservative hawks have scored a new victory in the administration of President George W. Bush with the hiring by Vice President Richard Cheney of a prominent hawk on China policy. China...

OIL: PRICES UP AS OPEC CONSIDERS YET ANOTHER PRODUCTION CUT.
May 10, 2003... by Humberto M?rquez CARACAS, May 9 (IPS) -- OPEC is looking at cutting oil production in order to shore up prices, prompting a nearly three-percent jump on Friday alone after a two-month downslide that kept pace with the advance of U.S....