Interpress Service articles from May 2007

Interpress Service archives from May 2007

SOMALIA: LULL IN FIGHTING IS ONLY TEMPORARY, ANALYSTS SAY.
May 1, 2007... by Jim Lobe WASHINGTON, Apr. 30, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Four months after U.S.-backed Ethiopian forces drove the Islamic Courts Union out of its last stronghold in Kismaayo, experts say the prospect of achieving stability in Somalia is still...

U.S.: WAL-MART STIFLES LABOR ORGANIZING BY SKIRTING LAWS.
May 1, 2007... by Eli Clifton WASHINGTON, Apr. 30, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Wal-Mart routinely quells labor organizing without breaking major U.S. laws, according to a report released Monday on the eve of May Day, an international labor holiday. The report...

U.S.: WOLFOWITZ CHASTISES WORLD BANK'S DIRECTORS.
May 1, 2007... by Emad Mekay WASHINGTON, Apr. 30, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Embattled World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz lashed back at the bank's directors on Monday, accusing them of describing his role in an alleged nepotism scandal in "unjust" and...

MAY DAY-PERU: STRIKING MINERS SAY OUTSOURCING MUST END.
May 1, 2007... by Milagros Salazar LIMA, Peru, Apr. 30, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Peru's miners began an indefinite strike Monday, demanding the elimination of subcontractors and outsourcing companies. An estimated 80 percent of the 100,000 workers are...

Q&A-SOUTH AFRICA: MARKETS SPURN FEMALE SUBSISTENCE FARMERS.
May 1, 2007... Interview with Martha Moside JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, Apr. 30, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Many female subsistence farmers in South Africa struggle to gain access to markets, secure bank loans and retain reliable workers to assist them. These...

MAY DAY-BOLIVIA: AS UNIONS SHRINK, INFORMAL SECTOR EXPANDS.
May 1, 2007... by Bernarda Claure LA PAZ, Bolivia, Apr. 30, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The Bolivian government is scrambling to adapt to massive shifts in Bolivia's economy that have decimated labor unions and channeled many people into the informal workforce....

LATIN AMERICA: ACTIVISTS AND LEFTIST LEADERS DISCUSS FAIR TRADE.
May 1, 2007... by Humberto M rquez BARQUISIMETO, Venezuela, Apr. 30, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The economic and political integration of left-leaning Latin American states was the focus of a gathering in Venezuela last weekend, which united progressive activists...

KENYA: LABOR ABUSES PERSIST WITHIN EXPORT PROCESSING ZONES.
May 1, 2007... by Joyce Mulama NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr. 30, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Kenya's Export Processing Zones were created in 1990 to attract export-oriented investments, but some workers complain they have given way to labor abuses and inhumane working...

U.S./IRAQ: DETAINEES SUFFER WITHOUT RECOURSE IN MILITARY PRISONS.
May 1, 2007... by Aaron Glantz SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Apr. 30, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Three years after the Abu Ghraib prison scandal surfaced, an estimated 18,000 Iraqis incarcerated by the U.S. military continue to be deprived of their basic rights. ...

AFGHANISTAN: PROTESTERS CONDEMN KILLINGS BY U.S.-LED COALITION.
May 1, 2007... by Abdul Samad Rohani and S. Mudassir Ali Shah* KABUL, Afghanistan, Apr. 30, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Thousands of furious people took to the streets Monday in Afghanistan to denounce a "cold-blooded massacre" of dozens of civilians by coalition...

U.S./SUDAN: PROTESTERS CALL FOR DIVESTMENT FROM SUDAN.
May 1, 2007... by Michael Deibert NEW YORK, Apr. 30, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- It's a blazing spring day in New York's financial district. As executives hurry past in suits and ties, a handful of protesters position themselves in front of the headquarters of...

CARIBBEAN: LEADERS MAY CUT FREE-TRADE DEALS WITH BUSH.
May 1, 2007... by Bert Wilkinson GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Apr. 30, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Trade negotiations seem likely to dominate an upcoming meeting that will bring a full entourage of Caribbean leaders face to face with a U.S. president for the first time in...

CUBA: MLK-INSPIRED SOCIAL JUSTICE CENTER CELEBRATES 20TH YEAR.
May 1, 2007... by Dalia Acosta HAVANA, Apr. 30, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- An unusual Havana institution recently entered its 20th year -- the nongovernmental Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Center, which draws its inspiration from the famous civil rights...

MALAYSIA: LAW WOULD PUNISH HUMAN TRAFFICKERS, NOT VICTIMS.
May 1, 2007... by Baradan Kuppusamy KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Apr. 30, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The Malysian parliament may soon pass legislation to crack down on perpetrators of human trafficking and decriminalize trafficking victims, who are currently detained...

CLIMATE CHANGE: EFFECTS OF 2007 POLICIES MAY LINGER FOR YEARS.
May 2, 2007... by Julio Godoy KOLN, Germany, May 2, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- International environmental policies made this year could play a fundamental role in determining whether climate change will continue to intensify at its current rate. This year...

RUSSIA: MURDERED REPORTER RECEIVES POSTHUMOUS AWARD.
May 2, 2007... by Kester Kenn Klomegah MOSCOW, May 2, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Anna Politkovskaya, an investigative reporter who exposed human rights abuses in Chechnya, is set to receive a posthumous award from the U.N on Thursday, in honor of World Press...

GUATEMALA: FARMERS PROFIT UNDER FAIR-TRADE SYSTEM.
May 2, 2007... by Ins Ben tez GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, May 2, 2007 (IPS/IFEJ) -- Thousands of small-scale farmers in Guatemala have improved their living and working conditions by joining the fair-trade system, which sets more ethical rules for...

JAPAN: TOKYO NURTURES TIES WITH CENTRAL ASIA.
May 2, 2007... by John Feffer WASHINGTON, May 2, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Countries in Central Asia are seeking alliances with Japan in an effort to demonstrate their independence from both Washington and Moscow. Japan has responded enthusiastically,...

PAKISTAN: PRESS FREEDOMS FADE NEAR BORDER WITH AFGHANISTAN.
May 2, 2007... by Ashfaq Yusufzai PESHAWAR, Pakistan, May 2, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Reporters along Pakistan's porous border with Afghanistan live in fear of both the federal government and pro-Taliban groups. Press freedoms are particularly tenuous in a...

LEBANON: PALESTINIAN REFUGEES RELY ON NGO FOR BASIC SERVICES.
May 2, 2007... by Dahr Jamail BEIRUT, Lebanon, May 2, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Health and transportation services provided by a nongovernmental organization have become increasingly vital to a large population of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. Popular...

IRAN: WORKERS COMPLAIN OF REPRESSION AND LOW WAGES.
May 2, 2007... by Kimia Sanati TEHRAN, Iran, May 2, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Workers rallied against unemployment, low wages, shortcomings in labor laws and suppression of workers' unions at a well-attended May Day gathering Tuesday at Tehran's Shiroudi...

FRANCE: SARKOZY LEADS IN POLLS, DESPITE XENOPHOBIC THREATS.
May 2, 2007... by Julio Godoy PARIS, May 2, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Opinion polls suggest that ruling party candidate Nicolas Sarkozy may win the second and decisive round of the French presidential elections May 6, despite his reputation among liberals as a...

ROMANIA: REFERENDUM WILL DECIDE FATE OF SUSPENDED PRESIDENT.
May 2, 2007... by Claudia Ciobanu BUCHAREST, Romania, May 2, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The Romanian parliament has cast President Traian Basescu into political limbo, where he must remain until May 19, when the voting public will decide whether to keep him in...

THAILAND: ACTIVISTS RESIST INTERNET CENSORSHIP.
May 3, 2007... by Lynette Lee Corporal BANGKOK, Thailand, May 3, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Thailand's military government has blocked Web sites, banned films, taken news programs off the air and encouraged self-censorship since it seized power in September 2006....

INDIA: TRILLION-DOLLAR ECONOMY MAY BE A MIXED BLESSING.
May 3, 2007... Analysis by Paranjoy Guha Thakurta NEW DELHI, India, May 3, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The rapid growth of India's economy may pose problems for the country's information technology sector, as well as its textile and garment industries, according...

ROMANIA: SMEAR CAMPAIGN TARGETS INTELLECTUALS.
May 3, 2007... by Claudia Ciobanu BUCHAREST, Romania, May 3, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Romanian intellectuals are warding off a slander campaign allegedly coordinated by supporters of the Social Democrat Party, which was once the Communist Party. The smear...

THAILAND: RISING SEA LEVELS SUBMERGE FISHING VILLAGE.
May 3, 2007... by Marwaan Macan-Markar KHUN SAMUTCHINE, Thailand, May 3, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The sound of lapping waves is no comfort to the chief abbot of a Buddhist temple in the Gulf of Thailand. To the contrary, the sound is a constant reminder of...

Q&A-COLOMBIA: GOVERNMENT ADVERTISING CORRUPTS NEWSPAPERS.
May 3, 2007... Interview with Javier Dar o Restrepo BOGOTA, Colombia, May 2, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- "Freedom of the press is merely rhetorical," veteran Colombian journalist Javier Dar o Restrepo says. "The only thing that counts is free reporters." ...

ARGENTINA: FALKLAND WAR TRAGEDY HAUNTS VETERANS.
May 3, 2007... by Marcela Valente BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, May 2, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Nstor Vidaurre did not know how to swim in 1982, when a British submarine sank the Argentinean warship on which he was stationed during the Falkland Islands War. ...

COTE D'IVOIRE: CYCLE OF LAND DEGRADATION ENSNARES FARMERS.
May 3, 2007... by Aly Ouattara and Miche Boko KORHOGO, northern C"te d'Ivoire, May 3, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Fed up with the poor soil quality in northern C"te d'Ivoire, farmers are packing their bags and moving west. Environmentalists warn that cutting...

COLOMBIA: URIBE SEEKS DEMOCRATIC SUPPPORT FOR TRADE DEAL.
May 3, 2007... by Jim Lobe WASHINGTON, May 2, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- President George W. Bush extended a warm welcome Wednesday morning to Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, who is spending three days in the U.S. with the aim of persuading the wary,...

BRAZIL: WITH CATHOLICISM ON THE DECLINE, POPE PLANS VISIT.
May 3, 2007... by Mario Osava RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, May 2, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- On his upcoming visit to Brazil, Pope Benedict XVI will find that, since the 1980s, the Roman Catholic Church has rapidly lost members to evangelical Pentecostal groups. ...

SRI LANKA: GOVERNMENT FORCES REPORTERS TO TOE OFFICIAL LINE.
May 3, 2007... by IPS Correspondents COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, May 2, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- "Press and freedom? In Sri Lanka?" was the incredulous response of one Sri Lankan journalist when asked what he thought of the designation of May 3 as World Press Freedom...

ENVIRONMENT: INDUSTRIAL FARMING THREATENS BIODIVERSITY.
May 3, 2007... by Stephen Leahy BROOKLIN, Canada, May 2, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The biodiversity of ecosystems across the globe will undoubtedly decline if humans continue relying on industrial farming practices to feed the world's growing population, which...

TURKEY: COURT ANNULS OUTCOME OF PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.
May 3, 2007... ANKARA, Turkey, May 2, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Turkey's constitutional court decided Tuesday to annul the results of Friday's presidential election, throwing the country into an even deeper political quagmire than before. The Republican People's...

Q&A-COLOMBIA: ACTIVIST PRIEST TRACKS TORTURES AND KILLINGS.
May 3, 2007... Interview with Father Javier Giraldo BOGOTA, Colombia, May 2, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Colombian civilians often know who is to blame for murders in their communities, but the nation's cautious media outlets rarely broadcast their stories. In...

POLAND: MERKEL SEEKS SUPPORT FOR EU CONSTITUTIONAL TREATY.
May 4, 2007... by Zolt n Dujisin KRAKOW, Poland, May 4, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The German Chancellor's visit to Poland last month appears to have drawn the neighboring countries into more cordial relations, but did not generate substantive solutions to...

BULGARIA: PLANNED OIL PIPELINE STRENGTHENS TIES TO RUSSIA.
May 4, 2007... by Claudia Ciobanu BUCHAREST, Romania, May 4, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The Bulgarian government's recent decision to build an oil pipeline with Russia underscores the extent to which Bulgaria still takes its cues on energy from Moscow, even...

CLIMATE CHANGE: BOLIVIAN COOPERATIVE AGREES TO TRADE CARBON.
May 4, 2007... by Julio Godoy COLOGNE, Germany, May 4, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- A Bolivian sanitation and wastewater-management cooperative signed an agreement Thursday with the World Bank, pledging to reduce its emissions output by 20,000 metric tons by the...

GERMANY: GUERRILLA'S REQUEST FOR CLEMENCY STIRS PRISON DEBATE.
May 4, 2007... by Julio Godoy BERLIN, May 4, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- An old debate about the appropriate punishment for terrorists recently resurfaced in Germany after a left-wing guerrilla requested clemency. Christian Klar, a former member of a radical...

THAILAND: ELITES OPPOSE ELECTORAL DEMOCRACY.
May 4, 2007... by Marwaan Macan-Markar BANGKOK, Thailand, May 4, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The newly released draft of Thailand's 18th constitution is rife with anti-poor and anti-election rhetoric, revealing elite leaders' desire to hold on to power they gained...

SLOVAKIA: PARTY CHAIRMAN VOWS TO SERVE ETHNIC HUNGARIANS.
May 4, 2007... by Zolt n Dujisin BUDAPEST, Hungary, May 4, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The newly elected head of Slovakia's ethnic Hungarian party has the potential to renew discussions of the most explosive domestic political topic in the country -- autonomy for...

CENTRAL AMERICA: HUMAN-RIGHTS SETBACKS DISHEARTEN ACTIVISTS.
May 4, 2007... by Ra[pounds sterling]l Gutirrez SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador, May 3, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Repression and social inequality are on the rise in Central America, which analysts say is backsliding with respect to the standards set forth in the...

COLOMBIA: UNDER ATTACK, JOURNALISTS FORM NATIONAL FEDERATION.
May 4, 2007... by Constanza Vieira MEDELLIN, Colombia, May 3, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Colombian journalists founded a national association this week in hopes of protecting each themselves from attacks by militias and security forces. The slogan of the new...

POLITICS-U.S.: WOLFOWITZ LASHES BACK AT WORLD BANK DIRECTORS.
May 4, 2007... by Emad Mekay WASHINGTON, May 3, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Barbs and accusations are hurtling back and forth at the World Bank, where relations between top managers and bank president Paul Wolfowitz have degenerated. On Thursday, an embattled...

IRAN/U.S.: RELATIONS MAY SOFTEN AS WASHINGTON SEEKS HELP IN IRAQ.
May 4, 2007... by Omid Memarian BERKELEY, Calif., May 3, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Diplomatic negotiations may soon develop between Tehran and Washington, which analysts say are seeking a way out of their diplomatic impasse while attempting to save face. ...

WESTERN SAHARA: TALKS RESUME OVER LAND DISPUTE WITH MOROCCO.
May 4, 2007... by Ellen Massey WASHINGTON, May 3, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Morocco and the Western Sahara are set to engage in direct talks over a 30-year-old territorial dispute for the first time in seven years, but neither side appears eager to concede to...

SUDAN: KHARTOUM REJECTS WARRANTS FROM INTERNATIONAL COURT.
May 4, 2007... by Mithre J. Sandrasagra UNITED NATIONS, May 3, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The Netherlands-based International Criminal Court issued its first warrants Wednesday for arrests related to war crimes and crimes against humanity in the conflict-wracked...

SOMALIA: FACING DEATH THREATS, REPORTERS GO UNDERCOVER.
May 4, 2007... by Joyce Mulama NAIROBI, Kenya, May 3, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Journalists in Somalia live in fear for their lives, operating undercover and publishing their articles anonymously. The plight of the press was already hazardous a year ago, but...

U.S./IRAQ: BUSH HOLDS IRANIAN OFFICIALS AS BARGAINING CHIPS.
May 4, 2007... analysis by Gareth Porter* WASHINGTON, May 3, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The U.S. government's refusal to release five Iranian prisoners was apparently the reason for Iran's Iran's refusal to allow its foreign minister to meet privately with the...

UNITED NATIONS: U.S. TURNS ITS BACK ON HUMAN-RIGHTS GROUP.
May 4, 2007... by Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS, May 3, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The United States will be conspicuously absent from a U.N. General Assembly meeting in mid-May, when the 192-member group meets to elect 14 new members to the 47-nation Geneva-based...

CENTRAL ASIA: SPATS DELAY CONSTRUCTION OF OIL PIPELINES.
May 4, 2007... analysis by Peyman Pejman ALMATY, Kazakhstan, May 3, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- A combination of East-West geopolitical rivalries and squabbles between former Soviet republics is delaying the construction of oil and gas pipelines that could bring...

MEDIA: PRESS IS SHACKLED IN MOST PORTUGUESE-SPEAKING COUNTRIES.
May 4, 2007... by Mario de Queiroz LISBON, Portugal, May 3, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Only a tiny proportion of the 235 million people who live in Portuguese-speaking countries worldwide enjoy access to a truly free press, according to a report released...

INDIA: VILLAGERS PROTEST BIODIVERSITY LAW.
May 7, 2007... by Keya Acharya BANGALORE, India, May 7, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- A conservation-oriented law passed five years ago to preserve the diversity of India's flora and fauna has gotten bogged down by widespread protests from local communities. ...

IRAQ: U.N. REPORT ON HUMAN RIGHTS SPARKS UPROAR IN KURDISTAN.
May 7, 2007... by Mohammed A. Salih ARBIL, Iraq, May 7, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- A United Nations report human rights in Iraq has provoked mixed reactions in the northern Kurdistan region: Officials are accusing the U.N. of "exaggeration and inaccuracy" even as...

SOUTH ASIA: LOCAL ANALYSTS CRITICIZE REPORT ON PRESS FREEDOMS.
May 7, 2007... by Kalinga Seneviratne MALE, Maldives, May 7, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Media experts are criticizing a recent report on press freedom in South Asia, which gives a bad score to most countries in the region, including the Maldives. The report,...

LEBANON: HEZBOLLAH EARNS GRATITUDE OF BOMBING VICTIMS.
May 7, 2007... by Dahr Jamail BEIRUT, Lebanon, May 7, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Resistance against Israel and Lebanon's U.S.-backed government is solidifying in the southern Beirut district of Dahiyeh, as reconstruction resumes in the heavily bombed area. ...

DEVELOPMENT: GLOBAL GROUP EXTENDS ANTI-POVERTY CAMPAIGN.
May 7, 2007... by Diana Cariboni MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay, May 5, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- A global anti-poverty group pledged Saturday in Uruguay to extend its campaign to alleviate poverty until 2015. The Global Call to Action against Poverty was launched in...

INDIA: NEGLECT OF ANCIENT RESERVOIRS CAUSES WATER SHORTAGES.
May 7, 2007... by Soma Basu MADURAI, India, May 5, 2007 (IPS/IFEJ) -- Water quality in the millennia-old town of Madurai is deteriorating as local officials replace the town's ancient system for storing rainwater with a system of pipelines fed by the...

ARGENTINA: HUNTING DECIMATES JAGUAR POPULATION.
May 7, 2007... by Marcela Valente /Tierramrica* BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, May 5, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Two centuries ago, jaguars reigned across more than half of Argentina, but they are rapidly vanishing as humans hunt them and destroy their habitats. ...

IRAN: U.N.-IMPOSED SANCTIONS FUEL ATTACKS ON CIVIL RIGHTS.
May 7, 2007... Analysis by Praful Bidwai* TEHRAN, Iran, May 5, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Hardliners in the Iranian government are gaining strength and successfully demanding harsh restrictions on individual liberties, as the U.N. imposes economic sanctions...

MEXICO: SUPREME COURT MAY RULE TO DEMOCRATIZE MEDIA.
May 7, 2007... by Diego Cevallos MEXICO CITY, Mexico, May 4, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The Mexican Supreme Court may soon declare unconstitutional a law that favors two giant broadcasting companies and suppresses efforts to democratize the media. On Thursday...

U.S.: BUSH'S FOREIGN POLICY TAKES A REALIST TURN.
May 7, 2007... Analysis by Jim Lobe WASHINGTON, May 4, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- President George W. Bush and his administration appear prepared to hear the advice of realists regarding U.S. dealings with the Middle East. The most obvious sign of this came...

PERU: FARMERS ACCUSE GOLD MINERS OF POLLUTING RIVER.
May 7, 2007... by Milagros Salazar ALGAMARCA, Peru, May 4, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Miners from the Peruvian village of Algamarca rejoiced when they learned that a nearby hill was full of gold and silver, but farmers in neighboring villages have come to see the...

PERU: INDIGENOUS GROUP THREATENS TO SUE U.S. OIL GIANT.
May 7, 2007... by Emad Mekay WASHINGTON, May 4, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Indigenous communities in the Peruvian Amazon are threatening to sue the U.S. oil giant Occidental Petroleum if it does not clean up the toxic waste it left in their tropical rainforest....

URUGUAY: ACTIVISTS DISCUSS U.N. GOALS AT INTERNATIONAL MEETING.
May 7, 2007... by Ra[pounds sterling]l Pierri MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay, May 4, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Activists from all over the world gathered in the Uruguayan capital from Thursday to Saturday to brainstorm ways to persuade governments to meet their United...

CANADA: GREEN PARTY DUMPS ASPIRING CANDIDATE OVER 9/11 GAFFE.
May 7, 2007... by Am Johal VANCOUVER, Canada, May 4, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Canada's Green Party has rejected the candidacy of Kevin Potvin, a writer who was seeking to run for the party in Vancouver, after the media discovered an article he wrote about the...

PHILIPPINES: ACTIVIST BLAMES MILITARY FOR HER ABDUCTION.
May 7, 2007... by Stella Gonzales MANILA, Philippines, May 4, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Lourdes Rubrico, a 63-year-old community leader in the Philippines, is living in fear of a return visit from the men who abducted her in early April. She can't turn to...

U.N.: LIFESTYLE CHANGES COULD CURB GLOBAL WARMING, PANEL SAYS.
May 7, 2007... by Marwaan Macan-Markar BANGKOK, Thailand, May 4, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Dramatic lifestyle changes, in addition to the adoption of green-friendly technologies, will be necessary in order to manage the severity of global warming, according to a...

VENEZUELA: INDIGENOUS YOUTH LEARN BROADCAST SKILLS.
May 7, 2007... by Humberto M rquez CARACAS, Venezuela, May 4, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Youth from 10 different indigenous groups in Venezuela are learning to be broadcast journalists, preparing for the launch of eight new indigenous community radio stations...

MALAYSIA: MIGRANT WORKERS ENDURE BONDAGE AND ABUSE.
May 8, 2007... by Anil Netto KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, May 8, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The recent torture and death of an Indian migrant worker in Malaysia serves as an eye-opening reminder of the lack of support networks for migrants in this Southeast Asian...

SERBIA-MONTENEGRO: ORTHODOX CHURCH EXTENDS ITS INFLUENCE.
May 8, 2007... by Vesna Peric Zimonjic BELGRADE, Serbia-Montenegro, May 8, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The 93-year-old Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church has become frail, and some Serbs want to replace him with a more active leader committed to increasing...

EGYPT: MARRIAGE POSITIONS PRESIDENT'S SON TO INHERIT POWER.
May 8, 2007... by Adam Morrow and Khaled Moussa al-Omrani CAIRO, Egypt, May 8, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's son got married last week, leading analysts to speculate about the presidential scion's political ambitions. Gamal...

SRI LANKA: FLASH FLOODS FORESHADOW CLIMATE-CHANGE DISASTERS.
May 8, 2007... by Feizal Samath COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, May 8, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Tamil militant planes flew sorties over the Sri Lankan capital last week, diverting political leaders' attention from an alarming disaster unfolding on the ground -- a series of...

GUATEMALA: INDIGENOUS WOMEN LAG BEHIND ON MILLENNIUM GOALS.
May 8, 2007... by Ins Ben tez GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, May 7, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Maternal mortality and illiteracy remain persistent problems in Guatemala, which is making slow, uneven progress toward meeting its Millennium Development Goals. "One...

U.S.: ELITE GROUP SAYS ANGOLAN OIL IS CRUCIAL TO ENERGY SECURITY.
May 8, 2007... by Jim Lobe WASHINGTON, May 7, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- A commission composed of U.S. elites released a report Monday that calls on Washington to strengthen ties -- including military ties -- with Angola, Africa's second-largest oil exporter. ...

ECUADOR: CORREA PURSUES JOINT PROJECTS WITH BRAZIL.
May 8, 2007... by Kintto Lucas QUITO, Ecuador, May 7, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The first few months of Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa's administration have strengthened ties between Ecuador and the leftist governments of Brazil and Venezuela. Correa...

WORLD BANK: WOLFOWITZ'S SENIOR ADVISER RESIGNS.
May 8, 2007... by Emad Mekay WASHINGTON, May 7, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Kevin Kellems, the right-hand man of embattled World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz, has resigned from the bank in what analysts say is likely an effort to save his boss. "Kevin...

WORLD BANK: EUROPE AND U.S. CLASH OVER REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS.
May 8, 2007... by Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS, May 7, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Population experts and activist groups protested worldwide last month, when the United States tried to water down a longstanding policy on reproductive health and family planning at...

PERU: GOLD DEPOSITS ENGENDER FEUDS AND COURT BATTLES.
May 8, 2007... by Milagros Salazar ALGAMARCA, Peru, May 7, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Two mining companies are fighting over gold deposits in northwest Peru, where more than 3,000 informal-sector miners are already working without basic safety or...

FRANCE: SARKOZY PLANS NEOLIBERAL AND AUTHORITARIAN REFORMS.
May 8, 2007... Analysis by Julio Godoy PARIS, May 7, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Nicolas Sarkozy's triumph in the French presidential elections could effect deep political and social changes in France, not unlike those brought to Britain by Margaret Thatcher in...

U.S./IRAQ: PENTAGON AIMED TO CONTROL IRAQI MEDIA DURING WAR.
May 9, 2007... by Jim Lobe WASHINGTON, May 9, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The Pentagon was strategizing about how to control the Iraqi media during the run-up to the March 2003 invasion of Iraq, according to a document released Tuesday by the National Security...

CHINA: ONE-CHILD POLICY FALTERS AS RICH COUPLES OPT FOR FINES.
May 9, 2007... by Antoaneta Bezlova BEIJING, May 9, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Family-planning officials are warning that China might face a population crisis if rich couples continue to ignore the country's strict one-child policy. The grey walls of houses...

INDIA: BILL WOULD REGULATE NGOS' USE OF FOREIGN FUNDS.
May 9, 2007... by Paranjoy Guha Thakurta NEW DELHI, May 9, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- Nongovernmental organizations in India are agitating against a bill that would strictly regulate the flow of foreign funds into their coffers. Representatives from civil...