Interpress Service articles from May 2008

Interpress Service archives from May 2008

DRC: REBEL LEADER'S INDICTMENT COULD DERAIL PEACE PACT.
May 1, 2008... By Michael Deibert JOHANNESBURG, May 1, 2008 (IPS/GIN) - A warrant for the arrest of a notorious militia leader accused of "enlisting, conscripting and using" child soldiers among other serious abuses has been unsealed, almost two years...

RIGHTS: SURVEY FINDS PEOPLE EVERYWHERE SUPPORT FREE MEDIA.
May 1, 2008... By Jim Lobe WASHINGTON, May 1, 2008 (IPS/GIN) - Sixty years after the Universal Declaration of Human Rights asserted the individual's right to "receive and impart information and ideas through any media", it appears that most of the...

Q&A: DIVISIONS BETWEEN ANC AND LABOR GROW WIDER.
May 1, 2008... Interview with Stephen Friedman CAPE TOWN, Apr. 30, 2008 (IPS/GIN) - Ahead of May Day (May 1, 2008), when workers around the world rally and protest to demand their rights, IPS reporter Stephanie Nieuwoudt spoke to political analyst...

RIGHTS: NATIVE PEOPLE WARN U.N. OF BIOFUELS DISASTER.
May 1, 2008... By Haider Rizvi UNITED NATIONS, Apr. 30, 2008 (IPS/GIN) - Growing demand for biofuels by the world's rich nations is propelling attacks on indigenous people and destroying their lands and forests, according to native leaders attending a...

CANADA: JEWISH DEFENCE LEAGUE ENERGISED BY ISRAEL'S FAR RIGHT.
May 1, 2008... By Paul Weinberg TORONTO, Apr. 30, 2008 (IPS/GIN) - Like a group of aging retro rocker musicians, the Jewish Defence League (JDL) resurfaced in Toronto recently after a decade of dormancy, trying to look a little more mainstream. The...

RIGHTS-US: DEATH PENALTY CASES COST STATES MILLIONS, STUDY FINDS.
May 1, 2008... By Michael J. Carter SEATTLE, Apr. 30, 2008 (IPS/GIN) - The death penalty costs millions of dollars yearly and may do little to make citizens any safer, according to a report released by the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern...

LEBANON: HATE THE U.S., AND HEAD FOR IT.
May 1, 2008... By Mona Alami BEIRUT, Apr. 30, 2008 (IPS/GIN) - The growing rift between the U.S. and Iran has spread also to Lebanese soil, with Shia youngsters frequently seen burning U.S. flags. But ironically, for many of Hezbollah's Shia...

CLIMATE CHANGE: FIRMS COMING CLEAN ON CARBON.
May 1, 2008... By Stephen Leahy JOHANNESBURG, Apr. 30, 2008 (IPS/GIN) - Thousands of companies supplying some of the world's largest corporations know climate regulations are coming and are agreeing to measure their emissions of climate-altering...

LABOR-CUBA: THE CHALLENGE OF BOOSTING PRODUCTIVITY.
May 1, 2008... By Patricia Grogg HAVANA, Apr. 30, 2008 (IPS/GIN) - Workers are facing thorny questions related to productivity, wages, participation in decision-making or unemployment at a time when the government is discreetly adopting measures aimed at...

EUROPE: TAX HAVENS CHEATING THE POOR .
May 1, 2008... Text By David Cronin BRUSSELS, Apr. 30, 2008 (IPS/GIN) - Tax havens in Europe are depriving poor countries of more money than they receive in development aid, it has been alleged. Some 11.5 trillion (million million) dollars is held in...

Q&A: RISKS SEEN TO CIRCUMCISION AS A DEFENSE TO HIV.
May 1, 2008... Interview with Mark Heywood JOHANNESBURG, Apr. 30, 2008 (IPS/GIN) - Results from trials in South Africa, Kenya and Uganda in 2006 showed that male circumcision reduced the transmission of HIV from women to men by up to 60 percent. On the...

TRADE-RUSSIA: ETHIOPIA SEEKS PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT FOR COFFEE.
May 1, 2008... By Kester Kenn Klomegah MOSCOW, Apr. 30, 2008 (IPS/GIN) - After several months of trade negotiations in the joint Russian-Ethiopian economic commission, Russia is considering allowing Ethiopia to bring in its different brands of aromatic...

Q&A: HOW FAITH COMMUNITIES FIGHT VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN.
May 1, 2008... Interview with UNICEF expert Eduardo Gallardo BOGOTA, Apr. 30, 2008 (IPS/GIN) - "It's important to know how families view the power relations that make them protective or destructive of rights," in a world where every year 275 million...

EGYPT: ACTIVISTS PLAN GENERAL STRIKE FOR MUBARAK'S BIRTHDAY.
May 2, 2008... By Adam Morrow and Khaled Moussa al-Omrani CAIRO, Egypt, May 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Undeterred by the detention of their compatriots, Egyptian activists are planning to hold a second general strike on May 4, to coincide with President Hosni...

UKRAINE: RIVALRY ESCALATES BETWEEN PRESIDENT AND PM.
May 2, 2008... Analysis by Zolt n Dujisin PRAGUE, Czech Republic, May 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The conflict between the pro-Western allies governing Ukraine -- President Viktor Yushchenko and Prime Minister Yuliya Timoshenko -- is escalating. Ukraine, a...

BANGLADESH: STATE GRANTS AMNESTY TO CORRUPT BUSINESSMEN.
May 2, 2008... By Farid Ahmed DHAKA, Bangladesh, May 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Bangladesh's military-backed interim government is planning to set up a truth commission in order to give tainted executives an opportunity to revive their businesses. The...

INDIA: AHMADINEJAD'S VISIT MAY KICK-START ENERGY COOPERATION.
May 2, 2008... Analysis by Praful Bidwai NEW DELHI, May 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's one-day visit to New Delhi on Tuesday is expected to revive long-stalled talks concerning contracts for the purchase of natural gas. ...

BOSNIA: WORKERS MARCH THROUGH CAPITAL, DEMANDING RIGHTS.
May 2, 2008... By Zack Baddorf SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina, May 1, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- "Parliamentarians, shame on you!" read a sign in Bosnian carried by four union workers May 1 in downtown Sarajevo. The workers hoisted the banner above their...

FIJI: JOURNALIST FACES DEPORTATION ON EVE OF PRESS FREEDOM DAY.
May 5, 2008... By Shailendra Singh SUVA, Fiji, May 5, 2008 (IPS) -- Fiji's interim government has come under withering criticism nationally and internationally for the deportation on Friday of Evan Hannah, the Australian publisher of the Fiji Times, a...

EAST TIMOR: ARMY DESERTERS REFUSE TO REAPPLY AS FRESH RECRUITS.
May 5, 2008... By Setyo Budi DILI, East Timor, May 5, 2008 (IPS) -- The leader of the group of renegades accused of attempting to assassinate East Timor's President Jose Ramos-Horta on Feb. 11 has surrendered, but there is still little sign of how the...

BOLIVIA: AUTONOMY REFERENDUM SPARKS VIOLENCE IN SANTA CRUZ.
May 5, 2008... By Franz Ch vez SANTA CRUZ, Bolivia, May 4, 2008 (IPS) -- At least eight people were injured Sunday in clashes between backers of autonomy in the eastern Bolivian province of Santa Cruz and supporters of the government of Evo Morales from...

HEALTH: NEW BOOK SAYS BIODIVERSITY HOLDS KEY TO NEW MEDICINES.
May 5, 2008... By Stephen Leahy /Tierramrica * CAPE TOWN, South Africa, May 3, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- "When we harm nature, we are harming ourselves," said Aaron Bernstein, a doctor at Harvard Medical School. "Few people realize that our health is directly...

BOLIVIA: VOTERS WEIGH CONTROVERSIAL AUTONOMY STATUTE.
May 5, 2008... Analysis by Franz Ch vez SANTA CRUZ, Bolivia, May 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Voters in the Bolivian province of Santa Cruz are set to decide Sunday on a regional autonomy statute that runs counter to the national constitution. Santa Cruz is...

SYRIA: UNABLE TO FIND WORK, IRAQI REFUGEES SEEK ENTRY TO EUROPE.
May 5, 2008... By Zack Baddorf DAMASCUS, Syria, May 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- "I'll go to any country," said Zirgon Tomas al-Aya, a 60-year-old Iraqi man standing outside the U.N. refugee agency headquarters in Damascus. "I like Syria but I can't work here --...

EU-REPORT: COMPLICITY IN U.S. RENDITIONS HURT BLOC'S CREDIBILITY.
May 5, 2008... By David Cronin BRUSSELS, Belgium, May 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Collusion between European Union members and the United States' secret torture and kidnapping program has damaged the EU's efforts to promote human rights throughout the world,...

PERU: GOVERNMENT LASHES OUT AT HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS.
May 5, 2008... By Angel P ez LIMA, Peru, May 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The Peruvian government, with the backing of the parliamentary bloc that supports former President Alberto Fujimori, has unleashed a campaign against nongovernmental organizations that...

IRAQ: DWINDLING FOOD RATIONS ARE INCREASINGLY OLD, POLLUTED.
May 5, 2008... By Ali al-Fadhily and Dahr Jamail* FALLUJAH, Iraq, May 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Iraqis are already enduring unemployment and impoverishment, and now they also face a cutting down of their monthly food rations, which have been dwindling in...

SERBIA: SIGNING OF PACT WITH EU DEEPENS NATION'S POLITICAL RIFT.
May 5, 2008... By Vesna Peric Zimonjic BELGRADE, Serbia, May 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Serbia achieved a long-standing foreign policy goal earlier this week when it signed a pre-membership pact with the European Union in Luxembourg. Signing such a pact...

THAILAND: U.N. URGES JOURNALISTS TO ADDRESS SOCIAL ISSUES.
May 5, 2008... By Lynette Lee Corporal BANGKOK, Thailand, May 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- United Nations officials, activists and journalists met Friday in Bangkok, Thailand, to discuss the need for media agencies to make use of their freedom of expression to...

Q&A-PARAGUAY: PRESIDENT-ELECT AIMS TO REACH OUT TO BOLIVIA.
May 5, 2008... By David Vargas ASUNCION, Paraguay, May 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Fernando Lugo has rocketed into Paraguayan history: Not only is he the first Catholic bishop to be elected president, but he has also ended 61 years of rule by the Colorado...

U.S.: VETERANS AWAIT VERDICT ON CLASS-ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST VA.
May 5, 2008... By Aaron Glantz SAN FRANCISCO, May 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- A class-action trial brought on behalf of the 1.7 million U.S. veterans is drawing toward its close, with lawyers delivering closing arguments at the Federal Building in downtown San...

MEXICO: LARGE SUPERMARKETS SHUT OUT SMALL-SCALE FARMERS.
May 5, 2008... By Diego Cevallos / Tierramrica * MEXICO CITY, Mexico, May 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- A handful of large supermarkets have become increasingly powerful in Mexico, pushing out neighborhood shops and raising the prices of products such as coffee....

BOLIVIA: LAND REFORMS EXPOSE HACIENDAS' USE OF GUARAN SLAVES.
May 5, 2008... By Bernarda Claure LA PAZ, Bolivia, May 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Efforts by Bolivia's land reform authorities to free 167 Guaran families living in servitude have brought to light a phenomenon that had remained largely hidden and ignored...

MEDIA: REPORTERS FACE MOST RISK IN IRAQ, SIERRA LEONE, SOMALIA.
May 5, 2008... By Mirela Xanthaki NEW YORK, May 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- At least 500 journalists have been killed directly because of their work within the last 15 years, and the perpetrators have been brought to justice in less than 15 percent of the...

U.S.: EXPERTS ATTRIBUTE RISE IN CONSUMER SPENDING TO INFLATION.
May 5, 2008... By Abid Aslam WASHINGTON, May 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Consumer spending rose 0.4 percent in March, but consumers are shelling out more money not to buy more goods but because food, fuel and other daily staples grow increasingly expensive, the...

MOZAMBIQUE: CHOLERA AND DYSENTERY RAVAGE FLOODED NATION.
May 5, 2008... By Steven Lang GRAHAMSTOWN, South Africa, May 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- More people have died of cholera following the recent floods in Mozambique than the number who perished in the rising floodwaters. Most rivers in central and northern...

U.S.: JUDGE DEEMS AVANT-GARDE ARTIST INNOCENT OF BIOTERRORISM.
May 5, 2008... By William Fisher NEW YORK, May 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- A U.S. federal judge has dismissed all charges against an avant-garde artist whom public officials had condemned as a bioterrorist. The accusations led to a four-year legal battle...

WEST BANK: ISRAELI WALL STILL BLOCKS VILLAGERS' ACCESS TO FARMS.
May 7, 2008... By Zack Baddorf BI'LIN, The West Bank, May 7, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Some 1,700 Palestinians in the West Bank village of Bi'lin have been promised land, but so far it has not been delivered. The Israeli High Court of Justice ordered the...

LEBANON: U.N. FORCE REMAINS ON 'HIGH ALERT' AGAINST AL-QAIDA.
May 7, 2008... By Mona Alami BEIRUT, Lebanon, May 7, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Al-Qaida's second-in-command, Ayman Zawahiri, announced in an audiotape broadcast on April 21 that Islamic groups will play a pivotal role in a war against Jews. Zawahiri also...

EGYPT: FEW PARTICIPATE IN STRIKE OVER FOOD, DUE TO SALARY HIKE.
May 7, 2008... By Adam Morrow and Khaled Moussa al-Omrani CAIRO, Egypt, May 7, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Calls for a nationwide protest against the rising cost of living ended in an anticlimax on Sunday, with most Egyptians going to work as usual. Although...

CHINA: TALKS WITH DALAI LAMA'S ENVOYS MAKE SCANT PROGRESS.
May 7, 2008... By Antoaneta Bezlova BEIJING, May 7, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Unrest is smoldering in Tibet, and international pressure is building up on Beijing to negotiate with the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. As a result, Chinese...

PAKISTAN: STONINGS OFFER PROOF OF TALIBAN'S RESURGENCE.
May 7, 2008... By Ashfaq Yusufzai PESHAWAR, Pakistan, May 7, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The Taliban has confirmed that its sympathizers have stoned to death a runaway couple in a remote tribal region of Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan. The incident was the...

U.S.: TEXAS COURT SETS AUG. 5 EXECUTION DATE FOR MEXICAN INMATE.
May 7, 2008... By Diego Cevallos MEXICO CITY, Mexico, May 6, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The Mexican government's aggressive strategy to prevent the execution of Mexican citizens in the United States has so far failed to bear fruit, despite a landmark...

U.S.-REPORT: DRUG WAR HAS UNJUSTLY TARGETED BLACK COMMUNITIES.
May 7, 2008... By Jim Lobe WASHINGTON, May 6, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- African-Americans have suffered much higher rates of arrests and imprisonment than whites in the nearly 30-year-old U.S. "war on drugs," according to two reports released this week in...

HONDURAS: PROSECUTORS HOLD HUNGER STRIKE AGAINST CORRUPTION.
May 7, 2008... By Thelma Mej a TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, May 6, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Prosecutors in Honduras are holding a hunger strike to demand the dismissal of the attorney general and his deputy, accusing them of failing to investigate cases of...

SPAIN: NGOS URGE ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK TO ADOPT SAFEGUARDS.
May 7, 2008... By Marwaan Macan-Markar MADRID, Spain, May 6, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Nongovernmental groups' behind-the-scenes lobbying for safeguard policies paid off by the end of the annual meeting of the Asian Development Bank, which concluded Tuesday in...

LATIN AMERICA: CHAVEZ AND CORREA FEAR LOCAL AUTONOMY DRIVES.
May 7, 2008... By Humberto M rquez CARACAS, Venezuela, May 6, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Presidents Hugo Ch vez of Venezuela and Rafael Correa of Ecuador are warning that the autonomy movement in the eastern Bolivian province of Santa Cruz is at risk of inspiring...

CLIMATE CHANGE: INDIGENOUS ACTIVISTS DECRY CARBON MARKETS.
May 7, 2008... By Haider Rizvi / Tierramrica * UNITED NATIONS, May 6, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- International policymakers are facing fierce criticism from leaders of the world's 370 million indigenous peoples over plans to use carbon markets as a tool to...

U.N.: GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS ESCAPES SCRUTINY OF SECURITY COUNCIL.
May 7, 2008... By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS, May 6, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The food crisis that has triggered street demonstrations and riots in nearly 30 countries continues to escape the scrutiny of the most powerful body at the United Nations: the...

U.S.: IMMIGRATION DEBATES MAY RESURFACE IN RUN-UP TO ELECTION.
May 7, 2008... By Bill Berkowitz* OAKLAND, Calif., May 6, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Immigration has become less of a hot-button political issue in the United States within recent weeks, largely due to the downturn of the U.S. economy. You can still pick...

LATIN AMERICA: 60-YEAR-OLD THINK TANK RAILS AGAINST INEQUALITY.
May 7, 2008... By Daniela Estrada SANTIAGO, Chile, May 6, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, is striving to design a development strategy that makes use of...

ASIA: DEVELOPMENT BANK INCREASES FOCUS ON PRIVATE INVESTMENT.
May 7, 2008... By Marwaan Macan-Markar MADRID, Spain, May 6, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Seethapathy Chander from the Asian Development Bank has been trying to broker deals to draw European investors into developing regions of Asia, even as he attends seminars at...

BURMA: JUNTA PRESSURES VOTERS TO RATIFY NEW CONSTITUTION.
May 7, 2008... By Moe Yu May RANGOON, Burma, May 6, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- With days to go before Burma votes on its new constitution, the country's military government has begun bluntly urging voters to confirm the charter in Saturday's referendum. The...

BOSNIA: CITIZENS OF SARAJEVO ORGANIZE ANTI-VIOLENCE PROTESTS.
May 7, 2008... By Zack Baddorf SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina, May 6, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- An activist group is holding satirical political actions this week, leading up to a large-scale anti-violence protest on May 9 in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia...

MIDEAST: EGYPT TIGHTENS BORDER TO PREVENT INFLUX FROM GAZA.
May 7, 2008... By Adam Morrow and Khaled Moussa al-Omrani CAIRO, Egypt, May 6, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The Egyptian government has significantly reinforced its security presence along the country's border with the Gaza Strip in an attempt to avert a repeat of...

MIDEAST-POLL: 75 PERCENT OF ISRAELIS EXPECT WAR WITHIN 5 YEARS.
May 8, 2008... Analysis by Peter Hirschberg JERUSALEM, May 8, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Israelis are deeply pessimistic about the prospects of peace with their neighbors: As Israel marks its 60th anniversary, an overwhelming majority believe they will be at war...

NEPAL: FOOD RIOTS MAY BE ON THE HORIZON, ANALYST SAYS.
May 8, 2008... By Mallika Aryal KATHMANDU, Nepal, May 8, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Maya Tamang is the sole breadwinner in a family of five, so she watches her food budget carefully. As food prices have spiraled steadily upward, she has had to cut back on staple...

BURMA: JUNTA PRIORITIZES REFERENDUM OVER CYCLONE RELIEF.
May 8, 2008... By Larry Jagan BANGKOK, Thailand, May 8, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Burma's military rulers are bent on holding a constitutional referendum on Saturday, despite the recent disaster caused by Cyclone Nargis. "The relief efforts are being...

INDIA/U.S.: TIME BEGINS TO RUN OUT AS NUCLEAR TALKS DRAG ON.
May 8, 2008... Analysis by Praful Bidwai NEW DELHI, May 8, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The Indian government has launched one last push to complete negotiations on a nuclear cooperation deal with the United States before the window of opportunity slams shut. ...

U.S.: OBAMA HAS CLINCHED NOMINATION, POLITICAL PUNDITS SAY.
May 8, 2008... By Ali Gharib WASHINGTON, May 7, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Sen. Barack Obama has emerged as a clear frontrunner over Sen. Hillary Clinton, following the counting of the ballots cast in the two largest remaining primaries for the Democratic...

U.S.: CONGRESS AIMS TO LIMIT FUNDS FOR IRAQ WAR, RECONSTRUCTION.
May 8, 2008... By Jim Lobe* WASHINGTON, May 7, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The House of Representatives appears poised to approve an additional $163 billion Thursday for military operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan through the end of the year, but most...

U.S.: IRAQI BLACKSMITH ACCUSES MILITARY CONTRACTORS OF TORTURE.
May 8, 2008... By William Fisher NEW YORK, May 7, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- A former Abu Ghraib "ghost" detainee has leveled new torture claims against two U.S. military contractors, claiming that he was wrongly imprisoned and later released without charge. ...

ARGENTINA: INFLATION OF FOOD PRICES PUSHES MANY INTO POVERTY.
May 8, 2008... By Marcela Valente BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, May 7, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Poverty is once again growing in Argentina, reversing the downward trend recorded since 2003, according to analysts. The government's only response, according to its...

U.S.: FLORIDA LEGISLATURE MAY FACE ANTI-EVOLUTION BILLS IN FALL.
May 8, 2008... By Mark Weisenmiller TAMPA, Fla., May 7, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The Florida Legislature ended debate last week on two bills aimed at amending the science curriculum recently adopted in the state's public schools -- a curriculum that describes...

CHILE: UNICEF TOUTS SOUTH-SOUTH TEAMWORK TO END MALNUTRITION.
May 8, 2008... By Daniela Estrada SANTIAGO, Chile, May 7, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Cooperation between Latin American countries could fast-track the fight against child malnutrition, according to the regional director of the United Nations Children's Fund. ...

JAPAN: VISIT FROM CHINESE PRESIDENT ELICITS PRO-TIBETAN PROTESTS.
May 8, 2008... By Catherine Makino TOKYO, May 7, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The Japanese government is making an effort not to embarrass Chinese President Hu Jintao during his five-day state visit to Japan, but the fraught issue of Tibet has nevertheless cast a...

MEXICO: CORRUPTION SAPS REVENUES OF STATE OIL MONOPOLY.
May 8, 2008... By Diego Cevallos MEXICO CITY, Mexico, May 7, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The wife of the chief executive of Pemex, Mexico's oil monopoly, had no trouble paying for her liposuction treatment: She just reached into the coffers of the state-run...

BURMA: RESIDENTS DECRY JUNTA'S INDIFFERENCE IN CYCLONE'S WAKE.
May 8, 2008... By Larry Jagan BANGKOK, Thailand, May 7, 2008 (IPS/GIN) - Cyclone Nargis -- Burma's worst natural disaster in living memory -- has reinforced the image of the country's junta as a force interested solely in perpetuating its grip on power....

ROMANIA: OFFICIALS DENY HAVING HOSTED CIA DETENTION CENTERS.
May 8, 2008... By Claudia Ciobanu BUCHAREST, Romania, May 7, 2008 (IPS/GIN) - Romania has still not heeded repeated calls from the European Commission and others to respond to allegations that it hosted CIA detention centers and allowed rendition flights...

JAMAICA: SINGERS CLASH WITH BEER COMPANY OVER ANTI-GAY LYRICS.
May 9, 2008... By Zadie Neufville KINGSTON, Jamaica, May 9, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Thumbing their noses at gay rights groups, some Jamaican dance hall stars have offered to perform for free at events boycotted by a local beer giant called Red Stripe. Red...

BURMA: JUNTA CONTINUES TO WITHHOLD VISAS FOR AID WORKERS.
May 9, 2008... By Arlene Chang UNITED NATIONS, May 9, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The first U.N. relief planes landed in Yangon early on Thursday, but humanitarian officials say the aid flowing into cyclone-devastated Burma is still encountering bureaucratic...

IRAQ: WATER RUNS LOW IN DIYALA PROVINCE AS HEAT BEGINS TO RISE.
May 9, 2008... By Ahmed Ali and Dahr Jamail* BAQUBA, Iraq, May 9, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The water supply is drying out in what was once the agriculturally rich Diyala province north of Baghdad, and Baquba, the capital city of Diyala, is now running out of...

TURKEY: RULING PARTY REJECTS CHARGES OF 'ANTI-SECULAR ACTIVITY'.
May 9, 2008... By Hilmi Toros ISTANBUL, Turkey, May 9, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Facing closure by the Constitutional Court, Turkey's Islamic-rooted governing party has launched its formal defense, claiming that the case against the highly popular party and its...

ICELAND: PROPOSED ROAD THREATENS ECOSYSTEM OF NATIONAL PARK.
May 9, 2008... By Lowana Veal REYKJAVIK, Iceland, May 9, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Environmentalists in Iceland are concerned that a proposed new road would threaten the ecosystem of Lake Thingvallavatn, the country's second largest lake. Lake...

CHINA: NATION BUYS FARMLAND ABROAD TO BOOST FOOD SECURITY.
May 9, 2008... By Antoaneta Bezlova BEIJING, May 9, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Rattled by rapidly rising global grain prices, Chinese leaders are considering the possibility of procuring farmland overseas and opposing the formation of any international grain...

INDIA: ACTIVISTS CALL FOR EXTENSION OF LOAN WAIVER FOR FARMERS.
May 9, 2008... By Bharat Dogra MAHOBA, India, May 9, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Activists are urging the Indian government to extend its loan waiver offer to more farmers in western Maharashtra and central Madhya Pradesh states, arguing that agricultural workers...

AUSTRALIA: NATION HAILS ITS FIRST FEMALE GOVERNOR-GENERAL.
May 9, 2008... By Stephen de Tarczynski MELBOURNE, Australia, May 9, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Some are hailing the recent announcement that a woman is to be Australia's next governor-general as a breakthrough, but advocacy groups are warning that discrimination...

BRAZIL: ENVIRONMENT OFFICIALS DEBATE INDIGENOUS LAND, BIOFUELS.
May 9, 2008... By Mario Osava BRASILIA, Brazil, May 8, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The legal status of an indigenous territory in the far north of Brazil has become a topic of intense debate at the Third National Conference on the Environment in Brazil's capital....

AFRICA: GERMAN LIGHTING FIRM AIMS TO BUILD SOLAR POWER HUBS.
May 9, 2008... By Stephen Leahy ACCRA, Ghana, May 8, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Lighting industry entrepreneurs are hoping that alternative devices such as solar-powered LED lights will eventually replace the smoky kerosene lamps that keep the darkness at bay in...

PORTUGAL: IRISH ROCK STAR DRAWS IRE OF ANGOLAN GOVERNMENT.
May 9, 2008... By Mario de Queiroz LISBON, Portugal, May 8, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Irish rocker and activist Bob Geldof's statement that Angola is a country "run by criminals" unleashed a political storm that could have an impact on Portugal's large...

LATIN AMERICA: REGIONAL LEADERS DECLARE 'FOOD EMERGENCY'.
May 9, 2008... By Jos Ad n Silva MANAGUA, Nicaragua, May 8, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The presidential summit on "Food for Life" in Nicaragua has ended with 16 Latin American countries agreeing to produce more food and sell it at low prices through strategic...

U.S.: LAWMAKERS CALL FOR PROBE OF PENTAGON-PAID MEDIA PUNDITS.
May 9, 2008... By William Fisher NEW YORK, May 8, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Members of the U.S. House of Representatives are calling on the Defense Department Inspector General to investigate a Pentagon-sponsored public relations effort involving the use of...

U.S.: NYPD ARRESTS HUNDREDS AT PROTEST AGAINST POLICE SHOOTINGS.
May 9, 2008... By Haider Rizvi NEW YORK, May 8, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- New York City police officers killed Paultre Bell's fianc in a hail of 50 bullets, just a few hours before their wedding on Nov. 25, 2006. This Wednesday, Bell participated in a...

IRAQ: SOARING FOOD PRICES BREW RESENTMENT IN FALLUJAH.
May 12, 2008... By Ali al-Fadhily and Dahr Jamail* FALLUJAH, Iraq, May 12, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Sharp increases in food prices have generated a new wave of anti-occupation and anti-U.S. sentiment in Fallujah. "This is a country that was damned by the...