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Great reading!
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The 'other' world news - IPS News Headlines (also on the home page)
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POLITICS: South Takes Aim at Security Council Elitism
UNITED NATIONS, Aug 27 (IPS) - A major group of the world's developing
nations is calling for the U.N. Security Council to be more open
and accountable for its decisions on issues of international
peace and security.
POLITICS: Iran Could Reap Benefits of U.S.-Russian Tensions
WASHINGTON, Aug 27 (IPS) - Iran could emerge as a big winner, at least in the
short term, from the rapidly escalating tensions between the
United States and Russia over Moscow's intervention in
Georgia, according to analysts here.
MEXICO: Conservatives Lose Key Battle Against Abortion
MEXICO CITY, Aug 27 (IPS) - The Mexican government, Catholic Church and
conservative groups lost a crucial battle Wednesday in their
fight against abortion, which was legalised in the capital in
April 2007.
POLITICS-US: Women Take the Platform at Dem Convention
WASHINGTON, Aug 27 (IPS) - From the party platform ratified by delegates
between speeches Monday, to primetime, headlining speeches by two
heavy hitters in the election -- Sen. Hillary Clinton and
first-lady hopeful Michelle Obama -- the initial two days of the
Democratic National Convention were dominated by women.
RIGHTS-KENYA: "They Mobilised Violence For Their Own Reasons"
NAIROBI, Aug 27 (IPS) - The text of the Kenyan National Dialogue and
Reconciliation Accord, brokered by former UN chief Kofi Annan in
March this year and released to the press in full last Sunday,
identifies land as one of the central issues creating
"economic, social, political and environmental
problems" in the country.
COLOMBIA: International Criminal Court Scrutinises Paramilitary Crimes
BOGOTA, Aug 27 (IPS) - The International Criminal Court’s (ICC) chief
prosecutor ended a three-day visit to Colombia Wednesday, where
he has been investigating who is ultimately responsible for the
human rights crimes committed in this civil war-torn country.
RIGHTS-SWAZILAND: Women Challenge King Mswati
MBABANE, Aug 27 (IPS) - Hard on the heels of the signing of the Gender
Protocol at the Southern African Development Community (SADC)
heads of state summit, Swazi women have challenged King Mswati
III on the monarchy's lavish lifestyle in the face of abject
poverty and disease.
SIERRA LEONE: Commission Launches First Human Rights Report
FREETOWN, Aug 27 (IPS) - A barefoot girl watches expressionless as men clad
in expensive suits and women in designer clothes make their way
on foot to the Community Centre in Kroo Bay, Freetown. They are
here to launch the first ever State of Human Rights Report for
Sierra Leone; Zainab, 12, is in the midst of another day on the
narrow, muddy streets of the area, selling groundnuts to help
support her family.
SOUTH AFRICA: Rights Work Hampered by Closure Threat
DURBAN, Aug 27 (IPS) - The University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) last week
lifted a funding ban on its Centre for Civil Society (CCS) after
national and international intellectuals protested loudly against
the leftist centre’s potential closure. Yet, the uncertainty of
the past few weeks has already impacted negatively on CCS’
operations.
POLITICS-US: Housing Fund Seen as Grassroots Victory
WASHINGTON, Aug 27 (IPS) - Advocates are calling a new national trust fund to
preserve, rehabilitate and build affordable housing, including
public housing, a major grassroots victory and key step in
addressing the needs of low-income people in the United States.
DEVELOPMENT: Nepal Scrutinises Spending to Cap Gender Gaps
KATHMANDU, Aug 27 (IPS) - The period between 2002 and 2007, was marked with
various political and economic changes in Nepal. As the
government and the Maoist rebels fought a bloody war in the
hinterlands, exports plummeted due to internal and international
factors, investments by government and private sectors dropped
due to instability caused by the war and agriculture stagnated.
During this period Nepal’s average growth dropped from 5 to 2.9
percent.
MALAYSIA: Anwar's Win Spells Leadership Change
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 27 (IPS) - Despite a nasty campaign against him, opposition
icon Anwar Ibrahim has won spectacularly in a landmark
by-election in the family stronghold of Permatang Pauh,
confirming his stature as possible prime minister with truly
national appeal, cutting across race and religion.
PERU: Courts Move Closer to Clarifying Accomarca Massacre
LIMA, Aug 27 (IPS) - "They entered the village and called all the
peasants together, tortured them to make them say who were
terrorists, and killed them because they didn't talk,"
testified former soldier José Contreras, one of those involved in
the 1985 killing of 69 people in the southern Peruvian village of
Accomarca.
MIDEAST: Israel Pushes Ahead with Settlement Expansion
JERUSALEM, Aug 27 (IPS) - Israel has published tenders for the construction
of 1,761 illegal housing units for Israeli settlers in occupied
east Jerusalem alone, according to the Israeli rights group Peace
Now.
RIGHTS: Accused Terrorist Sues Norway
OSLO, Aug 27 (IPS) - The co-founder of a suspected al-Qaeda linked
militant group in Iraq who lived a double life as a refugee in
Norway's capital Oslo is suing Norway for violating his
rights.
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Globalisation: The untold stories - IPS News
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ECONOMY-INDIA: Market Reforms May Not Materialise
NEW DELHI, Aug 6 (IPS) - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s coalition
government is no longer dependent on communist parties to
complete its term in office but it may yet fail to push through
market-friendly, neo-liberal economic policies -- for lack of
time and political consensus.
TRADE: WTO Prescribes More Liberalisation
GENEVA, Jul 18 (IPS) - The shortcomings of globalisation must be amended
by more globalisation,
according to the World Trade Report 2008,
released by the World Trade
Organisation (WTO).
BOOKS: You're Not on Their Speed Dial
WASHINGTON, Jul 9 (IPS) - Amidst the rise of multinational corporations,
technology that unites people across borders, and new waves of
international migration, globalisation has also ushered in the
formation of a powerful network of elites who have access to
unprecedented resources and influence -- and whose
decision-making impacts the lives of millions across the globe.
GLOBALISATION: West’s Loss of Gulf Funds East’s Gain
DUBAI, Jul 3 (IPS) - As politically motivated restrictions on
investments by oil-rich countries
intensify in the West, the
sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) of the Gulf countries
could opt to
invest in Asia and other emerging markets despite attractive
valuations in the slowing U.S and European markets.
MEDIA: IPS Has New Chairman
ROME, Jun 25 (IPS) - The IPS International Association has chosen
Federico Mayor as new chair of its Board of Directors. He
replaces Mario Soares, former President of Portugal (1986-1996),
who has been guiding the IPS Board since 2002.
DEVELOPMENT: About Farmers, Without Farmers
ROME, Jun 3 (IPS) - Record high food prices and their impact on poor
countries will dominate the three-day UN Food and Agriculture
Organisation (FAO) summit of world leaders that opened Tuesday in
Rome. But the solutions to the food crisis cannot be left to
governments only, according to several small farmers groups
running a parallel civil society food forum.
DEVELOPMENT: Blessed and Cursed by Water
OSLO, Jun 3 (IPS) - Millions of people are threatened by poor,
unreliable, or non-existent water resources, and climate change
could make things worse. IPS looked at some of the issues before
participants at a World Bank conference on water and sanitation
issues held in Oslo last week.
Q&A: Can Save the MDGs Yet
BRUSSELS, May 14 (IPS) - White banners were draped across public buildings
in much of Europe during 2005 as an
unlikely coalition of
celebrities, church groups and trade unionists took part in the
Make
Poverty History campaign. The Group of Eight (G8) top
industrialised countries and the
European Union responded by
promising to double their aid to Africa by 2010 at a summit in
Gleneagles, Scotland.
ECONOMY: IMF Reforms Itself, A Little
BRUSSELS, Apr 29 (IPS) - The poor have been given a little more say in the
IMF. It is still a small step, but the biggest such in the last
60 years.
AFRICA: Agricultural Extension Work Both Important and Under-valued
NAIROBI, Apr 27 (IPS) - At a time of international concern about the future
of the world's food supply, it's a comment that gives pause
for thought: "I teach university students agriculture and
extension but many of them opt for other professions, especially
in ICTs, because agriculture is 'for those who haven't gone
to school'."
GLOBALISATION: New Curbs on Investment From the South
BERLIN, Apr 14 (IPS) - Germany's decision to introduce controls on
investments from the South in strategic domestic sectors is yet
another indicator of growing protectionism in European and other
industrialised countries against the neo-liberal globalisation
they once masterminded.
GLOBALISATION: So, Back to Regulation, Then
BERLIN, Mar 20 (IPS) - The financial crisis around the world marks the end
of neo-liberal globalisation and the beginning of a new era of
regulation of the global economy, political leaders and
economists say.
ECONOMY: Workers Will Pay the Costs of Global Crisis
GENEVA, Mar 18 (IPS) - International union leaders warned representatives
of governments and employers, and World Bank President Robert
Zoellick, that the burden of the current financial turmoil will
fall on the world’s workers.
PHILIPPINES: Left Extremists Continue to 'Punish' Big Business
TAMPAKAN, Mindanao, Mar 13 (IPS) - In the New Year's tradition of frightening off
evil spirits with fireworks and noise, the communist New
People's Army (NPA) ushered in 2008 by attacking the base camp
of Sagittarius Mines Inc. (SMI) in the village of Tablu, in South
Cotabato province.
ECONOMY: Globalisation 'Localises' Inequality
BRUSSELS, Mar 11 (IPS) - Is the big North-South-divide finally diminishing?
It seems to be, though slowly.
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U.N. Development deadline 2015 - IPS News
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MEXICO: Conservatives Lose Key Battle Against Abortion
MEXICO CITY, Aug 27 (IPS) - The Mexican government, Catholic Church and
conservative groups lost a crucial battle Wednesday in their
fight against abortion, which was legalised in the capital in
April 2007.
RIGHTS-SWAZILAND: Women Challenge King Mswati
MBABANE, Aug 27 (IPS) - Hard on the heels of the signing of the Gender
Protocol at the Southern African Development Community (SADC)
heads of state summit, Swazi women have challenged King Mswati
III on the monarchy's lavish lifestyle in the face of abject
poverty and disease.
DEVELOPMENT: Nepal Scrutinises Spending to Cap Gender Gaps
KATHMANDU, Aug 27 (IPS) - The period between 2002 and 2007, was marked with
various political and economic changes in Nepal. As the
government and the Maoist rebels fought a bloody war in the
hinterlands, exports plummeted due to internal and international
factors, investments by government and private sectors dropped
due to instability caused by the war and agriculture stagnated.
During this period Nepal’s average growth dropped from 5 to 2.9
percent.
DEVELOPMENT: Africa Still Hampered by Lack of Geographical Data
CAPE TOWN, Aug 27 (IPS) - Geographic Information Systems (GIS) could play a
vital role in improving agriculture and boosting food security in
Africa. However, only a few African countries are capable of
developing such systems, partly because of a lack of basic
geographical data.
BRAZIL: Producing Guitars and Luthiers in the Rainforest
MANAUS, Brazil, Aug 26 (IPS) - Cuban instrument-maker or luthier Raúl Lage came
for six months, but has already spent seven and a half years in
Manaus, the city in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon. "The
project is really fantastic," he says, explaining why he
plans to renew his work contract again in September.
TRADE-KENYA: British Imports Losing Their Appeal
NAIROBI, Aug 26 (IPS) - When Kenya purchased Toyota vehicles for its
military forces, instead of the all-pervasive Land Rover, it
signalled a seismic change -- in effect ending the most favoured
status enjoyed by imports sourced from its erstwhile colonial
master the United Kingdom.
ENVIRONMENT-ARGENTINA: Scarce Water Threatened by Gold Mine
BUENOS AIRES, Aug 25 (IPS) - For nearly a year and a half, local residents in
the northwestern Argentine province of La Rioja have been
blocking the road that climbs up to the Nevados de Famatina
mountain to protest a gold mining project that they say will
pollute the water in the country’s driest district.
ETHIOPIA: Choosing Among One's Own Amid Food Crisis
ADDIS ABABA, Aug 25 (IPS) - The global food crisis has forced families to make
grievous choices.
When Mulu Baboche travelled from the
Ethiopian capital to visit her home town in the drought-stricken
southern countryside, she found her brother weakened, his animals
emaciated and his nine children wilting from hunger.
SOUTHERN AFRICA: Free Trade Deal Full of Potential - And Danger
CAPE TOWN, Aug 25 (IPS) - The launch of a free trade area (FTA) within the
Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) has brought the
region one step closer to a regional customs union by 2010. But
the launch of the FTA at the recent SADC heads of state summit
was met with mixed reaction.
TRADE-SOUTHERN AFRICA: FTA Will ‘‘Choke’’ Small Business
JOHANNESBURG, Aug 25 (IPS) - The Free Trade Agreement (FTA) that Southern
African Development Community (SADC) governments agreed to will
boost large South African companies’ reach in the region at the
expense of small-scale producers and shops.
PERU: Indigenous Groups Win Major Battle in Congress
LIMA, Aug 22 (IPS) - The Peruvian Congress voted Friday to repeal two
decrees that opened up communally owned native lands to private
investment and that triggered a wave of protests this month by
indigenous people in Amazon jungle provinces.
DEVELOPMENT: Food, Fuel and Water Crises Converging
STOCKHOLM, Aug 22 (IPS) - A spectre is haunting the cities and villages of
most developing nations, warns a senior official of a World
Bank-affiliated organisation.
DEVELOPMENT: Wasted Food Is Also Wasted Water
STOCKHOLM, Aug 21 (IPS) - The world's growing food crisis -- which
triggered riots and demonstrations in over 30 developing nations
early this year -- is being aggravated primarily by wastage and
overconsumption.
BRAZIL: Setting an Important Precedent for Indigenous Lands
BOA VISTA, Roraima, Brazil, Aug 21 (IPS) - An imminent decision by Brazil’s Supreme Court on
the demarcation of the Raposa Serra do Sol indigenous reservation
in the Amazon jungle region has the country’s native communities
on edge, because of the precedent it will set.
CULTURE-SOUTH AFRICA: Crafts That Steal Hearts All Over the World
CAPE TOWN, Aug 21 (IPS) - It is early on a Monday morning and Margret
Woermann is late for her interview with IPS. The owner and
creative force behind the Heartworks shops is at a meeting
discussing a project with a clothing designer.
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News about our cultural story tellers: The Media - IPS News
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Q&A: Finding New Ways To Reach Farmers
PRETORIA, Aug 23 (IPS) - When beekeepers in central and eastern Uganda got
vouchers to go online at internet cafés, their most popular query
was how to treat bee stings. A local agricultural information
provider replied in Baganda, the local language.
POLITICS-US: Anti-Obama Echo Chamber in Full Swing
OAKLAND, California, Aug 20 (IPS) - Right-wing groups are stepping up their campaign
against Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, with two
new books on the best-seller lists, another on the verge of
publication, and a full-length documentary that will premiere
during the party conventions later this month.
MALAYSIA: Crackdown on Civil Rights, Media Feared
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 19 (IPS) - A series of tough measures in recent weeks has
raised fears of a major crackdown against tolerance and dissent
as rival political forces battle for state power in a society
made fragile by economic uncertainties and decades of autocratic
rule.
CULTURE-CAMBODIA: Pre-War Khmer Music Making a Comeback
PHNOM PENH, Aug 17 (IPS) - Grainy black and white newsreel footage of B-52
bombing raids and fierce fighting are the images most frequently
associated with Cambodia in the sixties and early seventies --
not rock and roll, hot pants and wild dancing.
MEDIA-LATIN AMERICA: Behind-the-Scenes Censorship
BUENOS AIRES, Aug 15 (IPS) - A study carried out in seven countries of Latin
America found a "growing trend" in the region of subtle,
largely invisible government interference with the media and
journalistic independence.
MALAYSIA: Proposal to Liberalise Campuses Weak - Students
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 13 (IPS) - For nearly four decades undergraduates in this
country were banned from owning loud hailers -- a powerful symbol
of dissent in the 1970s.
MEDIA: Olympics Draw Harvest of Online Protests
BANGKOK, Aug 11 (IPS) - Say goodbye to the usual slogan-shouting and
banner-carrying protest actions, because one does not even have
to be anywhere near China to push a mix of causes -- from Tibet
and Burma to Darfur. Online creativity is the
name of the game.
RIGHTS-ETHIOPIA: Court Case To Test Limits of Press Freedom
ADDIS ABABA, Aug 7 (IPS) - A legal battle in Ethiopia over what constitutes
contempt of court is likely to test the boundaries of free speech
in a country where the liberty of press has deteriorated over the
last three years.
MEDIA-AUSTRALIA: TV Network Denies Censor Role in China
MELBOURNE, Aug 6 (IPS) - An electronic paper trail indicates that one of
Australia’s leading television networks may be involved in
dissuading foreign media in China against covering
"forbidden" topics.
ENVIRONMENT: Tierramérica Centre Born in Heart of Amazon Jungle
MANAUS, Brazil, Aug 1 (IPS) - The Tierramérica International Centre for
Sustainable Development and Environmental Defence held its
founding assembly Thursday in Manaus, a city in the heart of the
Brazilian Amazon, during a seminar on the world’s big
environmental challenges.
MIDEAST: Israeli Transcends Borders With a Virtual Bridge
JERUSALEM, Jul 29 (IPS) - Israelis are barred from travelling to the West
Bank and Palestinians from entering Israel without a permit, but
that has not deterred Zvi Schreiber, an Israeli living in
Jerusalem, from creating a high-tech start-up company that does
all its programming in the West Bank town Ramallah and its
business development and marketing in the Israeli town
Modi'in.
FIJI: Another Move to Muzzle the Media
SUVA, Jul 28 (IPS) - Since independence in 1970, this Pacific Island
nation has had a succession of elected and unelected prime
ministers. Both sets of leaders have tried to muzzle what they
see as errant, if not dangerous, media.
FRANCE: 'Excited Little Boy' Takes Hold of the Media
PARIS, Jul 23 (IPS) - The media in France, already in a heavy financial
and credibility crisis, did not need yet another blow. But that
is just what it got in President Nicolas Sarkozy's
announcement that he will personally pick the directors of the
public television and radio broadcasting companies.
POLITICS-US: New Spying Law Quickly Challenged
NEW YORK, Jul 22 (IPS) - Civil liberties advocates have lost no time in
asking a federal court to stop the government from conducting
surveillance under the new wiretapping law passed by Congress and
signed by President George W. Bush last week.
RELIGION: UN Invited to Create Interfaith Council
MADRID, Jul 21 (IPS) - The participants at the World Conference on
Dialogue in Madrid have proposed that the United Nations create
an interreligious council.
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News about those that make a difference
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Skoll Foundation Extends Investments in Leading Social Entrepreneurs (PR Newswire via Yahoo! News)
-- Follow-on investment in Skoll social entrepreneurs selected in 2005 will advance sustainable change in education, health, environment, economic development and human rights
How effective is social enterprise? (BBC News)
Is social enterprise a viable approach for budding entrepreneurs who want to start a business and act ethically at the same time?
Teenager sends classroom-in-a-box to Africa (KGO-TV Bay Area)
An Eagle Scout project turns into a charitable donation for African orphans.
Ashoka Expands the Reach of Social Entrepreneurship Around the World With Support From Microsoft Software Grant (PR Newswire via Yahoo! News)
Ashoka: Innovators for the Public today announced a $2.5 million software grant from Microsoft to increase Ashoka's ability to impact worldwide social change. Ashoka, the world's largest community of leading social entrepreneurs, will use the grant to support pattern changing ideas and the Ashoka Fellows who initiate them. The Microsoft partnership represents a milestone in Ashoka's capacity to ...
Social entrepreneurship: Make everyone a change-maker (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
Renato Mercado had worked as an assistant architect for 15 years in Saudi Arabia. Last year, he got a one-month leave and was finally able to visit his family in Laguna province after four years.
Lenovo Provides Grant To Train New Tech Workers (InformationWeek)
The money will go to CompTIA's Creating Futures program, which offers tech training to military veterans, dislocated workers, at-risk youth, and people with disabilities.
CompTIA Educational Foundation's Creating Futures Program Receives Lenovo Hope Fund Grant (PRWeb)
Award will go toward IT industry career opportunities program (PRWeb Aug 13, 2008) Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/Creating_Futures/Lenovo_Hope_Fund/prweb1205944.htm
CompTIA Educational Foundation's Creating Futures Program Receives Lenovo Hope Fund Grant (PRWeb via Yahoo! News)
Award will go toward IT industry career opportunities program
ON THE RISE: 20 young Cleveland professionals whose careers are ascending (Cleveland Jewish News)
Meet 20 young, dynamic individuals who are getting noticed in the business world. These bright achievers have certainly stirred the waters, from waves on Wall Street and swells in sports and steel, to motion in music and currents in cards – the greeting/note variety, that is.
Enterprise Announces New Fellowship Appointees (PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance)
Doris W. Koo, president and CEO of Enterprise Community Partners, today announced the selection of three dynamic social entrepreneurs to fill an inaugural slate of organizational fellowships.
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