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Tuesday, February 07, 2012   09:03 GMT    
Latest News
Cameroon’s Economy Suffers as Boko Haram Infiltrates Country
By Ngala Killian Chimtom
YAOUNDE, Feb 7 (IPS) - Ahmadou Lamine has been forced to close his business selling fuel imported from Nigeria, known locally as "zoa-zoa", because of the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram.
MORE >>

Burma in the Throes of Change - Part 1
By Preethi Nallu
CHIANG MAI, Thailand, Feb 7 (IPS) - Moves by the Burmese government to settle ethnic conflicts in the country, notably with the Karen in the mountainous eastern part of the country, have caught most observers by surprise.
MORE >>

/CORRECTED REPEAT**/: Social Media Shows Support for Africa’s Oldest Community Station
By Davison Mudzingwa*
CAPE TOWN, South Africa , Feb 7 (IPS) - When a financial crisis threatened the existence of Africa’s oldest community station, Bush Radio, an outpouring of sympathy and appeals went viral on social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook. However, despite this outspoken support that showed that the station is worth saving, its future remains uncertain.
MORE >>

Will 2014 World Cup Take Football from Brazil's Masses?
By Fabiola Ortiz
RIO DE JANEIRO, Feb 6 (IPS) - The lack of transparency in the preparations for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil is raising concerns over the social implications of hosting the football championship and fears that the country's most democratic and popular sport will only be accessible to the wealthy.
MORE >>

U.S. Weighs Options As Syrian Violence Intensifies
By Samer Araabi
WASHINGTON, Feb 6 (IPS) - Following a failed bid to pass a U.N. Security Council Resolution calling for regime change in Syria, Washington is considering other means to influence events on the ground, as the country slips ever closer toward civil war.
MORE >>

U.N. Security Council Remains "Neutered" by Five Big Powers
By Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS, Feb 6 (IPS) - Since Russia and China vetoed a key resolution critical of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's violent repression of the ongoing 11-month old civilian uprising, there has been plenty of public outrage directed at the two permanent members of the Security Council who stood defiant against an overwhelming majority.
MORE >>

Despite Rhetoric, Women Still Sidelined in Development Funding
By Charundi Panagoda
WASHINGTON, Feb 6 (IPS) - As U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro once put it, "Women hold the keys to unlocking the barriers to sustainable development."
MORE >>

Mines Test Colombia's Commitment to Sustainable Development
By Helda Martínez
IBAGUÉ, Colombia, Feb 6 (IPS) - "In the Andes, and all over the world, mining on mountains should be banned. Distinguished scientists and papers in the most prestigious journals are saying this," a regional planning expert in Colombia told IPS.
MORE >>

EUROPE-DEVELOPMENT: The "Indignados" Still Have Wind in Their Sails
By Cléo Fatoorehchi
AIX-EN-PROVENCE, Feb 6 (IPS) - Months of protest across the European Union, sparked by ‘indignant’ youth demanding an end to the brand of free market capitalism that has blighted the continent with an unemployment epidemic, finally bore fruit on Jan. 30 when Jose Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission, proposed an ambitious jobs scheme.
MORE >>

Philippines Seeking U.S. Help Against China’s Bullying
By Marwaan Macan-Markar
BANGKOK, Feb 6 (IPS) - The government of Philippines President Benigno Aquino may be wading into choppy diplomatic waters by turning to the United States to counter China’s aggressiveness in the South China Sea, one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.
MORE >>

Global Affairs
U.N. Security Council Remains "Neutered" by Five Big Powers
By Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS - Since Russia and China vetoed a key resolution critical of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's violent repression of the ongoing 11-month old civilian uprising, there has been plenty of public outrage directed at the two permanent members of the Security Council who stood defiant against an overwhelming majority.
MORE >>
 		 
Despite Rhetoric, Women Still Sidelined in Development Funding
By Charundi Panagoda
WASHINGTON - As U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro once put it, "Women hold the keys to unlocking the barriers to sustainable development."
MORE >>
 		 
UNICEF Funding Falls Short Leaving Millions of Children at Risk
By Bari Bates
BRUSSELS - If the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) had 1.28 billion dollars it could help 97 million people around the world.
MORE >>
 		 
Political and Economic Turmoil Threaten Women's Progress
By Mathilde Bagneres
UNITED NATIONS - As UN Women celebrated its first birthday, its executive director Michelle Bachelet stressed that political upheveal and shrinking budgets are no excuse to push back the hard-won gains made by the women's movement globally.
MORE >>
 		 
Russia Sticks to Its Guns Against Heavy Hitters Backing Syria
By Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS - The political heavy hitters were all there at a key Security Council meeting early this week to decide on the future of beleaguered Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
MORE >>
 		 
MDGs
Cameroon’s Economy Suffers as Boko Haram Infiltrates Country
By Ngala Killian Chimtom
YAOUNDE - Ahmadou Lamine has been forced to close his business selling fuel imported from Nigeria, known locally as "zoa-zoa", because of the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram.
MORE >>
 		 
/CORRECTED REPEAT**/
Social Media Shows Support for Africa’s Oldest Community Station
By Davison Mudzingwa*
CAPE TOWN, South Africa - When a financial crisis threatened the existence of Africa’s oldest community station, Bush Radio, an outpouring of sympathy and appeals went viral on social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook. However, despite this outspoken support that showed that the station is worth saving, its future remains uncertain.
MORE >>
 		 
Despite Rhetoric, Women Still Sidelined in Development Funding
By Charundi Panagoda
WASHINGTON - As U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro once put it, "Women hold the keys to unlocking the barriers to sustainable development."
MORE >>
 		 
Senegalese Students Call for President to Step Down
By Jedi Ramalapa
DAKAR - The friends of slain Senegalese student protester, Mamadou Diop, say that the 32-year-old master’s student was against injustice and that is why he was protesting against President Abdoulaye Wade’s bid for a third term of office.
MORE >>
 		 
DEVELOPMENT-NIGER
Three Million Children Threatened by Hunger
By Ousseini Issa
BOBOYE, Niger - Women have been left in charge of many of the households in the village of Zamkoye-Koïra, in western Niger, as food shortages have driven male family members to leave in search of work elsewhere. A national survey of vulnerable households shows that 5.4 million people face food insecurity across Niger.
MORE >>
 		 
Environment
Mines Test Colombia's Commitment to Sustainable Development
By Helda Martínez
IBAGUÉ, Colombia - "In the Andes, and all over the world, mining on mountains should be banned. Distinguished scientists and papers in the most prestigious journals are saying this," a regional planning expert in Colombia told IPS.
MORE >>
 		 
EUROPE-DEVELOPMENT
Mapping Out the EU’s Harmful Projects
By Bari Bates
BRUSSELS - Dozens of European Union-funded projects across several countries are ‘environmentally or socially unsound’, according to a map created by a joint effort between CEE Bankwatch Network and Friends of the Earth Europe.
MORE >>
 		 
Chinese Feed Illegal Ivory Trade
By Cam McGrath
CAIRO - The illegal trade in ivory continues in Egypt, with ivory products sold openly in local tourist markets by traders who operate with impunity, a new study by the conservation group Traffic has found.
MORE >>
 		 
ARGENTINA
Fair Trade Going Strong Amid Global Crisis
By Marcela Valente
BUENOS AIRES - With a steady growth in production and exports, fair trade in Argentina is proving that socially and environmentally sustainable practices can be much more than a refuge from external crises.
MORE >>
 		 
UNICEF Funding Falls Short Leaving Millions of Children at Risk
By Bari Bates
BRUSSELS - If the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) had 1.28 billion dollars it could help 97 million people around the world.
MORE >>
 		 
Human Rights
Cameroon’s Economy Suffers as Boko Haram Infiltrates Country
By Ngala Killian Chimtom
YAOUNDE - Ahmadou Lamine has been forced to close his business selling fuel imported from Nigeria, known locally as "zoa-zoa", because of the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram.
MORE >>
 		 
Burma in the Throes of Change - Part 1
By Preethi Nallu
CHIANG MAI, Thailand - Moves by the Burmese government to settle ethnic conflicts in the country, notably with the Karen in the mountainous eastern part of the country, have caught most observers by surprise.
MORE >>
 		 
/CORRECTED REPEAT**/
Social Media Shows Support for Africa’s Oldest Community Station
By Davison Mudzingwa*
CAPE TOWN, South Africa - When a financial crisis threatened the existence of Africa’s oldest community station, Bush Radio, an outpouring of sympathy and appeals went viral on social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook. However, despite this outspoken support that showed that the station is worth saving, its future remains uncertain.
MORE >>
 		 
U.S. Weighs Options As Syrian Violence Intensifies
By Samer Araabi
WASHINGTON - Following a failed bid to pass a U.N. Security Council Resolution calling for regime change in Syria, Washington is considering other means to influence events on the ground, as the country slips ever closer toward civil war.
MORE >>
 		 
U.N. Security Council Remains "Neutered" by Five Big Powers
By Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS - Since Russia and China vetoed a key resolution critical of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's violent repression of the ongoing 11-month old civilian uprising, there has been plenty of public outrage directed at the two permanent members of the Security Council who stood defiant against an overwhelming majority.
MORE >>
 		 
Health
EUROPE-DEVELOPMENT
Mapping Out the EU’s Harmful Projects
By Bari Bates
BRUSSELS - Dozens of European Union-funded projects across several countries are ‘environmentally or socially unsound’, according to a map created by a joint effort between CEE Bankwatch Network and Friends of the Earth Europe.
MORE >>
 		 
DEVELOPMENT-NIGER
Three Million Children Threatened by Hunger
By Ousseini Issa
BOBOYE, Niger - Women have been left in charge of many of the households in the village of Zamkoye-Koïra, in western Niger, as food shortages have driven male family members to leave in search of work elsewhere. A national survey of vulnerable households shows that 5.4 million people face food insecurity across Niger.
MORE >>
 		 
UNICEF Funding Falls Short Leaving Millions of Children at Risk
By Bari Bates
BRUSSELS - If the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) had 1.28 billion dollars it could help 97 million people around the world.
MORE >>
 		 
Latin America Takes a New Look at Neglected Diseases
By Fabiana Frayssinet
RIO DE JANEIRO - The rise of emerging economies in Latin America is an opportunity to improve strategies for fighting neglected illnesses and increase the region's contribution to the global struggle against them, says the regional director of an organisation devoted to this purpose.
MORE >>
 		 
Brazil Deploys "Junior Firefighters" to Snuff Out Dengue
By Fabiana Frayssinet
RIO DE JANEIRO - The government of the state of Rio de Janeiro is unveiling a battery of creative tactics to engage the population in the battle against dengue fever, which is threatening to reach unprecedented epidemic proportions as a new virus strain hits Brazil.
MORE >>
 		 
Climate South: Developing Countries Coping With Climate Change
PUERTO RICO
Cleaner Energy Sources Prove Divisive
By Carmelo Ruiz-Marrero*
SAN JUAN - As Puerto Rico seeks to lower soaring utility rates while simultaneously shifting toward cleaner energy sources, it faces grassroots opposition to two major projects even though at least one is 100-percent renewable.
MORE >>
 		 
KENYA
Thirsty Eucalyptus Good for Absorbing Carbon
By Isaiah Esipisu*
NAIROBI - On a steep slope of land in Thangathi village in Central Province, Kenya, Peter Nyaga surveys his four-year-old eucalyptus woodlot. He calculates the value of every tree on his two-hectare piece of land at maturity in three years.
MORE >>
 		 
JAMAICA
Waking Up to Urgency of a National Climate Policy
By Zadie Neufville*
KINGSTON - As increasingly extreme and erratic weather driven by the earth's changing climate exacts a heavy toll on Jamaica's population, economy and infrastructure, a consensus has emerged among scientists and policy makers here that adaptation measures must include hazard mitigation.
MORE >>
 		 
Saving the Forests with Indigenous Knowledge
By Isaiah Esipisu*
DURBAN, South Africa - For the Laibon community, a sub-tribe of Kenya’s Maasai ethnic group, the 33,000-hectare Loita Forest in the country’s Rift Valley Province is more than just a forest. It is a shrine.
MORE >>
 		 
NEPAL
Praying Against Climate Change
By Sudeshna Sarkar*
KAVRE, Nepal - There are gasps from the audience as a series of shocking images flash across the screen: human hands eaten away by arsenic, the carcass of a cow so emaciated that it looks two-dimensional, a starved child with matchstick legs grasping at the udder of an animal for sustenance.
MORE >>
 		 
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