March 2004

CANADA-US: Customs Union Could Have Big Political Price – Experts

A possible customs union between this country and the United States, dismissed as the speculation of technical feasibility studies by Canadian government bureaucrats, could have enormous economic and political implications, warn some observers.

CHILE: Decision to Send Troops to Haiti Triggers Political Storm

By IPS Correspondents

Although Chilean President Ricardo Lagos won authorisation from the Senate to send army troops to join the multinational force in Haiti, the fact that he announced the decision before seeking congressional approval ruffled feathers among both his ruling coalition and the opposition.

DEVELOPMENT-MALI: Government Faces Stiff Challenges in Meeting Water Needs

By Almahady Cissé

"Our country has an enormous potential when it comes to water resources. If we develop these resources properly, they should allow us to try and get beyond food self-sufficiency," says Mali’s President, Amadou Toumani Toure.

RIGHTS-THAILAND: U.N. Drug Agency Hit for Soft Stand on Deaths

By Marwaan Macan-Markar

Recent remarks and documents by the U.N. anti-drug agency have put it under fire for a glaring lack of concern for the large number of people who were reportedly murdered during Thailand's 10-month campaign last year to rid the country of narcotics.

CHINA: Private Property Gets Boost, Rural Issues Take Centre Stage

By IPS Correspondents

A feature of communist utopia is set to be laid to rest at the upcoming annual session of China's National People's Congress (NPC) or Parliament: China will constitutionally guarantee the right to hold private property.

ECONOMY-EAST AFRICA: Long-Awaited Customs Union is Established

By IPS Correspondents

Member states of the East African Community have signed a protocol for establishing a customs union that is expected to boost growth in the region.

ENVIRONMENT: Eyeing Markets, India Pulls Punches on Biosafety – Activists

By Ranjit Devraj

India has agreed to soften international protections against plant contamination, in a bid to enhance commercial prospects for genetically modified (GM) crops that nevertheless could jeopardise consumer safety and food security, leading activists here said.

ENVIRONMENT: Eyeing Markets, India Pulls Punches on Biosafety – Activists

By Ranjit Devraj

India has agreed to soften international protections against plant contamination, in a bid to enhance commercial prospects for genetically modified (GM) crops that nevertheless could jeopardise consumer safety and food security, leading activists here said.

RIGHTS-FRANCE: Anti-Semitic Comedy No Laughing Matter

By Julio Godoy

French stand-up comedian Dieudonné makes nobody laugh any more.

LABOUR-PAKISTAN: Project Moves Children from Looms to Schools

By Zofeen Ebrahim

More than 1,200 boys and girls from villages in the Thar Desert have begun attending school under a homespun project aimed at helping children who toil as weavers while preserving their craft and the local carpet industry.

HAITI: Did U.S. Push or Pull Aristide from Power?

By Marty Logan

As rebel leader Guy Philippe declared himself Haiti's "military chief" Tuesday, speculation continued to fly over the U.S. role in deposed president Jean-Bertrand Aristide's flight from power Sunday.

LATIN AMERICA: Children, Women Victimised by Drug Trafficking – Report

By IPS Correspondents

Children and women are the main victims of the crime and violence that go hand in hand with drug trafficking in Latin America, says doctor Alfredo Pemjean, member of the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB).

DRUGS: Fight Against Narco-Trafficking Goes Local

By Gustavo Capdevila

Experts on the illegal narcotics trade used to focus on the drug kingpins, but now they are shifting their gaze towards the small-time dealers who are active in local communities.

U.S.: "Free" Trade Bites Back at its Biggest Booster

By Emad Mekay

Business and its political allies here are scrambling after Monday's news that the European Union (EU) is imposing four billion dollars worth of trade sanctions to retaliate for the U.S. failure to conform with a ruling by the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

POLITICS: EU Considers Arms Sales to Libya

By Thalif Deen

Libya's unpredictable leader Muammar el-Qaddafi, who voluntarily agreed to abandon plans to develop weapons of mass destruction (WMD), might soon be compensated with other forms of lethal equipment, including fighter planes, fast patrol boats, missiles and battle tanks.

HAITI: Did U.S. Push or Pull Aristide from Power?

By Marty Logan

As rebel leader Guy Philippe declared himself Haiti's "military chief" Tuesday, speculation continued to fly over the U.S. role in deposed president Jean-Bertrand Aristide's flight from power Sunday.

COMMUNICATIONS-MEXICO: Community Radio Stations Up Against the Wall

By IPS Correspondents

''Storming the airwaves'' is the slogan of Radio Neza, a community radio station that operates in the outskirts of the Mexican capital, without a permit and at risk of being closed down like the other 83 non-profit stations in the country.

POLITICS-MALAWI: Allegations of Media Bias Plague Election Campaign

By IPS Correspondents

Accusations of political bias are piling up against Malawi's state broadcaster in the run-up to general elections scheduled for May 18. In the latest salvo to be fired, a group of religious leaders has asked the courts to ensure equal air time for all political parties.

THAILAND: Labour Flexes Muscle with Anti-Privatisation Protests

By Marwaan Macan-Markar

A move to privatise Thailand's state-run power utility has, within the space of a week, prompted the country's labour movement to mobilise tens of thousands of protestors into street demonstrations, unprecedented during Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra three years in power.