HAITI: Kitchen Gardens Help Keep Hunger at Bay

Many Haitians living in poor neighbourhoods of the capital Port-au-Prince and semi-permanent tent camps are relying on kitchen gardens to put healthy food on the table.

The Current Patent System Favours Corporations

A proposal has been made to initiate a debate on patent quality at the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO). The expression ‘patent quality’ ambiguously alludes to a growing problem, faced in both developed and developing countries alike: the overwhelming majority of patents are applied for and granted over incremental developments on existing technologies.

HAITI: Kitchen Gardens Help Keep Hunger at Bay

Many Haitians living in poor neighbourhoods of the capital Port-au-Prince and semi-permanent tent camps are relying on kitchen gardens to put healthy food on the table.

Persecuted Libyans Struggle to Be Heard

Pregnant women miscarrying due to mistreatment, detainees mainly from sub-Saharan Africa denied adequate food and water. Small cells crammed with 80-100 detainees subjected to arbitrary justice by Libya’s volatile militias, politically persecuted Somalis forcibly repatriated to Mogadishu, and hundreds of boat people dying trying to flee Libya for a better life in Europe.

Corporate Lobbyists Threaten Democracy

Over a month has passed since the United Nations summit on sustainable development concluded in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, but the world still appears to be unaware of one of the most important statements made during the conference that drew some 50,000 delegates from all over the world.

Equal Parts Tolerance and Extremism in Indonesian Islam

Scattered across 17,000 islands on the Indian and Pacific oceans, the world's largest Muslim country has found its own blend of Islam: equal parts religion, secularism and contradictions.

Swapping Trash for Fresh Produce in Mexico City

Isabel Becerril has come with some friends to the “barter market” in the Mexican capital, to exchange 40 kgs of recyclable refuse for fresh produce, sweets and plants. “This is the first time I have come here, and I like it,” the university student tells IPS, with her ecological bag in hand.

Rescuing an Art to Save a People

Sitting on the floor, deep in concentration, Marta Llampa interlaces red and black threads that converge in sinuous shapes, gradually forming khurus or mythical creatures through a unique, age-old technique rescued from extinction by the Jalq'a people.

East End’s First Muslim Mayor Unfazed by Racist Press Attacks

The London Borough of Tower Hamlets, the “East End", is the historic core of England, the home of the Tower of London, and now it is a Gateway borough to the Olympics.

Elderly Find Few Places to Call Home

Mr. Jayakumar (73), a philanthropic bachelor hailing from a prosperous industrial family in the southern Indian state of Karnataka, decided at the age of 70 that it was time to settle down.

Discovering the Ancient Green Past of Argentina’s Arid Puna Plateau

The arid high Andean Puna plateau in northwest Argentina was much greener thousands of years ago. Climate changes forced the local inhabitants to develop adaptation strategies that could offer lessons for today, researchers say.

Empty Condos Hold Opportunity in U.S. Housing Crunch

Even as thousands of families in the United States remain homeless due to a lack of affordable housing, millions of units are sitting empty across the country, including foreclosed single-family homes, foreclosed or vacant condominium units or entire condo buildings, and vacant high-priced apartments.

Colonised by the Arabs, Abandoned by the World

Untamed stone villages line up over imposing green valleys. In winter they are white with snow. The luckiest have a view to the deep blue sea. "It’s gorgeous, isn’t it," says Amzi from his yellow cab. "Nobody would say we’re living in an open-air prison."

Trailer Trashing as South Africa Considers Outlawing Bicycle Trailers

The road between Zimbabwe’s Victoria Falls and Livingstone, in Zambia, is a well-traversed one, criss-crossed by bicycle riders towing trailers of bread and other supplies, with their bicycle spokes reinforced to bear the extra weight.

Empty Condos Hold Opportunity in U.S. Housing Crunch

Even as thousands of families in the United States remain homeless due to a lack of affordable housing, millions of units are sitting empty across the country, including foreclosed single-family homes, foreclosed or vacant condominium units or entire condo buildings, and vacant high-priced apartments.

Honduran President Puts “Tigers” on the Streets

The Honduran government’s plan to create a new rapid response police force, as part of a strategy to militarise the fight against crime, is dangerously vague, experts say.

DRC Conflict Worsens, Oxfam Warns

Millions of people in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are under siege as they get killed, kidnapped and abused --as the rebel group M23 takes control of the area. Elodie Martel, Oxfam's Associate Country Director, said:“We have reached a new depth of misery in Congo’s conflict when massacres go virtually unnoticed.” The organization reports that the widespread lawlessness is destabilizing the two eastern provinces of North and South Kivu and close to half million people have left their homes in the past four months. According to Andrej Mahecic , spokesperson for  the U.N. Refugee Agency, more than 470,000 Congolese have been uprooted since April – 220,000 in North Kivu and 200,000 in South Kivu –  while more than 51,000 fled to neighbouring Uganda (31,600) and Rwanda (19,400.) “Vast swathes of the east have descended into chaos with no government or security presence. People have been abandoned to killing, rape, looting and extortion. They are fleeing for their lives and very little is being done to help,” said Oxfam’s Martel. Regional leaders are meeting during August 7-8  in Kampala, Uganda at the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region to try to reach agreement on the resolution of the conflict. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said: “I reiterate my call to key international stakeholders to provide enhanced and sustained support to the Congolese authorities for Security Sector Reform and other key endeavours.” Ban also pointed out the importance of implementing the Pact on Peace, Security and Development to ensure the regional stability. That accord was agreed by 11 countries on 2007 setting out four crucial areas of cooperation in order to reach peace in the Great Lakes area. Those 4 points are:  security, democracy and governance, economic development, and humanitarian and social welfare. “I condemn the violence and serious human rights violations committed by the M23,” said Ban, “as well as other armed groups, against civilians, including acts of sexual violence, summary executions, and the recruitment of children as combatants.” The rebel group M23 started with mutiny within the Government Army in April 2012. Since then the hundreds of people have been killed, many more have left their homes and the humanitarian situation is a “catastrophe” according to Oxfam. The international organization reports that cholera is a risk in displaced camps, since January 2012 there has been more than 20,000 cases of this disease and 481 reported deaths.

Swapping Trash for Fresh Produce in Mexico City

Isabel Becerril has come with some friends to the “barter market” in the Mexican capital, to exchange 40 kgs of recyclable refuse for fresh produce, sweets and plants. “This is the first time I have come here, and I like it,” the university student tells IPS, with her ecological bag in hand.

Honduran President Puts “Tigers” on the Streets

The Honduran government’s plan to create a new rapid response police force, as part of a strategy to militarise the fight against crime, is dangerously vague, experts say.

Cuban Intellectuals Discuss the Transformation of the Public Sphere

On discussion panels, by email and in the blogosphere, Cuban intellectuals are speaking out to bring a critical perspective and propose roads forward to national development. And they increasingly seem to be including the transformation of public space as one of their goals.

How a Gay Rights Maverick Helped Topple Iceland’s Govt

By the time the political climate in Iceland was ripe for the Cutlery Revolution, Hörður Torfason was already well practiced at stirring things up.