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Friday, November 13, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
Indigenous Rights
ARGENTINA: Newspaper Brings to Light Abuses against Poor Farmers
Small farmers in the northern Argentine province of Santiago del Estero are publishing their own newspaper in an attempt to raise awareness about the constant abuses they suffer at the hands of wealthy landowners, who are encroaching on their small plots of land.RIGHTS-MALAYSIA: Judiciary Shows Signs of Independence
A landmark court decision to release a prominent critic, jailed without trial, is being hailed as a sign that Malaysia’s battered judiciary is no longer willing to serve as a tool of the government.AUSTRALIA/US: Afghanistan – Potential Sticking Point For Obama
While change may have come to the United States - as professed by president-elect Barack Obama following his election victory, a result largely welcomed here - Australia’s alliance with the superpower is likely to remain strong.CHINA: Tackling Tibet and Taiwan – Differently
Chinese negotiators have, this week, discussed Tibet’s quest for genuine autonomy with the Dalai Lama’s representatives and also pushed forward the agenda to establish economic rapprochement with Taipei.SOUTH PACIFIC: Obama Win Inspirational
Washington’s policy in the South Pacific is unlikely to change much with Barack Obama’s win in the U.S. presidential elections, but the historic victory should serve as an inspiration for the region, say commentators.SOUTH-EAST ASIA: Obama Victory Spells Renewed US Interest
In Indonesia, many know him as ‘’Barry’’. To others U.S. president-elect Barack Obama is the ‘’Menteng Kid’’ for the primary school he attended while living in South-east Asia’s largest country.DRUGS-BOLIVIA: DEA Ousted – What Now?
Relations between Bolivia and the United States have reached a new low over La Paz's recent decision to expel the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The fight against drug trafficking and resources to rehabilitate addicts are also in jeopardy, experts warn.
COLOMBIA: Native Protest Continues Despite Talks with Uribe
In his meeting with indigenous protesters Sunday, Colombian President Álvaro Uribe did not give in to any of the movement’s main demands, and the demonstrators decided to continue their protest, which is in its fourth week.
RIGHTS-PERU: Three More Bodies Found at Accomarca
The bodies of three civilians, victims of a 1985 massacre perpetrated by Peruvian soldiers in the highlands village of Accomarca, were disinterred by their families and judicial authorities. They may be the last to be exhumed by judicial order.COSTA RICA: Indigenous People Still Largely Invisible
In Costa Rica, the most advanced country in Central America in terms of human development, indigenous people tend to be neglected and forgotten.AUSTRALIA: Indigenous People – Approach Still Paternalistic
The paternalistic, top-down implementation of the Australian government’s intervention in indigenous communities in the Northern Territory is undermining its chance of success.
COLOMBIA: Where Dialogue Seems Impossible
Dialogue - or, more accurately, the lack thereof - was the common denominator in two high-profile events Sunday in the western Colombian city of Cali, demonstrating to what extent this vehicle of mutual understanding is missing in this civil war-torn South American country.
Q&A: "We Are not Subversives, and We Demand Respect"
Colombian President Álvaro Uribe admitted that the security forces opened fire on indigenous protesters in the southwestern province of Cauca, but denies that they were responsible for the deaths of three demonstrators, said Daniel Piñacué, a leader of the Nasa community.
COLOMBIA: Uribe Agrees to Talks with Indigenous Protesters
"The police did fire" on indigenous protesters, said Colombian President Álvaro Uribe, who yielded to pressure to meet next Sunday with the leaders of a two-week-long demonstration by native groups.BOLIVIA: Congress Approves Date for Vote on New Constitution
The Bolivian Congress ratified on Tuesday the new constitution drafted by a constituent assembly, as demanded by 100,000 government supporters who converged on the capital to demand that it be sent to a Jan. 25 referendum.RIGHTS-THAILAND: Army Reveals Two Faces
Calls by the country's army chief for the prime minister's reisgnation over the deaths of two anti-government demonstrators in clashes with the police have left the Malay-Muslim minority with reason to wonder if their lives are less valuable in this predominantly Buddhist country.
OIL SANDS-PART 2: "Where I Come From Is Ground Zero"
The wheels of the Caterpillar 797B, the world's largest truck, are always going round and round at Shell Canada's Albian Sands mine.
COLOMBIA: Brutal Crackdown on Indigenous Protest
More than 75 people were injured and at least one was killed in a crackdown on indigenous protests being held in different areas of Colombia.
ENVIRONMENT: Global Financial Crisis a Bad Sign for Andean Biodiversity
The crisis affecting the financial sector and stock markets around the world could fuel the expansion of extractive industries in South America's Andean region, warn experts.
OIL SANDS-PART 1: Showdown at Ft. McMoney
The sun rises in a bright, red line over flat land, small lakes, boreal forest and peat bogs as our small double engine plane bumps through early morning turbulence between Edmonton and Ft. McMurray, Canada.MALAYSIA: Moving Away From Race-Based Politics
Ever since voters rose to give the ruling, race-based Barisan Nasional (National Alliance) coalition government its biggest ever drubbing in March the search has been on for a new political formula for a country deeply divided over race and religion.« Previous Page — Next Page »
The planet's roughly 350 million indigenous peoples took notable steps on the international stage in the last decade. They got the world's governments to agree to create a body to represent them at the United Nations, the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, and to appoint a special rapporteur responsible for their human rights. In 2007 a Universal Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was approved by the UN. Yet the living conditions of most "tribal", "aboriginal", "native" or "first" peoples remain precarious. IPS, with its network of contributors at the UN and linked to indigenous communities worldwide, is committed to tracking the world community's efforts to do justice to the rights and aspirations of these peoples, with a special current focus on Latin America's 40 million rural indigenous peoples.
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