INTER PRESS SERVICE
IPS, civil society's leading news agency, is an independent voice from the South and for development, delving into globalisation for the stories underneath.

U.N. Security Council Remains "Neutered" by Five Big Powers
10 Feb 2012 at 10:22am
by Thalif Deen
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.
Despite Rhetoric, Women Still Sidelined in Development Funding
10 Feb 2012 at 7:03am
by Charundi Panagoda
As U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro once put it, "Women hold the keys to unlocking the barriers to sustainable development."
Mines Test Colombia's Commitment to Sustainable Development
10 Feb 2012 at 6:31am
by Helda Martínez
"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.
EUROPE-DEVELOPMENT: The "Indignados" Still Have Wind in Their Sails
10 Feb 2012 at 5:28am
by Cléo Fatoorehchi
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.
Philippines Seeking U.S. Help Against China's Bullying
10 Feb 2012 at 1:21am
by Marwaan Macan-Markar
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.
Israel and Iran Agreed on Nuclear Ambiguity
9 Feb 2012 at 9:30pm
by Analysis by Pierre Klochendler
Will Israel attack Iran's nuclear facilities this spring? That is a question dominating the international agenda. Meanwhile, the grand project of a nuclear weapon-free Middle East is relegated to the utopian "day after" a solution is found to the Islamic republic's atomic programme.
Senegalese Students Call for President to Step Down
9 Feb 2012 at 8:14pm
by Jedi Ramalapa
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.
EUROPE-DEVELOPMENT: Mapping Out the EU's Harmful Projects
9 Feb 2012 at 4:08pm
by Bari Bates
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.
New Libya Off to a Shaky Start
8 Feb 2012 at 9:15pm
by Mike Elkin
It's been almost a year since Benghazi launched its uprising against former Libyan president Muammar Gaddafi and three months since he was killed, but there is a growing sense of frustration in eastern Libya with the National Transitional Council. Two weeks ago, a group of protesters attacked the Council's Benghazi headquarters as chairman Mustafa Abdeljalil was inside, forcing him to flee through the back door.
U.S. Leak on Israeli Attack Weakened a Warning to Netanyahu
8 Feb 2012 at 7:58am
by Analysis by Gareth Porter*
When Defence Secretary Leon Panetta told Washington Post columnist David Ignatius this week that he believes Israel was likely to attack Iran between April and June, it was ostensibly yet another expression of alarm at the Israeli government's threats of military action.
A Turbulent Twenty Years for Venezuelan Democracy
8 Feb 2012 at 6:50am
by Humberto Márquez
Twenty years ago, a military rebellion led by Venezuelan president - then lieutenant-colonel - Hugo Chávez ushered in an enduring era of turmoil for the country's democracy, with abrupt changes in its institutions and a climate of political upheaval and social and economic instability.
Chinese Feed Illegal Ivory Trade
7 Feb 2012 at 9:03pm
by Cam McGrath
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.
DEVELOPMENT-NIGER: Three Million Children Threatened by Hunger
7 Feb 2012 at 8:50pm
by Ousseini Issa
Women have been left in charge of many of the households in the village of Zamkoye-Koďra, 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.
New Rule Puts Brakes on U.S. Public Housing Demolitions
7 Feb 2012 at 12:50pm
by Matthew Cardinale
Earlier this week, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced the publication of a new notice which significantly tightens its procedures for the processing of public housing demolition applications by local housing authorities.
ARGENTINA: Fair Trade Going Strong Amid Global Crisis
7 Feb 2012 at 11:55am
by Marcela Valente
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.