Military Given Full Powers to Fight Crime in Honduras
Human rights defenders and members of the opposition in Honduras see a new elite military unit created to engage in policing as a drastic setback for the demilitarisation efforts that began two decades...
View ArticleOpposition Journalists in Azerbaijan Face Free-Flat Conflict
In Azerbaijan, opposition journalists have long been beaten, blackmailed and some even killed. But now, it appears a few are being bought. When it comes to media freedom, President Ilham Aliyev’s...
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Domestic Workers Emerge from the Shadows
A protest by domestic workers in Costa Rica for an eight-hour day. Credit: Daniel Zueras/IPSAn international convention enters into effect on Thursday that could eventually extend labour rights to as...
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Ex-World Leaders Urge U.S. to Forego Military Attack on Syria
The United States, which is preparing to launch a military strike on Syria, is being cautioned by several former world leaders and Nobel Peace laureates to seek a political solution to the ongoing...
View ArticleIran Looms over Syria Debate for Pro-Israel Groups
With Congress still deliberating over Barack Obama’s request for authorisation to take military action against Syria, the powerful Israel lobby here has taken the lead in pressing the president’s case....
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Cameroonians ‘Dying’ for Fake Drugs
In markets and on roadsides across Yaoundé, counterfeit and illegal drugs are stacked on wooden racks and tables, openly displayed for sale. Credit: Monde Kingsley Nfor/IPSWhen Francois Biloa fell ill...
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Q&A: Room for Negotiation in Decisive Battle over the Amazon
The circles show possible hydropower dams in the Tapajós river watershed. The colour indicates the level of impact of each dam, from very high (dark red) to low (yellow). Credit: Courtesy WWF-Brazil...
View ArticleSyria Strike Set to Overshadow G20 Summit
World leaders from G20 are meeting in St Petersburg, Russia, amid sharp differences over possible U.S. military action against Syria in response to what the U.S. administration calls a deadly chemical...
View ArticleU.N. Chief Eyes Eight Holdouts in Nuke Test Ban Treaty
A group of about 20 “eminent persons” is to be tasked with an unenviable job: convince eight recalcitrant countries to join the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). The eight holdouts – China,...
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U.S. Immigration Officials Tighten Rules for Solitary Confinement
U.S. officials on Wednesday issued strict new guidelines on the use of solitary confinement for detainees being held on immigration charges, the first federal policy decision following a strengthened...
View ArticleSyria Crisis Yet to Derail Iran Nuclear Talks
Even with potential U.S. strikes against Iranian ally Syria looming, Washington and Tehran appear to be preparing for the resumption of nuclear talks. U.S. foreign policy analysts have been bustling...
View ArticleImmigration Key in Norway Election
On a sunny day at the end of August, the popular Karl Johans pedestrian street in Oslo pulsed with folk music as three young women and a man played stringed instruments and belted out English and...
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Cuban Teenagers Overuse Abortion as Birth Control
A young mother carries her baby out of Ramón González Coro maternity hospital in Havana. Credit: Jorge Luis Baños/IPS In nearly all of Latin America, illegal abortion is a serious public health...
View ArticleOP-ED: Syria Has Become Iran’s Vietnam – Let’s Help It Escape
As if the Iran nuclear issue was not already difficult enough, it became even more complicated when Bashar al-Assad unleashed his chemical weapons across Damascus suburbs last month. Suddenly, the...
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U.N. Urges Culture of Peace amid Rising Sectarian Strife
A street fight in Cairo over ousted Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi. Credit: Hisham Allam/IPSAgainst the backdrop of widespread sectarian violence in Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt and Syria – and rising...
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Obama Increasingly Isolated on Syria Military Action
Some analysts suggest that Obama’s failure to line up support from more G20 leaders suggests that the U.S.-created global order is no longer sustainable. Credit: Official White House Photo by Pete...
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U.S., Malaysia Skirmish over Free-Trade Tobacco
In the Philippines, under regulated advertising for tobacco products, cigarette brands have developed more creative products like packets of 10 sticks instead of the standard 20 to make them cheaper...
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Where a Moustache Can Mean Life or Death
A villager in the partially destroyed village of Ali Saray in Iraq. Credit: Karlos Zurutuza/IPS.“The soul needs to reincarnate a thousand times before becoming one with god,” says Rajab Assy Karim from...
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Cuba Streamlines Public Health System
A number of hospitals and clinics in Cuba have been remodelled. Credits: Jorge Luis Baños/IPS One challenge faced by the Cuban government, and a high priority for citizens, is improving the efficiency...
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Africa’s Farmers Seek Private Money
Sweetpotato farmer Jose Ricardo in Maputo Mozambique. Africa currently imports almost 40 billion dollars worth of food, and experts say that the continent needs to become more self-reliant. Credit:...
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