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SRI LANKA: Deep Plot Seen in Former Tiger Turning MP
11 10 2008 COLOMBO, Oct 11 (IPS) - It might have the script a Tamil blockbuster movie. When Vinayagamoorthi Muralitharan, eastern commander of the militant Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), turned renegade in 2004 he could not have dreamt of being sworn in as a member of Sri Lanka’s parliament.
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Q&A: Central American "Exports, Production, Employment" Hit by Crisis
11 10 2008 SAN JOSÉ, Oct 10 (IPS) - The financial crisis in the United States and Europe could cause a fall in Central American exports, tourism, property investments and remittances sent by migrant workers to their families, Costa Rican economist Eduardo Lizano says in this interview with IPS.
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TRADE-EAST AFRICA: Going Bananas to Fight Poverty and Hunger
10 10 2008 MOMBASA, Oct 10 (IPS) - Arguably one of the world’s most popular fruits, bananas are poorly marketed as a value-added commercial crop in Africa. But that is about to change as a plan is being conceptualised to transform the way Africa produces and sells bananas.
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DEVELOPMENT: Overdue Award Goes to the Right Man
10 10 2008 HELSINKI, Oct 10 (IPS) - The Finns had almost waited for the Nobel Peace Prize for Martti Ahtisaari too long. It finally came as a happy surprise, amidst speculation it would go this year to Asia.
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POLITICS-MALAYSIA: Mahathir May Return to Centre Stage
10 10 2008 KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 10 (IPS) - Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi’s planned stepping down in March 2009 may well see a return to the authoritarian rule familiar to Malaysians during the 22-year iron rule of his predecessor Dr. Mahathir Mohamad.
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TRADE-EAST AFRICA: Going Bananas to Fight Poverty and Hunger
10 10 2008 MOMBASA, Oct 10 (IPS) - Arguably one of the world’s most popular fruits, bananas are poorly marketed as a value-added commercial crop in Africa. But that is about to change as a plan is being conceptualised to transform the way Africa produces and sells bananas.
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CHINA: Nothing Confucian About Toxic Milk
10 10 2008 BEIJING, Oct 10 (IPS) - For a country with an enduring tradition of Confucian ethics, the poisoned milk scandal -- possibly the worst crisis of its type in Chinese modern history -- has had a devastating blow on the public's trust in its government's benevolence.
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CARIBBEAN: Agriculture Literally Losing Ground
10 10 2008 KINGSTOWN, St. Vincents, Oct 9 (IPS) - Natasha Neus of Suriname says it is crystal clear what Caribbean governments need to do to bring the region's food crisis under control.
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ENVIRONMENT: Crises Likely to Spur Mass Migrations
10 10 2008 UNITED NATIONS, Oct 9 (IPS) - As climate change, sea-level rise, earthquakes and floods threaten countries such as Bangladesh, Tuvalu, Vietnam and Tajikistan, the Tokyo-based U.N. University (UNU) warns that by 2050, some 200 million people will be displaced by environmental problems.
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CHILE: Native Community in Desert Oasis Threatened by Mines
09 10 2008 ALTO DEL CARMEN, Chile, Oct 9 (IPS) - The Diaguita indigenous community in Huasco Alto, surrounded by rich gold, silver and copper deposits in the northern Chilean region of Atacama, are engaged in a struggle to prevent mining projects from infringing on their territory and destroying their way of life and ancestral identity.
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POLITICS-MALAYSIA: Regime Change May Hit Reforms
09 10 2008 PENANG, Oct 9 (IPS) - It took exactly seven months after a severe general electoral setback for Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi to announce that he would not be defending the presidency of the dominant party in the ruling coalition in party polls next year.
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SRI LANKA: 'Rice Paddies More Valuable Than Int'l Airport'
09 10 2008 HAMBANTOTA, Oct 9 (IPS) - Sri Lankan rice farmers who fought against President Mahinda Rajapakse and his powerful brothers, trying to construct an international airport on their paddies, say they won because their cause was just and enjoyed popular support.
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DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: A High-Tech Garden of Eden
09 10 2008 CONSTANZA, Oct 8 (IPS) - Traffic crews on the switchback road signal drivers down to one lane as workers spray concrete on the mountain barrier to prevent landslides. The posted speed limit on the road to the 1,300-metre-high valley of Constanza, three hours north of the capital of Santo Domingo, often drops to 20 km an hour as the road winds along the high mountain ridges.
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ECONOMY-CHINA: Opportunity in Wall Street Distress
08 10 2008 BEIJING, Oct 8 (IPS) - The Wall Street fire-sale has prompted China economic pundits to call on Beijing to avail of the opportunity to acquire stakes in United States financial institutions and further its influence on global financial power.
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THAILAND: Another Bout of Military Rule?
08 10 2008 BANGKOK, Oct 8 (IPS) - The battle for Bangkok has entered a new and violent phase, the logical end of which can only be another bout of military rule.
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DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: A High-Tech Garden of Eden
08 10 2008 CONSTANZA, Oct 8 (IPS) - Traffic crews on the switchback road signal drivers down to one lane as workers spray concrete on the mountain barrier to prevent landslides. The posted speed limit on the road to the 1,300-metre-high valley of Constanza, three hours north of the capital of Santo Domingo, often drops to 20 km an hour as the road winds along the high mountain ridges.
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Q&A: Money Crisis May Hit Development Assistance
08 10 2008 ROME, Oct 8 (IPS) - The global financial crisis and rising food prices are certain to impact Latin America despite the growth in recent years, says Pamela Cox, the World Bank's vice-president for Latin America and the Caribbean.
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POLITICS-THAILAND: Tired of Instability - But More Ahead
08 10 2008 BANGKOK, Oct 8 (IPS) - In the wake of Tuesday’s violent clashes with anti-government protesters that saw the Thai prime minister clambering over Parliament’s walls to safety, Noi, a Thai employee, says: "This is like a horror movie with no ending."
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HEALTH: WHO Warns Against 'Bird Flu Fatigue'
08 10 2008 MANILA, Oct 8 (IPS) - So where is the pandemic? This is a question most often asked of health experts years after they warned about a pandemic influenza that could infect up to 35 percent of the world's population.
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SERBIA: Women Farmers Doubly Disadvantaged
08 10 2008 BELGRADE, Oct 8 (IPS) - Among disadvantaged women in Serbia, none seem worse off than farmers, a new study shows.
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INDIA: Old Road New Role
08 10 2008 GUWAHATI, Assam, Oct 8 (IPS) - Built during World War II as a strategic link between India and Burma, the Stilwell Road is now being resurrected as part of India’s ‘Look East’ policy of engaging its neighbours in South-east Asia.
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ENVIRONMENT: To Build a School, Save the Hippo
08 10 2008 BARCELONA, Oct 7 (IPS) - As the Wechiau community living along the banks of the Black Volta river in Ghana discovered, looking after the hippopotamus can build schools and bring electricity.
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DEVELOPMENT: Is a Food Bank Answer to the Crisis?
08 10 2008 UNITED NATIONS, Oct 7 (IPS) - Bangladesh, one of the world's 49 least developed countries (LDCs) described as the poorest of the poor, is calling for the creation of a global food bank.
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LATAM-CARIBBEAN: Everyone Is Invited to the Summit
08 10 2008 RIO DE JANEIRO, Oct 7 (IPS) - For the first time ever, the heads of state and government of Latin America and the Caribbean will gather for a summit meeting Dec. 16 and 17 in Salvador, the capital of the northeastern Brazilian state of Bahia, in a new attempt to further regional integration, at present fragmented in several subregional blocs.
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COLOMBIA: Sugar Workers Strike for Basic Rights
08 10 2008 BOGOTA, Oct 7 (IPS) - "We sugar cane cutters are neither delinquents nor terrorists; we are honest workers demanding respect for our rights," say Colombia’s cane harvesters, who have been on strike since Sept. 15, demanding basic rights.
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