IPS week May 12 2013

	Egypt's Political Instability Taking Toll on Its Economy  Adam Morrow and Khaled Moussa al-Omrani  Regardless of who is responsible for Egypt's current political impasse – be it the administration of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi or an aggressive secular opposition – local experts are certain of at least one fact: Egypt's dire economic circumstances will not improve without political ... MORE > >
	Displaced by Gold Mining in Colombia  Constanza Vieira  "I was displaced here by mining a month ago. Illegal miners forced me out of my municipality. No, don't write down where I'm from, let alone my name," said a 40-year-old black man frightened for his safety. IPS agreed to say only that he is from Colombia’s southern Pacific coast region. Two ... MORE > >
	What Pakistani Women Want  Zofeen Ebrahim  As Pakistan inches closer to the May 11 elections, and the accompanying heat and dust get even thicker, it is pertinent to stop for a moment and ask: what do women voters in Pakistan want? Just three square meals and an education for their children, according to Shabina Bibi, an unlettered woman ... MORE > >
Hope, Scepticism Over U.S.-Russian Accord on Syria Conference  Jim Lobe  The surprise accord reached by the U.S. and Russia in Moscow Tuesday to try to convene an international conference to resolve the two-year-old civil war in Syria as soon as the end of this month has been greeted with equal measures of hope and scepticism. If nothing else, the agreement ... MORE > >
	Islamists Lay Siege to Dhaka  Naimul Haq  Adding to a long list of domestic woes, including a factory collapse that left hundreds dead last month, Bangladesh is now grappling with a wave of violence that threatens to deepen the gulf between secular sections of society and religious fundamentalists. Earlier this week at least 27 people ... MORE > >
	Mexico - Ground Zero in the Fight for the Future of Maize  Emilio Godoy  In the 2011 action-thriller "Unknown", scientists are persecuted by the biotech industry because they plan the open release of a drought- and pest-resistant strain of maize that could help eradicate world hunger. There are certain parallels with the situation today in Mexico, the birthplace of ... MORE > >
	Scolding with One Hand and Bribing with the Other  Thalif Deen  When a Southeast Asian country was riddled with corruption in a bygone era, there were rumours that government officials routinely offered receipts every time they accepted a bribe. Last week, Hamid Karzai, the embattled president of Afghanistan, admitted that he was no better: providing ... MORE > >
	Still Homeless, Two Decades Later  Amantha Perera  The camp should not have been difficult to find. We were told to drive straight on the road that leads north away from the town of Puttalam, 140 kilometres from Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo, and we would come upon the settlement of internally displaced people. What IPS found were not the typical ... MORE > >
	Despite Halt in Deportations, Refugees in Israel Live in Fear  Mel Frykberg  Since Israel secretly deported over 1,000 Sudanese refugees several months ago, sending them back to Sudan and threatening to deport hundreds more Sub-Saharan African refugees, Israeli authorities have suspended this practise in the face of international outrage and condemnation by the United ... MORE > >
	Giving Extremists a Second Chance  Muhyadin Ahmed Roble  At 18, Farah Osman should not be a battle-hardened soldier. He should not have spent the last seven years fighting for the Somali Islamist extremist group Al-Shabaab, or have been trained by foreign jihadists in handling and repairing weapons and improving his shooting skills. But he has. And ... MORE > >
	Migrant Children Struggle to Learn  Simba Shani Kamaria Russeau  In the hustle and bustle of Thailand’s capital, Bangkok, a small learning centre located in the Bang Bon district is helping children hailing mostly from the war-torn provinces of Myanmar (Burma) gain access to a basic education. Established by the Foundation for Rural Youth (FRY), the learning ... MORE > >
Dominican Women in Argentina Especially Vulnerable  Marcela Valente  Despite the enormous distance between the two countries, Argentina has become an increasingly frequent destination for migrants from the Dominican Republic, especially women, who are vulnerable to falling prey to sexual exploitation networks. The immigration flow to Argentina from the Caribbean ... MORE > >
	Hunger Rises in Great Britain  Matt Carr  The social consequences of austerity economics have been most visible in Europe’s southern periphery. In the UK, the coalition government has brought in sharp cutbacks in welfare state provision in the name of dealing with the financial crisis. Their impact is becoming increasingly visible. A ... MORE > >
	Sudanese Rebels Prepare for War  William Lloyd-George  A rebel coalition in Sudan has declared war on the government less than a week after it attacked Sudanese forces. “Now there is a fully-fledged war in the new south of the north,” Yasir Arman, a leader of one of the armed groups in the alliance, told IPS, adding that the rebels now control a ... MORE > >
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