The Week with IPS 3/13

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	Safeguarding Africa’s Wetlands a Daunting Task Tonderayi Mukeredzi African wetlands are among the most biologically diverse ecosystems on the continent, covering more than 131 million hectares, according to the Senegalese-based Wetlands International Africa (WIA). Yet, despite their importance and value, wetland areas are experiencing immense pressure across ... MORE > >
	The Dilemma of Soy in Argentina Fabiana Frayssinet Industrial soy production continues to expand in Argentina, pushing small farmers out of the countryside and replacing other crops and cattle. It presents a challenge in a country where 70 percent of the food consumed comes from family farms, but which also needs the foreign exchange brought in by ... MORE > >
	What’s Driving the Merciless Asylum Seeker Policies in Australia? Catherine Wilson As conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere pushed the number of refugees to 13 million last year, the international community is struggling to shoulder the humanitarian responsibility of protecting those fleeing violence and persecution in their homelands. But in Australia – a wealthy nation, ... MORE > >
	Women Make Progress in Politics, But Glass Ceiling Remains Unbreakable Thalif Deen Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, a creature of the U.N.’s 193 member states and who serves at their will and pleasure, did not hesitate to fault 13 countries that kept women out of their national parliaments and governments in power. “There are five countries in the world where not a single woman ... MORE > >
	Brazil – from the Droughts of the Northeast to São Paulo’s Thirst Mario Osava Six million people in Brazil’s biggest city, São Paulo, may at some point find themselves without water. The February rains did not ward off the risk and could even aggravate it by postponing rationing measures which hydrologists have been demanding for the last six months. The threat is ... MORE > >
	First the Taliban, then the Army, now Hunger: The Woes of Pakistan’s Displaced Ashfaq Yusufzai A doctor shakes his head in despair as he examines a 10-year-old child at the Jalozai refugee camp, about 35 km by road from Peshawar, capital of Pakistan’s northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province. "He is severely malnourished,” Dr. Zeeshan Khan tells IPS. “He is vulnerable to diseases like ... MORE > >
	Renewable Energies in Latin America Weather Low Oil Prices Emilio Godoy Traditionally, falling oil prices have discouraged development of renewable energy sources, but clean energy is making steady progress in Latin America, according to regional experts. Most Latin American countries have set medium and long-term targets for alternative energy supply and ... MORE > >
	Bolivia’s School Meals All About Good Habits and Eating Local Franz Chávez A successful school meals programme that serves breakfast and lunch with Andean flavours to 140,000 students in La Paz gave rise to a new law aimed at promoting healthy diets based on local traditions and products in Bolivia’s schools, while combating malnutrition and bolstering food ... MORE > >
	From the Mountains to the Sea, Timorese Women Fight for More Lyndal Rowlands In Timor-Leste, the gap between rich and poor is most keenly felt by rural women and children. But while women are working hard to help rebuild Timor-Leste, their contributions are not always recognised, in a country where men’s narratives still heavily dominate. Ahead of International Women’s ... MORE > >