The Week with IPS 12/13

	Mundurukú Indians in Brazil Protest Tapajós Dams Fabiola Ortiz It took them three days to make the 2,000-km journey by bus from their Amazon jungle villages. The 10 Mundurukú chiefs and 30 warriors made the trek to the capital of Brazil to demand the demarcation of their territory and the right to prior consultation in order to block the Tapajós ... MORE > >
	In Home Gardens, Income and Food for Urban Poor Elizabeth Whitman Flowers burst out of old tires and rows of pepper plants fill recycled plastic tubs as herbs pop out of old pipes. As utilitarian as it is cheery, this rooftop array is one of several urban agriculture projects that are significantly improving livelihoods for the urban poor in this sprawling ... MORE > >
	Reaching Quietly for the ‘Solidarity Basket’ Vesna Peric Zimonjic In the early morning hours, as hundreds of people grab their breakfast at a busy bakery in Beogradska Street in the Serbian capital, a very special basket quickly fills up with croissants, rolls and breads. It is the ‘solidarity basket’. It’s a concept that around 60 bakeries all over Serbia ... MORE > >
	Changes Coming to South Africa’s Patent System Brendon Bosworth Paul Anley, chief executive officer of Pharma Dynamics, one of South Africa’s leading generic drug companies, wants to sell a cheaper version of popular birth control pill Yasmin. But he legally cannot because German multinational Bayer has patent protection on the drug in South Africa, even though ... MORE > >
	Throwing the Tanzania-Zambia Railway a Lifeline Amy Fallon Some say it's the journey, not the destination that matters. Hop aboard the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) line at Tanzania's Dar es Salaam port and begin the 1,860-kilometre journey to Kapiri Mposhi, a small town in Zambia's Central Province, and you may find yourself pondering this ... MORE > >
	Golan Druze Feel the Brunt of Syria’s Civil War Pierre Klochendler The faint explosion is a reminder that though the newly refurbished fence protects their town, the two-and-a-half-year-old civil war which is tearing their motherland apart is never far off. Separated from Syria for almost five decades, the Syrian Druze living in the Israeli-occupied Golan ... MORE > >
	Some Spanish Police Protect Immigrants Inés Benítez They are members of Spain’s Guardia Civil. But instead of pursuing undocumented immigrants like the rest of the police in Spain, they are there to defend them from the crimes to which they often fall victim. “We frequently dress as civilians and go around the province to gather complaints in ... MORE > >
	Africa Prepares for Central African Republic Deployment Jacey Fortin The African Union is preparing to deploy thousands of troops in the Central African Republic as a deadly conflict there spirals further out of control. On Monday, Dec. 9, African Union (AU) Deputy Chairperson Erastus Mwencha met with diplomats at its headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to ... MORE > >
Ukraine Crackdown Turns Sinister Pavol Stracansky As anti-government protests in the Ukraine move into their third week, there are growing concerns among individuals and civil society organisations in the country over the regime’s approach to protestors. Rights groups say that there are already similarities to the sinister crackdown on ... MORE > >
	Indian Boys Get Lessons in Respect Shai Venkatraman In a shanty tucked inside Dharavi, described as Asia’s largest slum settlement, a little piece of theatre unfolds. Several young boys are heckled as they pretend to go vegetable shopping - and calling them names are young girls. The boys are embarrassed. While the exact opposite happens on ... MORE > >
	Lynch Mobs Hide Behind 'Community Justice' in Bolivia Franz Chávez Images of tortured bodies and barely recognisable faces, victims of lynch mobs made up of furious local residents, periodically shock Bolivian society. It is vigilante justice in impoverished rural and urban areas that has nothing to do with indigenous community justice, which the perpetrators ... MORE > >
	Africa Urged to Use Multilateral Approach to Achieve Sustainable Development Isaiah Esipisu Africa can achieve sustainable development by scaling up "green economy" initiatives. What is needed is increased allocations from within national budgets supplemented by donor funding, claim experts. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) defines a green economy initiative as one that ... MORE > >
	Drone Killings Show Numbers, Not Bodies Ashfaq Yusufzai More than 300 U.S. drone attacks have killed 2,160 militants and 67 civilians in Pakistan since 2008, according to Pakistani defence ministry data. But people living in the affected areas are now questioning these figures, asking why they never get to know the names of the militants or see the ... MORE > >
	An African Dream Called Lampedusa Karlos Zurutuza Youssef crossed the Sahara desert with a folded school map of Europe in his pocket. “Could you please point Lampedusa in the map for me? I cannot find it.” The 28-year-old Nigerian undertook an arduous journey from the capital Abuja to Libya in the hope of some day making it to the Italian ... MORE > >
	Mandela, Pacifist or Rebel? Diana Cariboni Perhaps it’s a false contradiction. But today there are many who stress the pacifist message with which South Africa’s Nelson Mandela (1918-2013) emerged from prison in 1990, while few put an emphasis on his rebellion against apartheid, incl