IPS Weekly 2/22

	Chagos Islanders ‘Will Not Give Up’ Fight to Return Home Nasseem Ackbarally “The Marine Protected Area (MPA) created around the Chagos archipelago is a new obstacle that the British government has placed in our path to prevent us from going back to our homeland,” claims Olivier Bancoult, leader of the Chagos Refugees Group (CRG). For the past 40 years, the Chagossians ... MORE > >
	U.N. Focuses on Faltering Goals: Water, Sanitation, Energy Thalif Deen When the U.N.'s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) reach their deadline in 2015, there will still be a critical setback: millions of people in the developing world without full access to safe drinking water, proper sanitation and electricity in their homes. Conscious of this shortcoming, the ... MORE > >
	‘No Way Back’ for Kiev Protesters Pavol Stracansky Bloody clashes that have left more than a score dead and more than a 1,000 injured in the Ukrainian capital could continue for weeks. Local people say there is now “no way back” for either side in what has become the worst crisis in the country’s post-Soviet history. Protests began in Kiev at ... MORE > >
	Troika Becomes the Villain in a Greek Tragedy Apostolis Fotiadis A humanitarian crisis is unfolding in Greece and other recession-hit European countries as they undergo harsh austerity measures in exchange for a bailout. At the heart of it is the Troika, say trade unions, civil society and rights activists. The Troika – as the International Monetary Fund ... MORE > >
	Half of U.S. Farmland Being Eyed by Private Equity Carey L. Biron An estimated 400 million acres of farmland in the United States will likely change hands over the coming two decades as older farmers retire, even as new evidence indicates this land is being strongly pursued by private equity investors. Mirroring a trend being experienced across the globe, this ... MORE > >
	Students Take On the Army Ashfaq Yusufzai Disturbed by civilian casualties and moved by the plight of people living like refugees in their own country, students from Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) are demanding an end to army operations against militants on their native soil. “We are sick of military action in ... MORE > >
	Refugees Ski Too, in Iraq Jewan Abdi No one here has heard of the Sochi Winter Olympics. But the snow conditions are perfect in these Kurdish mountains of Iraq and 11-year-old Syrian refugee Hassan Khishman is thrilled to glide on skis for the first time. "It’s brought back the good times with friends in Syria," the Syrian Kurd boy ... MORE > >
	Somalia Powerless to Stop Al-Shabaab Mobile Internet Shutdown Ahmed Osman Osman Ali, the owner of an electronics shop in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, has been hard-hit since Al-Shabaab forced the biggest telecoms company to switch off its mobile internet service in this Horn of Africa nation. “I don’t understand why the government has not done anything to deal with ... MORE > >
	Russian Health Going Down With Vodka Pavol Stracansky Sitting in the dining room of a Moscow hotel, manager Yulia Golovanova explains why she always likes to see Russians, rather than foreigners, bring guests in. “Just watch them,” she says as eight well-dressed men sit down at a table and immediately order vodka. “They come in, order round after ... MORE > >
	Internet Holds a Presidential Hope Ezgi Akin Turkey is waiting to see if President Abdullah Gul will ratify the government's controversial Internet bill, which opposition parties, civil society and the international community call a major restriction on freedom of expression. Gul had said three years ago that "there shouldn't be any ... MORE > >