The Week with IPS

Click here for the online version of this IPS newsletter
	Hemp Defies Hurdles to Make a Comeback in Spain Inés Benítez Spain is experiencing a resurgence of hemp, one of the species of cannabis with the lowest THC content, which has been used for millennia to produce textile, medicinal and food products. “Hemp has been planted since the beginning of time for its nutritional properties and health benefits,” said ... MORE > >
	Caribbean Forced to Choose Between Climate Change Impact and MDGs Desmond Brown Climate change is forcing the nine-member Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) to choose between expending scarce resources to deal with its impact or other pressing development goals. “There is a very thin line between consumption and conservation…progress and protection,” Grenada’s ... MORE > >
	China Tightens Grip On Africa Miriam Gathigah Janice Gacheri imports handbags and shoes from China which she sells on social media sites and by word of mouth to customers in Nairobi and neighbouring towns. “For a part-time business, the returns are encouraging. I am considering pursuing it full time and broadening the range of products ... MORE > >
	Transgenics Prosper Amidst Pragmatism and Collateral Damage Fabiana Frayssinet The advertising department of Swiss agribusiness giant Syngenta was on a roll in early 2004 when it published a map that dubbed a large area of Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay the “United Republic of Soy”. In this “republic” more than 46 million hectares of transgenic soy are ... MORE > >
	OP-ED: Violence Leaves Women, Girls, and Young People on the Edge in South Sudan Julitta Onabanjo As with many conflicts and other humanitarian emergencies around the world, those who suffer the most are women, young girls and children. The current terrible crisis in South Sudan is no exception. When I visited the country recently, I met women and girls, some with babies strapped on their ... MORE > >
	U.N. Decries Water as Weapon of War in Military Conflicts Thalif Deen The United Nations, which is trying to help resolve the widespread shortage of water in the developing world, is faced with a growing new problem: the use of water as a weapon of war in ongoing conflicts. The most recent examples are largely in the Middle East and Africa, including Iraq, Egypt, ... MORE > >
	Conflict with Local Communities Hits Mining and Oil Companies Where It Hurts Stephen Leahy Conflicts with local communities over mining, oil and gas development are costing companies billions of dollars a year. One corporation alone reported a six billion dollar cost over a two-year period according to the first-ever peer-reviewed study on the cost of conflicts in the extractive ... MORE > >
	Bagua Massacre – A Test for Justice in Peru Milagros Salazar The trial of 52 indigenous people that just got underway for a 2009 massacre near the city of Bagua in northwest Peru will test the judicial system’s independence and ability to impart justice. The oral phase of the trial opened Wednesday May 14 in a court in Bagua in the northern region of ... MORE > >
	Why Nigeria Couldn’t Keep Schoolgirls Safe and Why Paris Summit May Offer Hope Ini Ekott Tomorrow Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan will meet other heads of state at a security summit in Paris, France to focus on ways of combatting Boko Haram, the Islamic extremist group which kidnapped 276 schoolgirls from Chibok in April. But questions have been raised about whether the ... MORE > >